Here are some examples of tasks you could include in a cultural probe kit: - A disposable camera to take photos of their daily activities, favorite places, people etc. - A diary or journal for them to document thoughts, feelings, experiences over the course of a day/week. - Stickers or emoji cards for them to label photos or describe emotions. - Maps/images of the local area for them to annotate places they go, routes they take. - Scenarios or prompts to respond to like "describe your ideal day at the festival". - Prepaid envelope to return the completed kit. The key is designing open-ended tasks that provide a window into their

1. DISCOVERING
OLD AND
NEW
CUSTOMERS
{A PROCESS TO HELP YOU CONNECT WITH YOUR
CUSTOMERS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY WANT FROM
YOUR FESTIVAL AND DEVELOP NEW SEGMENTS}

2. WHERE HAS THIS COME FROM
Festival Design DNA is a project produced by Snook for festivalslab.
It is both a set of practical tools and an exciting new conversation
about what happens when cultural professionals and organisations
start to think like designers and work to make the experiences they
create better from a person-centred point of view.
festivalslab or the Edinburgh Festivals Innovation Lab works with
and for the twelve Edinburgh Festivals on how to use new thinking
and new tools to the experience of the world’s festival city even better
for audiences, creative talent and festival organisations.
Snook is a Glasgow-based service design and social innovation
agency focusing on transforming the way services are delivered in
Scotland, ensuring people come first.

3. DISCOVERING OLD AND NEW CUSTOMERS
Purpose: will need preparatory work and research to be able
to fill out confidently)
This pack will help you get under the skin of who
your current customers are, and find new ones. Generative Tools: 3 days
This pack borrows from ethnographic techniques (Run a brainstorm of what the tools need to ask
to guide you through a series of tools to understand and what format they might come in)
who your festival caters for.
Vox Popping: 4 days
Time Frame: (Spend a day on the streets, aim for 5 vox pops per
hour and the rest of the time editing the footage
We recommend you run this project over the into mini video clips or a mash up of the material
course of 4 - 6 weeks you collected)
Service Walkthrough: 1 day
Tools:
(Take a day to walk through the service with
someone and get all your photos downloaded
The Interview Lite: 2 days
afterwards and printed off. You may want to add
(Set up a series of short phone calls to get a feel for
more time to work with multiple users)
what people think about your festival and more
about who they are. You could do the same for
Persona: 2 days
people who don’t use your festival)
(Spend time pulling out who the characters are of
your service)
50 Things: 1 day
(Choose an activity to focus on, this might be
Media Portrait: 2 days
informed by your lite interviews)
(Using the visual media you have, create boards of
your customers to use during the next stages of the
Contextual Interview: 1 week
design process)
(Put some time aside to set up interviews, prepare
for them in terms of what you’re looking to ask
User Values: 1 day
people and getting camera equipment sorted.
(Set up interviews with customers or run this as a
You’ll also need more time if you plan to edit the
project team session)
footage or transcribe interviews, this part is a
lengthy process)
Customer Day: 2 days
(One day of preparation will be needed to organise
Observation: 2 days
the event and invite your customers in over lunch.
(Spend time observing the places you might be
Add more time in and use POPI to break down
focusing on, perhaps your customer’s environment)
what you found from them)
Shadowing: 1 week
Brief: 3 days
(Try following staff who deal with the customers
(Give yourself some time to write the brief, don’t
you are focusing on)
rush it)
Cultural Probe: 2 weeks
Slidedeck of Findings: 2 days
(Give yourself time to brainstorm the content of the
(Take time to think first about the content and
probes, send them out, and receive them)
message you want to get across and use rest of time
to create the presentation)
Relationship Map: 2 days
(This takes around two days to pull together but

4. DISCOVER
THE INTERVIEW LITE
This tool is a great way to meet
people associated with your idea
USE ME TO:
and talk to them in an informal
• Gain a far more holistic
setting. It’s best to carefully
understanding of the people
consider who you should interview
you are designing for
and what you want to find out
from them. For example if you are
trying to improve the process of YOU WILL NEED:
applying to be an act in the Fringe
Festival, interview an act who • Someone willing to be
found the experience brilliant and interviewed.
another who found it frustrating. • Equipment for recording your
interview
Interviews can be conducted • Prepared open question
with customers, staff and other
relevant stakeholders. Ideally,
you should visit the person you
would like to interview in their
own environment and use a
combination of questions and
observations to generate the
“I TALKED TO SOMEONE ABOUT
insights you want and need.
You can document your
WHY THEY DIDN’T COME TO OUR
interview via audio recordings
and photographs - this means
you have rich visual information
FESTIVAL”
to present back to the project
team. A lite interview usually lasts
between fifteen and thirty minutes.

