This page provides a mapping and assessment of methods and tools with a strong application in Design Thinking and co-creation/co-production projects and approaches. These tools and methods have been mapped through an extensive literature review, complemented with information provided through surveys.
The tools and methods have been clustered into six categories: research, team building, ideation, development, assessment/ evaluation, and validation. Refer to the following document for further information.
3D Print
Platform offering online Q&A catalogue for 3D printing.
* * * * *
Ada Fruit
Online platform for learning electronics and making designed products for makers of all ages and skill levels.
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Affinity Diagram
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affinity_diagram
The affinity diagram is a way to organise and cluster large amounts of research data to facilitate its analysis.
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Community Mapping
https://ucanr.edu/sites/CA4-HA/files/206668.pdf
An exercise where participants identify the community stakeholders and create a map indicating how they relate and intersect with each other.
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CraftPassion
Website offering hundreds of free patterns & tutorials covering sewing, crochet, knitting, beading, paper crafts and more. The site also offers many tutorials on how to recycle unwanted materials into a useful handmade. All patterns and tutorials in Craft Passion come in full details with step-by-step photos, easy to follow.
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Day-in-the-life
https://toolkits.dss.cloud/design/method-card/day-in-the-life/
An activity focusing on collecting insights from users' daily routines, habits, behaviours, etc. To collect the information a diary, journal pictures or video can be used.
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Design Methods Finder
https://www.designmethodsfinder.com/
Website compiling many tools and templates to apply design methods.
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Dexter Industries
https://www.dexterindustries.com/
A website that offers tutorials to design, build and support educational robot platforms.
* * * * *
Emcelettronica
Platform offering projects and tutorials on various maker topics in Italian.
* * * * *
Experience mapping
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ux-mapping-cheat-sheet/
https://servicedesigntools.org/tools/empathy-map
A task where participants draw or write the steps composing the customer/product journey experience to create a full overview of highs and lows involved in product/service delivery.
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Fablabs
Fab Labs discussion platform. Fablabs.io is the online social network of the international Fab Lab community.
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Facebook Groups
Maker dedicated groups on the social network platform.
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Hackathon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackathon
Hackathon (also known as a hack day, hackfest or codefest) is a design sprint-like event in where coders, designers, project managers, researchers and other subject-matter-experts collaborate intensively on software projects.
* * * * *
Hackday
Collaborative hardware development community based platform.
* * * * *
Hackster
https://www.hackster.io/hologram/discussion
Community platform of developers working from machine learning and edge computing to IoT security and automation.
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Instructables
https://www.instructables.com/
Instructables is a community platform for people who like to make things. Their tutorials include circuits, workshops, craft, cooking, living, outside and educational materials for teachers.
* * * * *
Journey map
https://servicedesigntools.org/tools/journey-map
An activity where one draws or writes the steps composing the customer/product journey to identify the steps required to deliver the optimal product/service. The final map also aids in identifying aspects that might be lacking in the plan.
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Listening levels
https://ccn.waag.org/navigator/tool/listening-levels
This exercise focus on listening to interviews to divides them into three parts to help the data clustering and analysis.
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Maker
Platform helping makers to design and collaborate with one another, with the goal to take their product to market. Offers both public and private project settings to support proprietary information.
* * * * *
Maker Design Lab
Platform offering laser cutter project cases and ideas.
* * * * *
Maker platforms
https://www.digikey.com/en/maker/platforms
A product to market support platform, helping makers understand the phases that occur from concept through production. The main objective of the site is to walk makers through the design-chain “Roadmap” that offers an aggregated community of tools, ideas, solutions, and information that properly meet the needs of the marketplace every step of the way.
* * * * *
Makershare
Makershare platform is a joint venture between Make: and Engineering.com to connect and elevate those who create and problem solve through projects.
* * * * *
Makezine
Maker community magazine website offering various projects and tutorials.
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Photosafari
https://innovationenglish.sites.ku.dk/metode/photo-safari/
In this exercise, participants take pictures of chosen aspects of their routine to share back with the researchers/other participants.
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Physical Computing at ITP
Interactive Telecommunication Programme Physical Computing class syllabus and examples.
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Pictogram interview
https://ccn.waag.org/drupal/sites/default/files/2018-03/WaagPictoInterview.pdf
Using the same visual cards (DIXIT or similar), however this time for interview purposes, open discussion with images that bring out some different possibilities and scenarios to be further researched.
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Processing
Platform introducing Processing programming language with examples and tutorials.
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Question walk
http://sru.soc.surrey.ac.uk/SRU67.pdf
An observation walk to identify aspects of the environment that might have become ignored through routine. The objective is to look at specific topics and raise a number of previously unasked questions.
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Shadowing
A research exercise where one follows users with their consent to observe and identify behaviours related to their routine. This activity can also feed into concept scenarios, where teams can identify how the service or product fits in the observed flow.
