v2 prototype for the design thinking game cards. game mechanisms kind of work, but it is still very rough on the edges. everyone is welcome to co-develop

1. team cards

2. +1 resources -1 resources
+1 progress +1 progress
-1 define -1 discover
-1 ideate +1 ideate
The checklist The nerdy
ECONOMIST coder
You excel at checklists and all You spend your days and nights
project management skills. What Hooked to the computer. There are
the team needs,you can provide! people actually using what you do,
great! Alas, you are also a bit of a but they are just clogs
tyrant. You frequently whip In your machine. You are a mean
others through the process. good Powerhouse of knowledge and
for the schedule but bad for fun Ideas though.
and creativity. draw +1 method of -1 method of choice at start for
choice at start, draw +1 blank playing doom, +1 blank in first
anytime in first round round
+1 ideate
+1 discover
+1 explore
+1 define
+1 evolve -1 ideate
-1 progress -1 explore
The funky The frustrated
designer ethnographer
You live the process and are an
You are always out in the field,
Expert of each step. That‘s why you
spending time with the users and
love exploring the problem and
discovering what is really
coming up with lots of ideas.
important to them. Unfortunately,
Unfortunately, a lot of them are
no one is listening to you. That
„far out“ – management just hates
makes it difficult to bring in your
these creative types.
ideas or participate during the
-1 blank card in the first round.
development.

3. - discover -1 discover
-1 define +1 define
- ideate +1 ideate
+1 explore -1 explore
The merry The cross-
experimenter pollinator
you celebrate the process, not the you draw associations and
tool, testing and retesting connections between seemingly
potential scenarios to make ideas unrelated ideas or concepts to
tangible. that's fun for you. you break new ground. you are a
might sometimes deviate from the variety junkee with many interests
question at hand, but still try to and an avid curiosity. you love to
create experiments in budget and bring in big ideas from the outside
on time. world. you dont like to implement
them though. You also leave the
needfinding to others.
- discover
+1 resources
- define +1 progress
-1 ideate -1 ideate
+1 explore -1 explore
The fast The smart
hurdler collaborator
you are a tireless problem-solver
you are the rare person who truly
who gets a charge out of tackling
values the team over the
something that's never been done
individual. you actually get people
before. When confronted with a
to work together and instill the
challenge, you sidestep the
team with confidence and new
obstacle and then move head on.
skills… though you leave others
you might become too set in your
to do the nitty gritty of the work,
line of thinking though. you also
you help by being an organizer.
don’t always work well with
draw +1 method of choice at start,
others.
draw +1 blank anytime in first
round. Give both to someone else.

4. +1 discover -1 progress
+1 define +1 define
-1 ideate +1 ideate
-1 explore +1 explore
The firm The set
director designer
you have an acute understanding you look at every day as a chance
of the bigger picture, with a firm to liven up their workspace. you
grasp on the pulse of their create a work environment that
organization. you help to find out celebrates the individual and
what motivates people and direct stimulates creativity. you turn the
others through the process. You office space itself into a versatile
are dependent on others ideas and and powerful tool for the team.
execution though. However, this uses up some
resources.
-1 blank card in the first round,
give your bonus cards to the team
+1 discover - discover
+1 define +1 define
- ideate - ideate
- explore +1 explore
The fluffy The great
caregiver storyteller
you are the foundation of human-
you capture the teams imagination
powered innovation. through
with compelling narratives of the
empathy, you work to understand
users needs. you go beyond oral
each individual customer and
tradition to work deliver the
create a relationship. the user is
message of the product by video,
everything to you. you are also the
animation, even comic strips and
person who brings snacks to
roleplays.
meetings and offers a shoulder to
cry on.