5. INTERVIEW (LITE)
This tool is a great way to meet people associated with your idea and talk to them in an informal
setting. It’s best to carefully consider who you should interview and what you want to find out
from them. For example if you are trying to improve the process of applying to be an act in the
Fringe festival, interview an act who found the experience brilliant and another who found it
frustrating.
What 5 questions do you want to cover with your interviewee?
What did you find out?
r
you
hat re and
ut w a
P ull o ndings your
n fi nto
mai these i ase.
take ition ph
n
defi
FESTIVAL
DESIGN
DNA

6. DISCOVER
50 THINGS “50 THINGS REALLY SHOWS HOW
HARD IT CAN BE FOR A CUSTOMER
This tool is a great way to put
yourself in someone else’s
USE ME TO: TO ACCESS OUR FESTIVAL”
shoes. • Gain a new perspective on
experiences related to your
Pick one activity that is relevant idea
to your project and task
everyone in the project with
completing this activity. YOU WILL NEED:
They then have to write down a • An activity
list of 50 things related to their • Pen and paper
task. What happened? How did
they feel? What did they hear?
For example if you are trying
to improve the way finding of
a particular festival, task the
team with finding their way to
the toilet with vision restricted
glasses. (You can do this using
tape, buying a cheap pair of
sunglasses and colouring
them in etc) Then ask them
to write 50 things about that
experience.

7. 50 THINGS
Pick one activity that is relevant to your project and task everyone in the project with complet-
ing this activity. They then have to write down a list of 50 things related to their task - What hap-
pened? How did they feel? What did they hear? For example, if you are trying to improve the way
finding of a particular festival, task the team with finding their way to the toilet blindfolded in a
venue. They then have to write 50 things about that experience.
1 26
2 27
3 28
4 29
5 30
6 31
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8 33
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10 35
11 36
12 37
13 38
14 39
15 40
16 41
17 42
18 43
19 44
20 45
21 46
22 47
23 48
24 49
25 50
FESTIVAL
DESIGN
DNA

8. DISCOVER
CONTEXTUAL INTERVIEW
This tool is an extension of the USE ME TO:
interview lite tool. A contextual
interview is spending time • Uncover the unknown
with a person in their own unknowns.
space and asking them loosely • Gain a deep understanding
structured questions. of behaviour, needs
problems, desire and
This technique comes from motivations. The output
ethnography methods where of an interview is rich and
ethnographers could spend meaningful observations &
months or years living and insights that build a story on
observing different people from the participant. The stories
a variety of cultures. can be supported and
emphasised by images &
You should consider carrying video clips.
out a range of interviews with a
range of people for a particular
project in order to achieve a
YOU WILL NEED:
broad array of insights. Finding
the right people in a short •
•
Someone to interview
A place to interview them
“SPENDING TIME WITH
space of time can be difficult.
Try and think of an incentive to
•
•
Prepared questions
Recording equipment SOMEONE IN THEIR HOME TOLD
US SO MUCH ABOUT THEM”
secure the right participants.

9. CONTEXTUAL INTERVIEWS
This tool is an extension of the interview lite tool. A contextual interview is spending time with a
person in their own space and asking them loosely structured questions. You should consider
carrying out a range of interviews with several different types of people for a particular project in
order to achieve a broad array of insights.
Who are you interviewing? Name, age and the first thing you find out about them:
Use this space to lay down questions before meeting your interviewee, or to captue notes
and sketches during the interview.
ke
to ta
Ask s of
to e
pho you ar e
o n ak
pers &m re
the viewing captu
r u e
inte that yo ir hom
e u
sure ils of th that yo .
m
deta e place ing the
h
or t tervie w
in
are
FESTIVAL
DESIGN
DNA

10. DISCOVER “WE SPENT TIME ON THE HIGH
OBSERVATION “BIHIYVLJJFLIUAOYGLNUHAPITU
STREET OBSERVING PEOPLE
GVPAJBV;BBIBZIYOYOCUYVHZCV
DURING THE FRINGE”
USE ME TO:
HBJHBZLFYH”
Observation is a cheap and
easy way of conducting new
research. • Create user personas
• Find out more about
Using our eyes, stepping customers
back and watching customers • Understand how a physical
engage with a service can space works
reveal key information and • Spot problems and
enrich quantitative research. opportunities
Understanding how users
move in a physical space, their
YOU WILL NEED:
habits, the clothes they wear,
• Your eyes
the bag they carry all build up
• Pen and paper
a picture of who our customers
are.
All it requires, is for you to take
a step back and observe.

