UI Design Studio is a quick and efficient workshop for generating ideas from your team and stakeholders. It does require sketching which can intimidate some people, but we’ve found that a short introduction to simple sketch techniques can help people get past their artistic inhibitions.
To lead a UI design studio workshop you’ll need:
- Sketch templates
- Markers or pens for sketching
- Larger flip chart paper or poster board for creating a larger mockup of the final screens
If you’re running this virtually, we still recommend doing the initial sketches by hand. Participants can take photos of their sketches with their phone or a scanning app, and upload these to a virtual whiteboard to share.
UI Design Studio Workshop Steps:
- Break participants up into small teams. There should be an even division between those with some design or architecture experience and those with little to none.
- Define the problem(s). What is the goal or purpose of the website or application? What problems are we having with the current version?
- Have everyone sketch 4-6 ideas, individually. We use a 6-up thumbnail page template for this step. These could be 4-6 versions of the same screen or sets of screens that work in a user flow.
- Each person shares their thumbnail ideas with their team.
- Each person sketches one more version of their screen(s) individually.
- Review each member’s ideas within small teams and decide which ideas are best.
- The team then makes a sketch together on a large sheet of flip chart paper or poster board.
- Present ideas to the full group and discuss.
- Have participants vote on which designs are the best. Have them explain why they chose — or why they didn’t choose — specific designs and/or elements.
Learn more about UI Design Studio Workshops:
- Facilitating an Effective Design Studio Workshop (Nielsen Norman Group)
- Design Studio Workshop: Adding Up the Benefits (Center Centre)
- Todd Zaki Warfel’s video on running a Design Studio workshop.
- Sketching how-to video from Napkin Academy (paid).