5. discover

6. discover +3 discover +3
Cultural
Probe shadowing
Cultural probes are fun! mostly Shadowing just the same as in any
because they seem like less work police movie. You sit in the car
for management and excite your with your buddy while he looks
team. they are also powerful. through the goggles and tells you
draw 3 blank cards. whats going on. Ideally, you
should do this with the permission
HOW THE METHOD WORKS IRL: of your users.
pick a bag, ask users to throw How the method works: a user is
stuff in that relates to the task working on a task while an expert
at hand. collect the bag after a in the domain explains whats
day and analyze the contents. going on. Useful in the beginning
hint: the bag can be a camera, too. of a process to gain fast expertise.
discover +2 discover +2
user Guided
interviews tours
Openended questioning of extreme Think „museum“ with this method.
users is very useful as long as you You get a gudied tour through a
spend more than just an hour with product, a service or a task that
the person. its important to create your user works through while
empathy and discover what the narrating about the single steps
needs of the person are, so you and their importance. Dont forget
have to take your time and really to bring your camera and do not
get to know the person and his touch the exhibits!
context. Very timeintensive.
Should be combined with
observations.

7. discover +2 discover +2
Try it A day
yourself In the life
Have you tried your own product? What‘s a day in the life of your
You would be surprised to hear user? Give him a notebook and ask
how many haven‘t. him to jot down what he is doing
and thinking about at the moment
Just put yourself into your users whenever you give him a call.
shoes and try it yourself. Also, try Taking photos might help, too. you
to mimic your users, too. If they can narrow this down to a specific
are small kids, then get on your behaviour, like communication or
knees and pretend to be one for a food. Similar to cultural probes,
day. You get the gist. but structured to focus on
chronology.
discover +1 discover +1
Secondary Card
research sort
What the title says. Google for Grab a number of cards with many
some studies and books and read associations about the product or
what others have already written service you are looking into.
about this problem. Maybe some photos, words or sketches will
insights are just lying around, work fine. Now grab your users
waiting to be found. and let them sort the cards
Might be your lucky day. according to importance, or value
or fun or any other factor you
might think of. Good to figure out
priorities. Bad to discover new
aspects.

8. discover +1 discover +1
Unfocus scenarios
group
Know focus groups? This is the Ask your users to tell an exciting
same but the opposite: get people story involving the use of your
who are unlikely users of your product or service. Works great
product, have no use for your with kids and helps investigate the
product, are extreme users of your essence of a problem. It is
product, really hate your especially useful for service
product… everyone but the average concepts. Works well for testing
or the “target” group. purposes as well.
discover +1 discover +1
Mood Word
board association
Grab a range of pictures of similar Dog. Cat. Boy. girl. Cookies. Milk.
products or services and place Basically, that is how it goes.
them on a wall. Think „wall of Present your users with a range of
weird“ in smallville or „crime wall“ words like that and see what kind
in csi. Just gather as many of associations they come up with.
different inspirations as you can. Usually applied in brand research
Ask friends, users, colleagues… but also useful to figure out what
grap magazines and surf websites. menu points should be named or
Collect everything and arrange what users imagine a certain
them visually. You can also use function should work like.
colored strings to connect related
stuff.

9. define

10. define +3 define +3
story- persona
boards
Ist the same as in the movies. Think Personas are fictional users.
of a sequence for the problem you pretty handy if real ones don‘t
are looking at and visualize it in a hang out during the process.
storyboard. Whats happening off Draw 3 cards
the panels? Why are we seeing how the method works irl:
these panels? Defining the story gather insights generated from
helps you to define the problem at user interviews & observations.
hand. what did you learn? what kind of
patterns in needs, goals and
behaviours did you find? take
them and create a person with
age, job, hobbies, dreams, quotes…
define +2 define +2
Stakeholder 2x2
map
Which groups have an interest in Create a 2x2 coordinate system and
what you are looking at? Who is map similar problems, products or
involved and why? List all the services onto it. Now look at the x
possible stakeholders and place and y axis. Which terms did you
them on a map to see how they chose for them and why? The
relate to each other. You can positioning of the objects is not
identify conflicts and possibilities important, this framework is just
while visualizing the problem at about figuring out value pairs.
hand from every single groups Cheap-expensive. Slow-fast. That‘s
perspective. Of course, you need to the kind of pairs you are looking
look into those individual views at for. Rearrange to find new ones.
some point.