11. OBSERVATION
Observation is a cheap and easy way of conducting new research. Using our eyes, stepping back
and watching customers engage with a service can reveal key information and enrich quantitative
research. All it takes, is taking a step back and observing.
Look at how users move in a physical space, their habits, the clothes they wear, the bag
they carry. All of this builds up a picture of who your customers are.
re interesting:
that we
gs I saw
10 thin
tos
pho , but
Take u go s
o
as y to be a le.
er sib
emb as pos act
em te
r
re in to
disc le beg they
p
Peo ently if ey are
r
diffe that th ed.
w
kno watch
be ing
FESTIVAL
DESIGN
DNA

12. DISCOVER
SHADOWING
Shadowing is the action USE ME TO:
of following someone to
understand what it is like to live • Gain insights from a
their life. This can be done over different point of view
the course of a day, week, or
longer.
• Understand customers and “SHADOWING A BOX OFFICE MANAGER
staff’s
Shadowing can be done in
• Motivations/needs
• Understanding what needs
TOLD ME SO MUCH ABOUT THE
a subtle way by following
a member of staff as they
to change
• Influence new ideas for
PROBLEMS THEY FACE AT PEAK TIMES”
undertake their job, or you may improvement
want to try asking questions
while you shadow. YOU WILL NEED:
The point of shadowing is to
• Notepad and pen
understand first hand what it is
• Audio/visual capturing
like to deliver or use a service.
device. (Camera,
The outcome is an in-depth
dictaphone, mobile phone
understanding of the good and
app)
bad points of a service.
Take notes, capture audio
and visual and when you have
returned to the studio there is
plenty of material to analyse
and use in communicating
some of the sticking points of
the service.

13. SHADOWING
Shadowing is the action of following someone to observe and understand what it is like to live
their life. This can be done over the course of a day, a week, or longer. Shadowing can be done
in a subtle way by following a member of staff as they undertake their job, or you may want to try
asking questions while you shadow. The point of shadowing is to understand first hand what it is
like to deliver or use a service.
Take notes, capture audio and take photographs. When you have returned to the studio
there is plenty of material to analyse and use in communicating some of the sticking
points of the service.
Where are you?
Who are you shadowing?
Do they know that you are there?
Where do they go?
What do they see?
Do they talk to anyone?
What do they touch?
What else is happening around them (sights, sounds, smells)?
How long do you shadow for?
FESTIVAL
DESIGN
DNA

14. DISCOVER “WE SENT OUT CULTURAL PROBES
TO FESTIVAL CUSTOMERS TO
CULTURAL PROBE UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT THEIR
A cultural probe is a small describe how they feel along a EXPERIENCES”
kit that is sent to a targeted timeline. They could be sent a
user. The results help you text throughout intervals in the
understand their life or day to capture photographs of
experience of a service without where they are, or what they
a member of the project team are doing.
or designer being involved.
Kits often include a camera or USE ME TO:
audio device and a set of tasks
or images a user must capture. • Gather user insights
It builds up a visual picture • Create a visual picture of
that creates a more in-depth people’s lives
understanding of a user’s life
or experience. Cultural probes
are about scratching the YOU WILL NEED:
surface of peoples thoughts
and behaviours and really • To design a toolkit and a
understanding their life. bag to package this
• Disposable camera or
The kit should be designed digital capture device
to be engaging and capture • Relationship // Stakeholder
nuances that traditional map.
engagement methods overlook.
For example a user could
be set a diary to document
their day and use stickers to

