A design thinking workshop helps teams solve complex problems by deeply understanding users and rapidly testing ideas. These 23+ facilitation methods are curated for human-centered design sessions.
Move from empathy to prototype in a single day — with the right methods at every stage.
Plan your design thinking workshopThe design thinking process follows a four-phase arc from understanding users to testing solutions. Each phase has a distinct purpose.
Phase 1
Morning (9:00–11:00)
Understand your users deeply. Conduct research, observe behavior, and build genuine empathy before jumping to solutions.
Phase 2
Late Morning (11:00–12:30)
Synthesize your research into a clear problem statement. Cluster insights and frame the challenge in a way that inspires action.
Phase 3
Afternoon (13:30–15:30)
Generate a wide range of ideas. Suspend judgment and push for quantity — the best ideas emerge after the obvious ones.
Phase 4
Late Afternoon (15:30–17:00)
Build rough prototypes, share with users, and gather feedback. Iterate quickly — fail fast to learn fast.
Organized by phase. Click any method to see full instructions, tips, and facilitation guidance.
The Empathy Map is a tool designed to help teams gain a deeper understanding of their stakeholders, such as customers…
A visual map of a user's experience with a product, service, or process over time. It traces each step of the user's …
A design research tool for creating realistic, composite representations of key user groups based on research data. A…
This method visualizes the steps a customer takes while using a product or service, along with their reactions. It he…
Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) is a strategic framework developed by Clayton Christensen that reframes how you think about cu…
Bodystorming is an innovative approach to brainstorming that involves physical role-playing to explore and develop id…
Card Sort is a method used to organize and categorize information by arranging cards, each containing a piece of info…
A reframing technique popularised by IDEO and the Stanford d.school that transforms problem statements and observatio…
Affinity Mapping is a technique used to organize ideas and data into meaningful clusters. It is ideal for identifying…
Developed by Japanese anthropologist Jiro Kawakita (hence KJ Method), affinity clustering is the process of grouping …
1-2-4-All is a structured method that engages every participant in generating ideas and solutions. It is particularly…
Teams distill a solution concept onto a single poster as if they were designing a billboard or magazine ad for it. Th…
Mapping Design Operations is a strategic exercise aimed at visualizing and understanding the role of Design Ops withi…
A fast ideation exercise from Google Design Sprints. Participants fold a sheet of paper into eight panels and sketch …
The Four-Step Sketch is a method that guides participants to develop ideas in a structured way. It focuses on reviewi…
Design The Box is a creative exercise where teams conceptualize and design a box to represent their product or idea. …
The 'Back of the Napkin' method encourages teams to brainstorm and capture their ideas on a napkin, inspired by the i…
Agile UX Sketching and Scrum is a collaborative sketching exercise designed to generate a wide array of ideas quickly…
Design StoryBoards is a method for creating a detailed and visual plan to guide group interactions and achieve a clea…
A structured review session where design, product, or creative work is evaluated against specific goals — not persona…
A democratic prioritisation technique where each participant receives a fixed number of votes (represented by dot sti…
A five-day intensive framework developed at Google Ventures by Jake Knapp. Each day has a specific focus: Map (unders…
This method helps teams quickly prototype and test new ideas. It is structured to encourage fast-paced creativity and…
Workshop Weaver helps you design, structure, and run design thinking workshops with AI-powered facilitation support. Build your agenda, pick the right methods, and walk in prepared.
Plan your design thinking workshop