Why workshops work

Here at S8, if we’re creating, then we’re collaborating. We’re big fans of workshops – especially when it comes to the discovery phase. Here are just a few reasons why we think they work so well.

We can do all the research we like, but nothing comes close to hearing about your product or services directly from you. You know your brand, you know your audience, and you know what you want from the project – and talking it through in person means nothing gets lost in translation. It also gives us the chance to collect qualitative data vs. just quantitative – something that makes all the difference during UX/UI discovery.

It goes both ways. You get to know us, and we get to know you. Your likes and dislikes, the way you communicate, and what the project means to you personally. The kind of information you get from real conversations, not written briefs. And the kind of rapport you can’t build via Slack or email alone.

The very nature of discovery means you put the work in at the start to get the best results at the end. Workshops just take that planning phase to the next level. They give you a platform to talk about challenges and chat through priorities – and they help us highlight any areas where we need that little bit more clarity. Doing all of this early doors means no last-minute curveballs and fewer hold-ups later down the line.

Workshops are great for idea generation, but this is especially true for busy, siloed teams. It means a dedicated time slot in everyone’s diary when they can down tools and just bounce ideas off one another. No idea is a bad one – and by creating a super-relaxed setting where you can come up with concepts and refine them in real time, there’s a good chance you’ll strike gold.

Workshops give everyone the chance to have their say. You can map out scenarios, explore various ideas and concepts, and get different opinions from multiple stakeholders there and then. When it comes to design, everything is subjective. But workshopping a solution that works for everyone means we can all move forward way more effectively.

And we don’t mean the first-day-of-a-new-job-icebreaker kind of fun. We’re talking super-interactive FigJam formats complete with stamps, hold music, countdown timers, and avatars. Because it’s not just about trusting the process, it’s about having fun with it. And we’re all about mixing up work and play (in a good way).