15. CULTURAL PROBES
Cultural probes are about getting underneath peoples skin and really understanding their life. The
kit should be designed to be engaging and capture nuances that traditional engagement methods
overlook. For example, a user could be sent a diary to document their day and use stickers to
describe how they feel along a timeline. They could be sent a text throughout intervals in the day
to capture photographs of where they are, or what they are doing.
Think about making this visually engaging. Brand it as your project, package it, think about
how it arrives with your user, and how they unpack it.
Some points to consider when making your kit:
Who is going to be doing it?
Where would be best for them to complete it?
How long should it take?
Does it need to be documented across days?
Think about whether a lot of writing is necessary.
Can your user upload their own photos?
Do you need to develop films?
Are you collecting video or audio content?
How long do you need to consider for posting items back?
Should you provide an incentive e.g. coffee vouchers?
FESTIVAL
DESIGN
DNA

16. DISCOVER
RELATIONSHIP / STAKEHOLDER MAP “WE MAPPED OUR CUSTOMERS
RELATIONSHIPS TO UNDERSTAND
A stakeholder map can
be used to look at who is
USE ME TO: WHAT INFLUENCES THEM”
involved around your theme • Plan project relationships
or project. If consider it as a and see the big picture
relationship map we can also
look at individuals and the
relationships they have with
YOU WILL NEED:
organisations, friends, families.
• Post its
A map of stakeholders or • Pens
relationships can be visualised • An open mind
using concentric circles with
close relationships being
mapped in the centre and
further away relationships
towards the outer circles.
This is a great way to step
back and look holistically at an
individual or group’s influencing
factors.

17. RELATIONSHIP / STAKEHOLDER MAP
A stakeholder map is useful at the start of the project to understand what other festival
organisations and other cultural orgs who will be part of your idea. Furthermore, it forces you to
consider other influential stakeholders such as Trip Advisor and Stage Coach Travel. This is a
great way to step back and look at who you want to pull closer into the project and question how
you will do this.
A map of stakeholders can be visualised using concentric circles with close relationships
being mapped in the centre and further away relationships towards the outer circles.
at
k th
u thin
If yo will
e
ther t of
lo ertain
ea
be quit nt of c our
eme ss y
mov le acro work -
p
peo as you res, or ent
u
map ego fig repres
el to
us bies
jel lyba
.
them
FESTIVAL
DESIGN
DNA

18. DISCOVER “WE USED GENERATIVE
GENERATIVE TOOLS TOOLS TO STOP PEOPLE
IN THE STREET AND
Sometimes talking to people USE ME TO: GATHER THEIR OPINION”
isn’t easy, and sometimes they
don’t want to talk. • Inspire and inform new
ideas
Generative tools are more of • Synthesise user
a method than a tool. This personalities into categories
is about creating physical • Maintain a customer
objects that act as prompts to centred process
encourage people to engage • Test ideas
with you. Engagement tools are
sometimes not about speaking,
and you learn a great deal from
YOU WILL NEED:
watching someone complete
• Customer insight
an exercise.
information. (To get this
information, conduct interviews,
Think of them as conversation talk to customers/staff, use
starters. For example, make quantitative information to create
a sign asking people what customer segments.)
they would change about their
festival experience if they could
wave a magic wand!

19. GENERATIVE TOOLS
Sometimes talking to people isn’t easy, and sometimes they don’t want to talk. Generative tools
are more of a method than a tool. This is about creating physical objects that act as prompts to
encourage people to engage with you. Think of them as conversation starters.
For example, think about making a sign asking people what they would change about
their festival experience if they could wave a magic wand!
Talk t
o
abou me
t ...
re n
g su i
akin meone g
M so
din
that is recor t
ha rs
team ns t e
y our teractio g & oth
in in u
the re hav you. Yo is on
a
you ions to o put th own
t t
reac t want write d ost-
gh og, or
mi bl
p
d on
yo ur u foun P.O.P.I
t yo se
wha then u
its &
FESTIVAL
DESIGN
DNA

20. DISCOVER
VOX POPPING
This technique is a way to USE ME TO:
generate “man on the street”
interviews in response to a • Find out what the public
particular question such as think about a particular
“What is the one reason you topic
would go to a festival?” Usually • Gain feedback on your idea
the interviewees are in public
places, and give spontaneous
opinions in a chance encounter
YOU WILL NEED:
— unrehearsed and not
• Confidence
selected in any way.
• Recording Equipment
The results of vox popping
are unpredictable and usually
the material needs edited.
Although the two can be
quite often confused, a vox
“IN JUST 60 SECONDS WE HAD GOT
pop is not a form of a survey.
Each person is asked the
same question; the aim is to
get a variety of answers and
opinions on any given subject.
A SNAPSHOT OF WHO WAS VISITING
The interviewees should be of
various ages, genders, classes OUR FESTIVAL AND WHY”
and communities so that the
diverse views and reactions
of the genera public will be
known.

