Design Thinking Toolkit
Design Thinking Toolkit
The "Fake-it" Talk

The "Fake-it" Talk

Recipe step number
Day 4, Activity 1
Description
Get in the prototyping mindset: Build only what’s needed to learn!
Reading Time
4 mins

Recipe: Design Sprint (Day 4)

  1. The "Fake-it" Talk
  2. Prototyping

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Materials - Access to Mural (digital whiteboard) - Microsoft Teams (for group video calls)

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Related Mural templates: Design Sprint complete 5-day canvas

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More resources - links etc go here

Overview

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Why do this activity? We often resort to the typical tools used to build solutions. However, those same tools are not usually the right tools for prototyping. It takes a shift in mindset to determine the right tools (in the available time) to build a surface-level “façade” for a customer to interact with.

Key Tips

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Tips from the Sprint Book - pages 163-182
  • The prototype mindset – you can prototype ANYTHING. Prototypes are disposable so you don’t get attached. Build just enough to learn, no more. It should appear real.
  • Goldilocks quality: Seems very real, but also did not take a lot of time. Just right.
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Key tips/learnings from Advance Concepts™
  • Give analogies. For example, the image of a movie-set façade, helps. Or a concept car (no engine or real parts, it’s usually painted clay). Or the examples of “vapor-ware” websites and Facebook ads.
  • Share stories of past mistakes. Most teams spend half the day wrestling their old tools. Select better tools up-front. It’s usually lower-fidelity like Powerpoint or even acting things out with a person instead of software.
  • Stress the value of a realistic scenario and interaction for the customer/interviewee. Realistic scenarios provide realistic data to learn from. That’ll be important in all touchpoints of the (test) experience.
  • Be sure that your storyboard has points of “value exchange”. Meaning, customers need to give something up to show they value it (could be a reaction, an action, exchange of their time, or money, etc).

How to do this activity

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Allow 20 mins

Here's a snapshot of some supporting images used in a real Design Sprint to help the facilitator give the "Fake-it" talk.

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  • Give a short talk to the team to help them understand the goals behind the upcoming prototyping and testing
    • Give analogies. For example, the image of a movie-set façade, helps. Or a concept car (no engine or real parts, it’s usually painted clay). Or the examples of “vapor-ware” websites and Facebook ads.
    • Share stories of past mistakes. Most teams spend half the day wrestling their old tools. Select better tools up-front. It’s usually lower-fidelity like Powerpoint or even acting things out with a person instead of software.
    • Stress the value of a realistic scenario and interaction for the customer/interviewee. Realistic scenarios provide realistic data to learn from. That’ll be important in all touchpoints of the (test) experience.
    • Remind the team to ensure the storyboard (and prototype) has points of “value exchange”. Meaning, customers need to give something up to show they value it (could be a reaction, an action, exchange of their time, or money, etc).
  • Leave time for questions and discussion with the group