Open Design
Design Principles
This strategy exercise helps teams rapidly develop design principles through collaboration and visual exploration. Participants sketch and prototype design concepts, encouraging both divergent and convergent thinking to identify promising directions. In about 3 hours, the exercise balances individual reflection with group work. The structure keeps energy high and maintains focus. Clear phases and time boundaries help manage the process for meaningful results. Participants leave with outputs and insights ready for immediate application. The exercise creates individual learning and team alignment on a design philosophy to guide future decisions.
Duration
3 hours
Group Size
5-8
Category
Open Design
Difficulty
Easy
- Develop actionable design principles to guide decisions.
- Create a shared understanding of design philosophy.
- Generate visual examples demonstrating principles.
- Build consensus on design direction and priorities.
- Establish evaluation criteria for design decisions.
- Foster collaborative design thinking.
- Defined design principles.
- Guiding criteria for decisions.
- Consistent design approach.
Before the session:
During the session:
Common challenges and solutions:
Success indicators:
- Research existing design principles.
- Prepare 5-8 example principles.
- Create principle template sheets.
- Set up wall space.
- Test materials and timing with a pilot group.
During the session:
- Maintain energy: Use energizers if needed.
- Time management: Give 5-minute warnings.
- Encourage specificity: Push for actionable principles.
- Visual focus: Remind teams that sketching clarity matters more than artistic skill.
- Decision focus: Keep discussion focused on guiding decisions.
Common challenges and solutions:
- Challenge: Vague, generic principles. Solution: Provide examples and push for decision-making guidance.
- Challenge: Principles overlap. Solution: Help teams find unique angles or merge similar principles.
- Challenge: Abstract discussions. Solution: Force visual exploration and examples.
- Challenge: Participants worry about artistic ability. Solution: Emphasize that sketches are communication tools, not art.
Success indicators:
- Each principle provides clear guidance.
- Principles are specific to the context.
- Visual examples demonstrate principles.
- Team has consensus on priority.
- Next steps are defined.
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