Strategy

Heat Map Vote

Team members vote on solution sketches using dot stickers. The resulting 'heat map' visually highlights popular ideas before any discussion.

Duration
20 mins
Group Size
5-8
Category
Strategy
Difficulty
Easy
Participants will: identify promising ideas quickly, give everyone equal voting power, surface interesting elements across sketches, and set up focused critique discussions.
A completed heat map vote. Visual prioritization of ideas. Clear understanding of team preferences.
Enforce silence during voting. This prevents dominant personalities from swaying others. 'Interesting' means it might solve the problem in a new way, addresses a risk or sprint question, could excite customers, seems feasible to prototype, or feels innovative. Look for sketches with many dots, clusters of dots on specific parts, and similar ideas attracting dots across different sketches. Remember, the dots focus the critique, not dictate the final decision.

  1. Post all solution sketches on the wall.

  2. Give each person 20-30 dot stickers.

  3. Explain the voting rules: work silently, place dots on interesting parts of any sketch, you can place multiple dots on the same sketch, you can vote for your own sketch, and 'interesting' means exciting, clever, addresses the target, or could work.

  4. Everyone moves around the room.

  5. Study each sketch carefully.

  6. Place dots on interesting parts. Vote for pieces of ideas, not just whole sketches.

  7. Step back and look at the heat map.

  8. Notice which sketches have the most dots.

  9. Observe interesting patterns. Hold the discussion for the next step.

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For Facilitators

  • Review participant profiles and expectations
  • Prepare all materials and supplies
  • Test technology and room setup

For Participants

  • Complete pre-session survey
  • Review background materials
  • Prepare examples or case studies

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  • Dot stickers (different color than sketch markers).

  • About 30 dots per person.

  • Solution sketches posted on the wall.

  • Enough wall space to spread out sketches.

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