21. VOX POPPING
This technique is a way to generate “man on the street” interviews in response to a particular
questions such as “What is the one reason you would go to a festival?” Usually the interviewes
are in public places, and give spontaneous opinions in a chance encounter — unrehearsed and
not selected in any way.
Consider your questions and how to approach people beforehand. Have questions ready
but don’t be too prescribed, let the stories emerge.
:
I sp oke to
Who
edit
can very
You film
r
you ovie or yer
n iM ia Pla
ily o ed t
eas ows M pload i
d
Win free),
u log.
h ps b arge
(bot ur grou o ch
yo t e
to ber hon .
mem cam/p storage
Re flip
r tr a
you take ex
and
FESTIVAL
DESIGN
DNA

22. DISCOVER
SERVICE WALKTHROUGH “WE SPENT TIME PICKING UP
TICKETS WITH OUR CUSTOMERS
USE ME TO:
AT THE BOX OFFICE”
Walking through an experience
with someone is great way
of capturing how they feel
• Gather visual evidence of
during it and where you can
how a festival works
make improvements or spot
• Ideas on how to improve
opportunities for innovation.
particular service interaction
• Empathise with the people
Try attend a festival show with
you are designing for
someone, organise spending
time with them from booking
the ticket to taking the bus to YOU WILL NEED:
picking up their ticket to seeing
the show. • A customer who is willing to
work with you
Try and take photographs along • Recording equipment
the route from beginning to (camera/audio)
end, this will give you visual
documentation of how the
experience feels as a whole.
Remember to capture the detail
as well.
How does your customer
interact with the touchpoints of
the festival? Is it easy for them
to find the box office using
signage? Does the website work
well? How do they respond to
the printed ticket?

23. SERVICE WALKTHROUGHS
Walking through an experience with someone is great way of capturing how they feel during it
and where you can make improvements or spot opportunities for innovation. Try attend a festival
show with someone, organise spending time with them from booking the ticket to taking the
bus to picking up their ticket to seeing the show. Try take photographs along the route from
beginning to end, this will give you visual documentation of how the experience feels as a whole.
Either walkthrough with someone or as someone. Try walking through with/as a single
parent, an elderly gentleman, a family with 3 kids, a French exchange student, one of the
service providers ... how many can you do?
Print out your images and place them in chonological order. Circling all of the touchpoints
you encounter will help to draw out the elements of the service.
what did they say?
how are they feeling?
overall experience? s
rd a are
R eco . if you
Who are yo go try
u? you ideos, ra
or who are v e
ing cam
you with? ptur e your us
ca ak
cuo
to m conspi so that t
n , i
as i ssible ct as if
o a
as p le will
p
peo t there.
o
is n
FESTIVAL
DESIGN
DNA

24. DISCOVER EVENTS/PLATFORMS/TOOL
CUSTOMER DAY
This tool is about choosing a USE ME TO:
day in your calendar when your
organisation will open up its • Meet your customers
doors and invite customers in! • Gain the trust of the
stakeholders you are
They will be given the chance designing for
to meet colleagues and better • Gain real feedback on your
understand how festivals work. ideas and current service
Transparency builds trust. offerings
Trust is at an all-time premium
given today’s economy. This YOU WILL NEED:
initiative demonstrates the
respect your organisation has • An agenda for the customer
for your customers. day
• A range of customers to
It offers customers the invite
opportunity to get to know your • Recording equipment
organisation better. It makes
your festival more human, and
your colleagues more involved.
“ALL WE DID WAS INVITE OUR
CUSTOMERS IN AND HAVE LUNCH
WITH THEM AND TALK TO THEM
ABOUT GOING TO FESTIVALS”

