Design Discover - User Personas - Design Define - User Journey Map, Stakeholder Map - Design Develop - Lateral Thinking, MoSCoW Method

Sep 12, 2026

Upload by Riley

A set of design exercises that guide teams through a structured discovery and development workflow: creating user personas, mapping the user journey, visualising the stakeholder ecosystem, and generating solutions through lateral thinking. For each exercise, the material lists the key inputs needed and explains why it matters. The approach helps teams focus on manageable stakeholder groups, identify barriers and pain points, define priorities, and produce ideas beyond conventional thinking while supporting delivery deadlines.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages32

Reading Time11 min

AccessFree to download

Design - Discover phase

User Personas

What it is

Resources you will need

Why it is useful

Design - Define phase

User Journey Map

Stakeholder Map

Design - Develop phase

Lateral Thinking

MoSCoW Method

Design Discover phase User Personas What it is Creating user personas is an exercise that asks you to think of a range of your stakeholders with different motivations for using your product/service. Create a profile for each of them, thinking about their demographic data (age, sex, location), occupation, motivations, frustrations, and modes of communication. Resources you will need • Something to write with/on • Stakeholder map Why it is useful It enables you to focus on a manageable amount of stakeholders rather than a large spectrum. This allows you to design different solutions for different groups with varying needs. Visualising the data means you are able to pick out a user’s barriers to the service and potential opportunities for engagement. Design Define phase User Journey Map Aware Join Regular Use Exit What it is User journey maps capture the aspects of interaction a user has with a product/service (from when they become aware of the product/service to their exit) as well as the various pain points and emotions throughout. This map can be used to plot the way users currently use the product/ service or the way users could use a new product/service. Resources you will need • Something to write with/on • User personas Why it is useful By understanding the flow of various tasks you can begin to pinpoint areas that are problematic for users and design materials to facilitate their needs. Design Define phase Stakeholder Map High interest Low influence What it is Stakeholder mapping offers an overview of stakeholders in your ecosystem in relation to your product/service. Who are the people, organisations, bodies that interact with/have an effect on your product/service? Resources you will need • Something to write with/on Why it is useful Itis a good way to visualise the community around your product/service and allows your team to get a shared understanding, and decide on the most important areas for exploration. Design Develop phase Lateral Thinking What it is This exercise involves putting down your most obvious ideas and then‘hacking’ them by creating other ideas that are the reverse, combination, subtraction, or exaggeration of your initial ideas. Resources you will need • Something to write with/on • User personas • Imagination Why it is useful This exercise allows you to generate a wide range of ideas that move beyond the usual. Design Develop phase MoSCoW Method What it is This system is used as a way of prioritising tasks when developing a product/service. The acronym stands for: Must do, Should do, Could do, and Won’t do. Requirements considered a Must have to be included for the project to be a success, whereas requirements considered a Won’twill determine the product/service a failure. The team will aim to deliver all the Must do, Should do and Could do, however if the deadline is threatened Should and Could will need to be compromised. Resources you will need • Something to write with/on Why it is useful This is a good way to prioritise within a team and meet the deadlines of a project, while making sure the crucial elements for a successful product/service are included.

FAQs

What is the goal of creating user personas in this design process?

Creating user personas helps teams think about a range of stakeholders with different motivations. It builds profiles using demographic data, occupation, motivations, frustrations, and communication modes.

How does a user journey map help improve a product or service?

A user journey map captures the interaction stages from awareness to exit, including pain points and emotions. It can highlight problems in the current flow and inform how users could use a new service.

What is the purpose of the MoSCoW method when developing a product or service?

MoSCoW prioritises tasks using Must do, Should do, Could do, and Won’t do. It ensures requirements crucial for success are included while helping the team adapt if deadlines are threatened.

Sep 12, 2026

Upload by Riley