Four-Step Sketches
Using a guided ideas generation and sketching technique, individually generate mini-storyboards that we can use to develop our final prototype storyboard the next day. Our goal is to explore as many possibilities as possible, regardless of how realistic, feasible or viable they may or may not be.
Requirements
- Estimated time needed: up to 1.5 hours per session*
- Team: Facilitator, Note-taker, Stakeholders
* A session refers to one complete run through of the Four-Step Sketches process. In a Sprint we typically will do around 3 of these sessions on Day 2 of the Sprint, exploring different ideas in each session.
Why should we do this exercise?
Our goal is to explore as many possibilities as possible, regardless of how realistic, feasible or viable they may or may not be. Getting as many ideas as possible out onto paper will bring insights and radically different perspectives and approaches to solving the problem at hand. Also, once we begin eliminating as many of these options as possible we are given reason to be more confident in the options we do move forward with because we have explored so many alternatives.
Instructions
Here we will go through a process of 4 steps:
- Mind Mapping: 7 Minutes
- (Optional) Idea Doodles: 7 Minutes
- (Optional) Speedy Eights: 8 Minutes
- 3-Step Storyboard: 35 Minutes
Repeat this process twice more focusing on different areas or aspects of the problem you are trying to solve or a different solution to the same problem.
Tips
- Do not be worried about "I can't draw!". We hear this all the time but in reality you just need to draw rough shapes to get an idea across. It is ideas we are looking to create here, not Picasso masterpieces. So do not worry if you feel intimidated by the thought of sketching.
- Have a mindset of "Yes and..."
- Constantly ask “How might we?”
- Listen to some quiet music while sketching if it helps you to focus.
- The facilitator needs to set a timer and it would be helpful to remind people of the time left every few minutes, particularly for Step 3 - "Speedy 8s"
- After a couple of rounds you may want to skip the first 2 steps, once everyone knows the process and understands the problem.
- Have the team upload their Solution Sketches to a shared folder or Miro board at the end of this session so the facilitator doesn't have to chase people down individually to gather their sketches. We will need all the Team's Solution Sketches for our first exercise on Day 3.
- You can set another 3-step sketch as homework if you feel you didn't get enough solutions during the day.