25. DEFINE
PERSONA “WE MADE CHARACTERS OF
OUR FESTIVAL CUSTOMERS TO
USE ME TO:
HELP US UNDERSTAND THEIR
Personas are based on fictional
characters whose profile
summarises the features • Inspire and inform new
of an existing social group.
This means the personas
ideas
• Synthesise user
NEEDS”
assume the attributes of the personalities into categories
groups they represent: from • Maintain a customer
their social and demographic centred process
characteristics, to their own • Test new ideas against
needs, desires, habits and reality
cultural backgrounds. They
are designed to help you see a
festival experience from lots of
YOU WILL NEED:
different perspectives.
• To observe users
• Customer insight
The tool will prompt you to give
information
the persona a name, a photo,
• To get this information you
age, occupation and tell their
will to conduct interviews,
background story.
talk to customers/staff, use
quantitative information to
The persona should tell us
create customer segments
what that person does day to
day, what does their life look
like, what are their personality
traits? Use a key quote to sum
up that person’s thinking, this
makes a persona quick and
easy to understand.

26. PERSONA Fill in the blanks:
Image / portrait / sketch
NAME
AGE
DRAW
HERE OCCUPATION / BACKGROUNDS
CHARACTERISTICS
“
MOST LIKELY TO
”
LEAST LIKELY TO
Why would they attend your festival?
What would they say?
FESTIVAL
DESIGN
DNA

27. DEFINE
MEDIA PORTRAIT
Pictures speak louder than USE ME TO:
words.
• Converge research about
A media portrait is a collection users
of images on a page that • Explain user needs to
depicts a user’s life. Using stakeholders
media portraits communicates
very quickly what a user’s life
looks like.
YOU WILL NEED:
• Media collected from
These ‘portraits’ can be used
research
throughout the development
• Magazines
process to keep the project
• Pen & Paper
team focused on designing for
• Glue
the user.
Media portraits can be built
up slowly over time as the
discovery period develops.
Also, the project team can work
on them as an exercise, pulling “HAVING VISUAL PORTRAITS
together media that has been
collected and using magazines
to create them.
OF OUR CUSTOMERS REALLY
BROUGHT THINGS TO LIFE”

28. MEDIA PORTRAITS
Pictures speak louder than words. A media portrait is a collection of images on a page that
depicts a user’s life. Using media portraits communicates very quickly what a user’s life looks
like. These ‘portraits’ can be used throughout the development process to keep the project
team focused on designing for people. Media portraits can be built up slowly over time as the
discovery period develops. Also, the project team can work on them as an exercise, pulling
together media that has been collected and using magazines to create them.
Build your media portrait on a board or piece of cardboard so that you can easily move it
around and put it away at the end of a design session.
Think
ab
friend out your u
s and s
... family ers
bbies ...
nd ho
life style a
your users
about
Think
acter
eir char
Think about th ...
sonality
Think
about and per
caree their w
r... ork lif
e and
FESTIVAL
DESIGN
DNA

29. DEFINE
USER VALUES - BREAKING DOWN FINDINGS AND NEEDS MORE “LISTING USER VALUES PUT
OUR IDEAS INTO PERSPECTIVE”
User values is as literal as it USE ME TO:
sounds. At its most basic,
it is designed to help you • Create meaningful service
in understanding what your experiences
customers values, generally or • Understand users
from your service as a whole.
These insights can be gathered
YOU WILL NEED:
through interviews using
• Pre-made templates of
generative pre-made values.
hypothetical values
• Space to talk to user
Test these with users, place
• Capturing device (camera/
them in order of importance post its)
and include some blank • Media Portrait
templates so customers can
have their own say and feel
involved in the process.

30. USER VALUES
User values is all about understanding what your customers value. These insights can be
gathered through interviews using generative pre-made values. Test these with users, place them
in order of importance and include some blank templates so customers can have their own say
and feel involved in the process.
Use the spaces below to write the values that you would like to test your users with,
remembering to keep some blank for them to fill in themselves. Cut out!
er
emb raph
Rem otog er
h
to p the ord
cord puts
d re ch user as
an ea
in,
that values erson
r
thei as the p
.
well selves
the m
FESTIVAL
DESIGN
DNA