11. define +2 define +2
User Empathy
journey map
Take the process you are looking at What do people say, do, think and
regarding your product or service feel when they interact with your
and go through it from the users product or service? Usually, you
perspective. What is their journey? can find discrepancies between
Look at restaurants, for example. actions and statements. Figure out
How do you decide when and why they exist. Really try to
where to go? How do you find it? understand why someone thinks
Do you just go or reserve a table? and feels the way they do. this
What happens when you arrive? method helps you identify the
What‘s the first thing the user motivation of a person for using
sees? Smells? Hears? You get the or not using your stuff.
idea.
define +1 define +1
pov Story
telling
Point of view. What is the pov of You read studies. You talked to
your user? Who is the user? What is people. You observed them. You
their need? What is the insight tried the service yourself. How do
behind it? When a manager tells you condense and present all this
you that the toilet is an oasis of knowledge? Easy.
peace, what he means is that this is Just tell people about it. Often. The
the only place where people wont more you practice to put the
ask him anything and where he can information into a coherent story,
simply be on his own for a while. the better you will detect patterns
Place yourself into his shoes that lead to the problem
mentally and imagine what the definition.
problem might be.

12. define +1 define +1
clustering scenario
You got all this information If you have done your homework,
collected in your research but how your research results will be too
do you organize this stuff? Spread complext to give straight forward
everything out on the floor and answers. Try to summerize them in
put everything into topical different scenarios. That will also
clusters. Once you figure out your help to communicate your findings
categories, you can take your to others.
research and do …something else.
Clustering is important to
recognize patterns later on
though, so don‘t skip this.
define +1 define +1
Mind saturation
map
This is the classic. Where do you put all the stuff you
Nuff said. have discovered? Into a folder?
Wrong! Print everything out.
Create some sketches. Take the
pictures and saturate the space. Put
everything on your walls, windows
and furniture- just get it out of
your computer and out of your
desk. We are spatial beings and can
use our spatial orientation to
analyze information fast. Use that
to your advantage.

13. ideate

14. ideate +3 ideate +3
What if? Do nothing
What if people could fly? What if Whaaaa…? What kind of crappy
we could do something cheaper, Advice is that?
faster, bigger, smaller? What if we
had a million to solve this? What Actually, your subconscious is
if we were 100 years in the future? Very good at figuring out serious
The best ideas start with a question Problems if you just let it work.
and the best question is… what if? So take your mind off work, go
And get some new impulses, do
Play this with some kids if you your exercise and have some fun. If
forgot how this goes. The simplest the problem has been defined
and most effective technique. really well, a solution will present
itself in time. So… do nothing.
ideate +2 ideate +2
Zwicky
box scamper
Also called morphological Basic combinatorics using a few
analysis, this is a pure easy activities, do each one as a
combinatorics approach. Just list step:
all attributes and variations of a
product you can think of, put them S - Substitute
into a matrix and create similar C - Combine
squares for related products and A - Adapt
services. Now line these squares M - Modify
after each other and… you get a P - Put to another use
box. Now combine within this box E - Eliminate
without going crazy. Loads of R - Reverse
work. But very effective.

15. ideate +2 ideate +2
delphi Concept
fan
The classic for messy issues and This is going to help against the
Complex problems, involving lots heat of the project. Simply write
Of forms, a panel of expertds, a down the problem on a paper and
Lot of writing, reading and possible solutions to right next
Discussion. to it. If these obvious solutions
seem impractical, take a step back
A good way to spend lots and for a broad analysis of the problem.
lots of time Being crative... In a Write that to the left of the
bureaucratic way. problem. Now move either to the
left for a general view or to the
right for a specific view – fan in
And fan out.
ideate +1 ideate +1
Dream
diary triz
Hey, it worked for salvador dali, Triz is…
right? So why not now? Think … damn complicated.
about the problem before you go
to bed and keep a notebook handy. Just consult your charts,
Write down whatever you dreamt Draw a card and get on with it.
about right after waking up.
Alternatively, try taking a bath
With a golden crown. Practice
Screaming eureka first.

