Part
01
of one
Part
01
How do you measure the participant experience during a design thinking workshop?
Hello! Thanks for your question about metrics for measuring participant experiences during design thinking workshops. The short version is that after searching extensively through academic articles, workshop websites, forums, and industry sites, I've determined that there are few quantitative metrics for these workshops. However, there are less tangible ways to measure participant experiences. Below you will find a deep dive of my research and methodology.
METHODOLOGY
After extensive research on design thinking workshops and ways to measure their success and impact on the participants, I still had a lack of tangible metrics or scientific articles. Expanding the search to other creative thinking workshops did not yield better results, so instead I switched my focus to how currently running workshops measure their success and participation of its attendees. These include post-surveys, ROI, and return participation.
EVALUATING
An effective evaluation involves three points- during the workshop (formative evaluation), at the end of the workshop (summative evaluation), and at some point or points after the workshop (follow-up evaluation).
--Formative evaluations can help you adapt the workshop to the needs of the current attendees and monitor their ongoing experience.
--Summative evaluations can measure how well the workshop met its pre-established goals.
--Follow-up evaluations can help you assess the lasting effects of the workshop.
DURING A WORKSHOP
Formative evaluations: Develop a "goal card" for each participant, with the goals of the workshop printed on them. When each member feels the workshop has achieved that goal, they can check it off. This will provide a positive method of showing a participant's progress, highlight areas that need improvement, and give feedback on how the participant is experiencing the workshop.
Some suggested goals of a design thinking workshop:
--Get inspired.
--Get creative.
--Experiment.
--Construct a prototype
--Contribute three ideas.
You can also put together a questionnaire to hand out halfway through the workshop, or at specific points during longer ones.
Some suggested questions:
--Was there a clear agenda?
--Was the workshop effectively managed/guided?
--Was the task clearly explained?
--Did you feel ideas were received in a positive manner?
--Did you feel engaged and interested?
--Did you feel your input was respected and considered?
--Did you find the task challenging? Interesting?
--Do you feel the activities were relevant?
--Do you feel focus was maintained throughout the workshop?
--Do you feel confident in the design thinking process?
--Would you recommend design thinking workshops to colleagues or friends?
OBSERVATION
Body Language: How are the participants interacting physically? Are they leaning towards the group? Leaning back and crossing their arms? Are they talking with their hands?
A successful workshop dynamic will encourage animated speech, direct eye contact. Michael Hendrix, a partner at international design firm IDEO, hosts design workshop classes. A point he stresses is, "Get active. Think with your hands. Think with your body. Iterate. Iterate. Iterate."
AFTER A WORKSHOP
Summative Evaluations: Directly after a workshop, you can hand out a lengthier questionnaire, or have a face-to-face meeting with the group, going into greater detail of the participant's experiences and impressions. Normally summative evaluations focus on knowledge or skills gained from the workshop, but this one could easily focus on the experiences, satisfaction, and new ways of thinking the attendee has gained.
Follow-up Evaluations: These can take several forms, and can also provide some of the most useful feedback. Some time after the workshop, you can send a follow-up questionnaire, do a short interview, etc., to see how effective the workshop was for them and what their impressions are now that some time has passed.
Success can mean a steady increase in company innovations, creative approaches to problems, and more resourceful and creative company management.
CONCLUSION
To wrap it up, though there aren't many tangible or quantitative metrics to measure the experience of participants, there are still many ways to gauge the success of the workshop and the lasting effects of it. Communication with the attendees is the most useful and reliable source of measurements available. Thank you so much for using Wonder! Please let us know if there is anything else we can help you with.