WORKSHOP OVERVIEW

Duration: Two full days (9:00 AM - 5:00 PM both days)

Participants: Cross-functional team (designers, developers, product managers, leadership, stakeholders)

Purpose: To articulate a compelling, authentic design manifesto that captures your team's core beliefs and unique approach to design

Materials Needed: Whiteboards/digital boards, sticky notes, markers, example manifestos, voting dots, reaction cards, templates for exercises

DAY 01 EXPLORATION & DISCOVERY

9:00 - 9:30 AM: Welcome & Introduction

• Welcome participants and introductions

• Overview of two-day agenda and objectives

• Introduction to design manifestos: what they are, their purpose, examples from notable organizations

• Exercise: What makes a powerful vs. ineffective design manifesto?

9:30 - 11:00 AM: Provocation Exercise

• Introduction to design provocations (15 min)

  • Explain how provocative statements reveal core beliefs

  • Set ground rules for constructive disagreement

• Present controversial statements and facilitate debate (45 min)

  • Each statement displayed one at a time

  • Participants vote: Strongly Agree/Agree/Neutral/Disagree/Strongly Disagree

  • Volunteers from opposing positions explain reasoning

  • Facilitate discussion to explore underlying values

• Small group discussions to identify emerging core beliefs (30 min)

  • Groups of 3-4 people discuss patterns they noticed

  • Document recurring themes and strongest convictions

11:00 - 11:15 AM: Break

11:15 AM - 12:45 PM: Design Archaeology Session

• Introduction to design archaeology method (15 min)

  • Explain how to analyze past work to extract implicit values

• Project selection and preparation (15 min)

  • Identify 5-8 successful projects to analyze

  • Gather relevant artifacts and documentation

• Small group analysis (45 min)

  • Each group takes 1-2 projects to analyze deeply

  • Identify key design decisions that contributed to success

  • Document recurring patterns and approaches

  • Extract preliminary values from these patterns

• Group presentations (30 min)

  • Each group shares their findings

  • All participants note common themes across projects

12:45 - 1:45 PM: Lunch Break

1:45 - 3:30 PM: Future Vision Exercise

• Introduction to future visioning (15 min)

  • Explain the concept of "backcasting" from a desired future

  • Set expectations for bold, aspirational thinking

• Individual future state writing (30 min)

  • Participants imagine the organization 5 years from now at its absolute best

  • Write responses to prompts about design reputation, achievements, etc.

• Small group consolidation of visions (30 min)

  • Groups of 3-4 share individual visions

  • Create a consolidated future vision

  • Prepare to present to larger group

• Group presentations (30 min)

  • Each group presents their consolidated future vision

  • Facilitator notes common themes across presentations

3:30 - 3:45 PM: Break

3:45 - 5:00 PM: Day 01 Synthesis & Reflection

• Collective mapping of key insights (45 min)

  • Create visual map of themes from all day 1 activities

  • Identify connections between provocations, archaeology, and future vision

  • Note recurring beliefs, values, and aspirations

• Individual reflection (15 min)

  • Each participant writes key takeaways from the day

  • Document personal beliefs about what should be in the manifesto

• Day 1 closing and preview of Day 2 (15 min)

  • Recap progress and insights

  • Preview Day 2 activities

  • Optional evening homework: note additional insights or examples

DAY 2: ARTICULATION & REFINEMENT

9:00 - 9:30 AM: Day 02 Welcome & Synthesis Review

• Welcome back and agenda for Day 02

• Review synthesis from Day 01

• Share any overnight insights from participants

9:30 - 11:00 AM: Reaction Cards Exercise

• Introduction to reaction cards method (15 min)

  • Explain how reaction cards reveal emotional responses and priorities

  • Review the process and card categories

• Individual card selection (30 min)

  • Provide each participant with the full set of reaction cards (80-100 cards)

  • Participants select cards in rounds, narrowing to top 5-10 that must be part of design approach

• Small group sharing (30 min)

  • Groups of 3-4 people share their selections and reasoning

  • Groups create a consolidated set of 7-10 cards

  • Draft 2-3 preliminary manifesto statements based on cards

• Gallery walk (15 min)

  • Post card selections and draft statements

  • Participants review other groups' work

11:00 - 11:15 AM: Break

11:15 AM - 12:45 PM: Competitive Analysis

• Introduction to competitive analysis approach (15 min)

  • Explain how to evaluate competitor manifestos

  • Set framework for analysis

• Small group analysis (45 min)

  • Each group analyzes manifestos from 2-3 competitors or admired organizations

  • Identify what resonates and what doesn't

  • Note distinctive language, tone, and structure

• Share findings with full group (30 min)

  • Each group presents analysis

  • Discuss positioning relative to competitors

  • Identify gaps in the market for distinctive positioning

12:45 - 1:45 PM: Lunch Break

1:45 - 3:15 PM: Manifesto Statement Development

• Introduction to manifesto writing (15 min)

  • Review characteristics of powerful manifesto statements

  • Explain format and structure options

• Small group drafting (45 min)

  • Break into groups of 3-4 people

  • Each group drafts 3-5 potential manifesto statements

  • Based on themes from all previous exercises

  • Focus on bold, clear, distinctive language

• Gallery walk and feedback (30 min)

  • Post draft statements

  • All participants review and provide feedback

  • Use dot voting to identify the strongest statements

3:15 - 3:30 PM: Break

3:30 - 4:45 PM: Manifesto Refinement

• Full group synthesis (30 min)

  • Review highest-voted statements

  • Identify any missing themes or values

  • Discuss overall narrative and structure

• Small group refinement (30 min)

  • Assign sections or statements to small groups

  • Polish language for clarity, boldness, and memorability

  • Ensure consistency of tone and voice

• Final review and consensus (15 min)

  • Present refined statements

  • Check for team alignment and commitment

4:45 - 5:00 PM: Implementation Planning & Closing

• Document format and design (10 min)

  • Decide on presentation format for manifesto

  • Discuss visual design approach

• Socialization strategy (10 min)

  • Plan how to share manifesto with wider organization

  • Identify opportunities to incorporate into work processes

• Final reflections and appreciation (10 min)

  • Invite final thoughts from participants

  • Thank everyone for their contributions

Post-Workshop Deliverables

Within One Week:

• Complete Design Manifesto document including:

  • 5-9 powerful manifesto statements

  • Supporting explanations for each statement

  • Visual presentation that embodies the design values

• Supporting Documentation:

  • Evidence and rationale behind each statement

  • Connection to insights from workshop exercises

  • Examples showing how manifesto applies to work

• Implementation Plan:

  • Process for socializing manifesto across organization

  • Methods for incorporating into design decisions

  • Schedule for revisiting and refreshing the manifesto

Tips for Workshop Facilitators

• Create a safe environment for expressing authentic beliefs and disagreement

• Balance abstract philosophical discussion with concrete examples

• Keep energy high through varied activities and regular breaks

• Document everything with photos and notes

• Encourage participants to be bold and distinctive rather than generic

• Test manifesto statements against actual design decisions

• Ensure statements are memorable and inspire action

This two-day format allows for deeper exploration of beliefs and values, more thorough analysis of examples, and greater team alignment around your design manifesto, resulting in a more authentic and powerful expression of your design philosophy