16. ideate +1 ideate +1
Random
stimuli
brainwriting
Blork! Zoing! Gummy bears. Rose. Take a piece of paper. Write down
…got an idea yet? No? I can go on your idea. Then the next one. And
All day. the next one, too. If you are out,
pass them on to your colleague.
Basically, you pick up newspapers, While he reads your stuff, you grab
magazines dealing with your his ideas and read them. Now
problem, books or any other type change or add to his ideas.
of text, throw a dart at it any use
the words you find to create Basically, it‘s brainstorming for
phrases that may be solutions to people who can‘t stand each other.
your problem.
ideate +1 ideate +1
brainstorming bodystorming
classic! One of the least effective The new agey variant of
and yet most popular. Loud folks brainstorming, very popular with
will yell their ideas into the shy actors and trainers. Still, more fun
smart ones and bosses will point and active than brainstorming. In
fingers and demand ideas. case of services, actually helpful,
too. Just don‘t go too crazy with
If your team is balanced, it is a the costumes and the props.
great way to come up with some
impulses. Just make sure everyone
has put some thought into the
matter first.

17. explore

18. explore +3 explore +3
Paper User experience
prototype prototype
Before you start touching a line of Always, always, always remember:
code, grab a damn pencil and a you are not creating a product, a
piece of paper and just explain with service, an event, a process… you
a little drawing what you mean! are creating an experience. So
Now grab some more paper, some create the whole experience from
scissors and some glue and start start to finish. Make it the best,
shoving stuff around to create an awesome experience for your user.
interactive prototype. Paper is
cheap. You can do awesome
websites on it without knowing a
line of code.
explore +2 explore +2
Design space Form study
exploration prototype
This is basically a fancy way of Does your show have toes? No?
saying: we are trying out many Mine does. There are shoes with
many different kinds of solutions five, four, three and two toe
because we don‘t really know what sections nowaday. If one had
to do. that is totally fine though, created the various form, it would
as long as you are honest about it have been a form study prototype.
and give it a fancy name. A little It‘s about variations of the way
structure might help. Like something is implemented.
determining which aspects you
want to explore.

19. explore +2 explore +2
Functional Critical function
prototype prototype
Your prototype may look like crap Same as a functional prototype
but it does what the final thing is though this eliminates all other
supposed to do as the function is aspects and functions and focuses
exactly what you want to explore on the core function. What is it
anyway. so just worry about the your product or service does at its
function and ignore all else. core? This is what has to work at
any cost. its the essence of the
idea. Thats what you have to
create. Sometimes, the prototype is
the final product.
explore +1 explore +1
visual Proof of
prototype principle
Also called a mockup. It is a very its not visual, not functional,
fancy representation that doesnt not…anything really, but a
work or do anything. It just looks concept. The idea here is to test the
good. Mostly creates oohs and idea. The principle itself. This can
aahs and lets management worry be done with a little roleplay for
about the color of buttons. instance. Obviously, with some
Doesnt help to test the usefulness ideas, you might have to go into
but helps to determine the the lab and actually create
direction of the vision. something… that is called proof of
concept. This is just about the
principle.

20. prototype +1 explore +1
or take
a method card
Funky
Dark horse prototype
A Dark Horse prototype is not an
object created by the dt agency of its funky time! This is a mixture of a
the same name and not a comic dark horse prototype and a critical
either. +1 blank OR change for function prototype. Something
another method card from the deck. that combines various elements
that seemed promising on their
HOW TO: own… but might completely fail
Take all the assumptions you have when together. Time to find out.
about your product. Now reverse
them. Got a new feature list? good
…now build THAT! Helps you break
your line of thinking and gain new
insights. may even deliver results.
explore +1 explore +1
Final
Canonical abstract prototype
Canonical Abstract Prototyping is Just to be complete. You have done
useful when attempting to take a your iterations and learned all
task model and create an abstract you can. Now you are creating
concept for it. This helps to your final prototype, integrating
generate a realistic model. Use this functions and visual design to
when details for implementation create a pre-alpha version. Next
and realization are not clear at step: implementing everything.
this point, so abstractions are all
you have anyway.

