Workshop activities to Analyse, Understand and Innovate

User Day-parting

This exercise supports a user-centred approach to product and service innovation. Teams create an imaginary user (a persona), map out an average day in his or her life, and identify the challenges that he or she experiences. Teams then use this to brainstorm new products or services that could help with those challenges. Finally, sketches or prototypes of the best ideas are quickly developed presented back to for feedback.

Hybrid note storm

hybrid-friendly issue analysis visual mapping

A method to capture notes and reflections in hybrid events

Concept sketch

frame insights create design issue analysis

A concept sketch is a fast freehand drawing.

To be used in Ideation phase.

Lightning Decision Jam (LDJ)

action decision making problem solving issue analysis innovation design remote-friendly

It doesn’t matter where you work and what your job role is, if you work with other people together as a team, you will always encounter the same challenges:

Unclear goals and miscommunication that cause busy work and overtime
Unstructured meetings that leave attendants tired, confused and without clear outcomes.
Frustration builds up because internal challenges to productivity are not addressed
Sudden changes in priorities lead to a loss of focus and momentum
Muddled compromise takes the place of clear decision- making, leaving everybody to come up with their own interpretation.
In short, a lack of structure leads to a waste of time and effort, projects that drag on for too long and frustrated, burnt out teams.

AJ&Smart has worked with some of the most innovative, productive companies in the world. What sets their teams apart from others is not better tools, bigger talent or more beautiful offices. The secret sauce to becoming a more productive, more creative and happier team is simple:
Replace all open discussion or brainstorming with a structured process that leads to more ideas, clearer decisions and better outcomes.

When a good process provides guardrails and a clear path to follow, it becomes easier to come up with ideas, make decisions and solve problems.

This is why AJ&Smart created Lightning Decision Jam (LDJ). It’s a simple and short, but powerful group exercise that can be run either in-person, in the same room, or remotely with distributed teams.

The Creativity Dice

creativity problem solving thiagi issue analysis

Too much linear thinking is hazardous to creative problem solving. To be creative, you should approach the problem (or the opportunity) from different points of view. You should leave a thought hanging in mid-air and move to another. This skipping around prevents premature closure and lets your brain incubate one line of thought while you consciously pursue another.

Take a Stand

hyperisland innovation issue analysis

This is a practical, dynamic and versatile method for groups to explore ideas and questions together. Something like a physical questionnaire; participants respond to questions by walking around the space and placing themselves on an imaginary line. This provides a starting point for reflection and discussion and brings teams together.