31. 4 1
DELIVER DISCOVER
3 2
DEVELOP DEFINE
EXIT
WRITE A BRIEF (DISCOVER)
At this stage, after getting a
feel for your festival experience,
USE ME TO:
some user needs and what else
• Succinctly communicate your
is happening out there you may
project
want to write a brief to bring other
• Reflect on your work and
professionals in to help you work
process
up the themes and define some of
• Extend the networks who are
the research into tangibles.
interested in your work
Writing a brief can be a difficult
challenge, it’s important you call YOU WILL NEED:
on expertise when necessary. A
good brief should outline what • Any publishing software
you have found out, a summary of
your research and what steps you
would like to take forward. Keep
the brief fairly open at this stage.
You may want to include your
Slidedeck of findings to ask
companies to develop responses
to the brief before hiring a team to
go into the definition stage.
“WE WROTE A SIMPLE BRIEF TO
This brief is more about refining
the research you found and
GET HELP ON WHAT OUR
digging deeper on what it means.
RESEARCH MEANT”

32. 4 1
DELIVER DISCOVER
3 2
DEVELOP DEFINE
EXIT
WRITE A BRIEF (DEFINE)
At this stage, after defining
problems in the festival
USE ME TO:
experience, or opportunities to be
• Succinctly communicate your
innovative, you may want to write
project
a brief to bring other professionals
• Reflect on your work and
in to help you work up solutions.
process
A brief is used to outline the aims,
• Extend the networks who are
objectives and milestones of your
interested in your work
project.
Writing a brief can be a difficult YOU WILL NEED:
challenge, it’s important you call
on expertise when necessary. A • Any publishing software
good brief should outline what
you have found out, a summary of
your research and what steps you
would like to take forward. Keep
the brief fairly open at this stage.
“WE PUT OUT A BRIEF FOR PEOPLE TO
You may want to include your
slide deck of findings to ask
companies to develop responses
to the brief before hiring a team
to go into the development
RESPOND TO USING THEMES WE HAD
stage. This brief is more about
the early idea stage leading into PULLED TOGETHER DURING THE
development than producing the
final products for the delivery
stage.
DEFINITION STAGE”

33. 4 1
DELIVER DISCOVER
3 2
DEVELOP DEFINE
EXIT
WRITE A BRIEF (DEVELOP)
At this stage, after developing ideas you
may want to write a brief to bring other USE ME TO:
professionals in to help you deliver the
solutions. A brief is to outline the aims,
objectives and milestones of your project. • Gain traction within your
This brief needs to be thorough and articulate organisation
what you want, setting parameters on what
is to be delivered. Before sending the brief
• Reflect on your process
out, try sharing this with other colleagues, this • Succinctly communicate your
will help to make sure you are communicating idea
clearly what you want. Remember that
emotive language can be used in a brief, we
can all relate to it and it will allow you to really
emphasise what you are trying to achieve.
This document will become your main point of
reference between you and the development
YOU WILL NEED:
team.
• Any publishing software
Ensure that this document includes:
1. Your aims:
What does your design aim to do? Is it
to encourage more people to come to the
festival?
“WE WROTE UP A BRIEF TO FIND
2.Your target audience:
Who will use this? What age group, sex,
income bracket, location are your target
audience for this. Include some of your
PEOPLE WHO COULD BUILD OUR
earlier design work, it will help to inform the
development team.
3.Your budget and timescale:
SOLUTIONS”
Even if the figure is ball-park, a budget
estimation helps a company to respond to you
realistically on what can be delivered for the
amount you are offerings
4. Examples: Show examples of other services
and products that are similar to your vision

34. 4 1
DELIVER DISCOVER
3 2
DEVELOP DEFINE
EXIT
SLIDEDECK OF FINDINGS
A Slidedeck of findings is ideal USE ME TO:
to present back what you found
during the discovery phase. • Share your findings.
• Get buy in for the definition
Try to not use Powerpoint, and stage
avoid lots of words. What you
want to do is show a visually YOU WILL NEED:
compelling story, bringing
together what you found out • Slideshare if you want to
and the faces behind this publish the findings online
research. • A projector & suitable room
Use the visual material you
generated, people will be able
to relate with it much more
than bullet points or a standard
report.
“OUR SLIDE DECK WAS IDEAL TO
COMMUNICATE THE RESEARCH WE
HAD DONE WITH PARTNERS”

35. A process to help you connect with your
customers to understand what they want from
your festival and develop new segments
Includes;
The Interview Lite
50 Things
Contextual Interview
Observation
Shadowing
Cultural Probe
Relationship Map
Generative Tools
Vox Popping
Service Walkthrough
Persona
Media Portrait
User Values
Customer Day
Brief
Slidedeck of Findings
find out more at
design.festivalslab.com
FESTIVAL DESIGN DNA
An initiative of Edinburgh’s Festivals