Stakeholders in UX Workshop
Published on 28 Apr 2022 inUX workshop is a common method in the design process. It is used for several purposes such as aligning teams and brainstorming. It is similar to a meeting as everyone gets a chance to contribute something. Workshops can be very useful if done right, however, it can get tricky to manage especially when stakeholders are involved. Through my experience being a workshop facilitator on several occasions, I’ve gathered some reflections I’d like to share.
Source: Morphosis leading Starfish workshop
UX workshop is a collaborative practice that allows everyone to express their thoughts on a project and to align different team members. It supports the concept of co-creation in the sense that everyone can contribute and discuss different things during the session. Involving a variety of team members in a workshop is highly recommended as you can gather opinions from different points of view. This includes stakeholders because many times they are in charge of the problem and vision of the project. Having them in the workshop can inform the team about the higher-level goals, motivate the team to move forward, and share insights from their perspective.
Benefits of stakeholder workshops in UX design
On the one hand, stakeholders can give a lot of input to the workshop because they are responsible for the project. They take care of the direction and vision, and it is their job to make sure that the project is moving on the right path. In terms of collaboration, team members and stakeholders can understand each other better since it is the time to share insights and discuss ideas. A challenge for the facilitator here is to stay neutral and positive whilst ensuring that the conversation is appropriate.
From an outsider’s perspective, including stakeholders can help the work process run smoother further down the line because they get to experience and be a part of the design process. The communication between the stakeholders (clients) and UX designers (design team) would be more effective as the design team can gain more trust (although it depends on the results from the workshop).
In this article, Tímea Falmann presents examples of activities in the UX workshops and the benefits of having everyone involved.
Source: Morphosis leading Starfish workshop
Concerns for stakeholder workshops
On the other hand, if stakeholders take too much space in the workshop, it would affect the conversation and energy in the room negatively. As stakeholders usually rank higher in the organization, their words tend to have more weight and influence others. As a result, other participants wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing their thoughts. Consequently, the collaborative atmosphere would drop drastically. Encouraging other participants to share their opinions and their point of view is crucial as it would help shift the focus from a few people to the rest of the team, and would help them reach a consensus among themselves including stakeholders.
As a facilitator, you are responsible for establishing a neutral, positive foundation prior to the execution of the exercise. Like in data-collection activities, you should avoid biasing statements or questions that can influence participants.
(Sarah Gibbons, 2018)
Furthermore, politics in an organization can jeopardize the workshop. If the facilitator can’t cope with the stakeholders and other participants, and hence can’t carry on the workshop, it may eventually result in failure. As a facilitator from an outside organization, you may not take a side and stay neutral and rational. Politics are difficult topics. One way to prevent this is to work on the preparation. When planning a workshop, you should discuss with your contact person inside the organization about who should be participating and how things are. If there will be group tasks, allocate people into groups beforehand to avoid people arguing and wasting time during the workshop.
Source: Morphosis leading Starfish workshop
Start capitalizing on stakeholder workshops today
A workshop is an activity in that people from different roles meet and work together. It is a good opportunity for team members to build empathy and find a solution inclusively. Stakeholders are critical and sometimes difficult to manage. The facilitator would need to be solid and skillful when it comes to dealing with people. It is not an easy task but it could be rewarding. Moreover, at times, stakeholders are the ones who decide if they should continue with your service. If things go well and you can build a good relationship with them, it is likely that they will continue with you.
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