The talk I gave at Up.front - a monthly meetup for the web design community in Berlin. Design workshops are one of the most important assets in the designer’s toolkit, but do we give them enough credit and attention? Meetings design is a craft in itself and requires a diverse skillset - from experience design to psychology and understanding group dynamics. In the talk I shared a bit of a context of why these different skills matter (and why it’s not just about inviting different people and giving them the agenda) and let the audience learn from my experience (and past mistakes).

1. The art and craft of
design workshops
Magda Bochenska | @m_bochenskaup.front #84

2. Meetings or workshops?

3. We should
have more workshops.

4. UX professionals
are not lone fighters

5. Shared understanding means
faster implementation

6. Workshops = Peace of mind

7. So, how do you prepare
a good workshop?

8. Always start with a purpose
consider both your goal & the project goal

9. Invite the right people
and invite them well

10. Plan the activities

11. Choose the right methods

12. 1. which method fits this
challenge?
2. what insights and
outcomes may emerge
from this activity?
3. what next step or
activity could follow to
build momentum
among group members?
...and compose them in a sequence

13. Example workshop flow:
‘Design studio’

14. Be ready to improvise

15. The workshop itself

16. It’s not about you anymore!

17. As a domain expert you
are not neutral,
but you have to try

18. ‘What if people come up with
bad ideas?!’

19. Create a safe space

20. Keep up and dig deeper

21. Know when to call the session
to a close

22. It’s easy and it’s important

23. Thank you
and let me know how it goes!
Magda Bochenska | @m_bochenskaup.front #84

24. Book recommendations
Gamestorming: A Playbook
for Innovators,
Rulebreakers, and
Changemakers
Dave Gray
Meeting Design: For
Managers, Makers, and
Everyone
Kevin M. Hoffman
The Surprising Power of
Liberating Structures:
Simple Rules to Unleash A
Culture of Innovation
Henri Lipmanowicz, Keith
McCandless
Sprint: How to Solve Big
Problems and Test New
Ideas in Just Five Days
Jake Knapp