21. evolve

22. result
Head - +/- 5 Blank -1
Tail + Card or
coin flip See below
To find out
Pointy haired boss clueless consultant
Someone just hired a clueless
Pointy Haired Bosses can be both consultant who is here to steal
a menace and a boon to a project. your valuable time. With the money
on the one hand, they don‘t get this guy is getting, you might have
what you are doing. on the other given the team a break and relaxed
hand… they don‘t get what you the schedule. Now you have to
are doing. Keep the card. tighten it… and somehow get rid
It‘s +/- 5 points. of the idiot.
IN REAL LIFE: sometimes, managers Lose 1 blank card in the next
won‘t unterstand your process iteration to get rid of the guy. Or
and it‘s up to their interpretation throw him at the pointy haired
so figure out if thats the case. boss to get rid of both.
+2 1 team -2
member
Blank loses steps
cards
user hack Sick team member
The users just took your beta and It‘s flue / allergy / summer season
are now doing something totally and one of your team is either sick
different with it. or pretending to be. Yes, your so
Good thing you were watching. perfect plans will be screwed by
Now if you can just figure out how random events like this. Get used
to turn their behavior into a viable to it and plan some buffer next
product, you hit gold. time, dummy. Now play some paper,
scissors and rock to figure out
Draw 2 additional blank cards in who has to skip the next 2 steps.
Ideation in the next iteration. …yes, you may add lizard and spock
if you want to. Shuffle the card
And dump the card. back into the deck.

23. results -10 results +50
data loss we got lucky
No, the intern did not back up the
data and using a free host was a Well, you just wanted to create a
stupid idea in the first place. Yes, little tool for yourself. Who knew
data can also get lost in the cloud. it would become this popular with
Megaupload, anyone? your users? Besides, that user you
talked to saved you lots of time in
Repeat after me: i will always back your development. It really pays
up my data. I will always back up my off to interact closely with your
data… customers.
The most common time wasters are Plus, we got lucky.
due to bad file organization. Dump Only happens once. Dump the card.
this card.
results
results -10 Head - +/- 5
Tail +
coin flip
To find out
fast competition wrong assumptions
You know that other company?
Yeah, the one that DID get bought The problem doesn‘t seem to be the
by google? one you should have been looking
They were faster than you. for. You learned a great deal but
unfortunately, almost made no
So, trash your great idea and get progress. You might go on to build
back to the board. Your on those wrong assumptions
development wasn‘t fast enough. though. Who knows, management
You should have discussed less and might not notice…
prototyped more.
Shuffle the card back into the deck
Trash 1 result card. Shuffle the after that.
card back into the deck

24. methods -1 results +20
budget cut copy & paste
Scratch that study you wanted to
buy, the new machine your coder Great! Your team just found some
desperately needs and the material results someone else put online
you needed for your prototype. that applies directly to your
You just got a budget cut, baby. project. All you need is to copy,
Your manager „just“ remembered paste and apply the stuff to save
that two weeks before delivery, of some time…
course. Suck it up and get on with
it. It happens more often than you …like someone has done with these
think. Everyone drop 1 method cards.
card back into the deck.
Shuffle this card back into the Keep this card for +20 results.
deck.
results +40 1 team shift
Member
has to draw
a new role card
overtime team rage
Yes, we all hate it and we all do it. In a study by the russian space
Just grab your notebook and grind program, two astronauts living
your teeth, you workaholic! You together started to hate each
want your results to be perfect. So, other‘s guts after three months.
It is time to do some overtime. But you know the feeling, don‘t
Besides, you secretly love it, don‘t you? The team is about to enter a
you? rage and kill each other. It‘s time
to kick someone out.
Why else would you be here on a Play 1 round of paper, scissors,
Saturday? rock to determine who has to
change his card. Yes, you may add
Keep the card to remember the day lizard and spock if you want.
and add +40 to results. Dump the card after that.