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Sparkfun
https://learn.sparkfun.com/resources
SparkFun is a maker platform with open course components and online tutorials helping users create from a smart weather station, to exploring the frontier of machine learning, as well as building a robot for school or prototyping a range of products. The platform is designed to broaden access to innovative technology and make the path to a finished project shorter.
* * * * *
Storytelling/ video prototyping
https://toolkits.dss.cloud/design/method-card/video-prototyping/
This activity focus on creating narratives where the product or service is described within a context, its use and its purpose. It facilitates the sharing of an idea and it becomes easier to be understood by the other participants. It can be drawn or made as a video.
* * * * *
Thingverse
Platform offering instructions and models for various DIY projects.
* * * * *
Tinkercad
Platform offering an online collection of software tools that help people all over the world think, create and make. Offers introduction to Autodesk, the leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software.
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Wikifactory
Social platform for collaborative product development. Designed for open source communities, designers and product companies.
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YouTube
Online video-sharing platform.
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Ambition ranking
https://ccn.waag.org/navigator/tool/ambition-ranking
In this activity, participants list and order project ideas and ambitions towards creating a common ground across the team.
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Board games
https://ccn.waag.org/navigator/tool/board-games
An activity where participants develop a board game with rules and goals based on a project topic.
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Card sorting
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Card_sorting
Using image cards (DIXIT style - https://www.pinterest.dk/evamelinda11/dixit-cards/), participants have to select cards related to a defined topic and explain the reason behind their choice. This activity can help teams identify aspects related to a project topic; images can help elaborate on themes that might have been overlooked otherwise.
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Dreams and fears (also known as hopes and fears)
https://www.ibm.com/design/thinking/page/toolkit/activity/hopes-and-fears
This activity offers the opportunity for the project participants to shed their 'dreams' and 'fears' related to the project.
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Is – is not – does – does not
https://martinfowler.com/articles/lean-inception/product-is-isnot.html
Is – Is not – Does – Does not is an exercise helping define and assess both product/services capabilities and goals.
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Open Space
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Space_Technology
An activity where participants co-design the activities and agenda for the given session or workshop.
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Opening Circle
https://facilitation.aspirationtech.org/index.php/Facilitation:Opening_Circle
In this activity, participants sit in a circle facing each other, where everyone can engage with each other. Adding a prop to the circle helps in indicating a shared leadership approach.
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Purpose and culture
https://ccn.waag.org/navigator/tool/purpose-and-culture
Organisational tool helping teams define their purpose and culture and how these aspects play out in carrying out the project.
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Stakeholders trust map
https://ccn.waag.org/navigator/tool/stakeholders-trust-map
Create a map showing how the stakeholders relate to each other and to the product/service regarding trust/reliability.
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Values tree
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_tree_analysis
In this activity, all the participants create a tree or diagram with the key values to be kept during the whole project process. This diagram should be visible and used as a fresh reminder whenever needed.
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World Café
http://www.theworldcafe.com/key-concepts-resources/world-cafe-method/
In this activity, groups of 3-5 people gather around tables to discuss a common topic for a short time (10-15’). After the first round, a ‘host’ stays at the table, while the others move to another table. The host summarises what has been discussed at that table and the ‘new’ table participants share their previous conversations. This format allows for the threads of the various conversations to be linked together.
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3DPrint
Platform offering online Q&A catalogue for 3D printing.
* * * * *
Ada Fruit
Online platform for learning electronics and making designed products for makers of all ages and skill levels.
* * * * *
Affinity Diagram
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affinity_diagram
The affinity diagram is a way to organise and cluster large amounts of research data to facilitate its analysis.
* * * * *
Artistic Visualisation
Link N/A
This method entails presenting an image or drawing to introduce the workshop/meeting topic to inspire or provoke.
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Board games
https://ccn.waag.org/navigator/tool/board-games
An activity where participants develop a board game with rules and goals based on a project topic.
* * * * *
Card sorting
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Card_sorting
Using image cards (DIXIT style - https://www.pinterest.dk/evamelinda11/dixit-cards/), participants have to select cards related to a defined topic and explain the reason behind their choice. This activity can help teams identify aspects related to a project topic; images can help elaborate on themes that might have been overlooked otherwise.
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Collage
https://arl.human.cornell.edu/PAGES_Delft/Collage_deeper.pdf
A low-fidelity creative method to promote a tangible demonstration of an idea or concept and create a shared visual to communicate it to the other participants.
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CraftPassion
Website offering hundreds of free patterns & tutorials covering sewing, crochet, knitting, beading, paper crafts and more. The site also offers many tutorials on how to recycle unwanted materials into a useful handmade. All patterns and tutorials in Craft Passion come in full details with step-by-step photos, easy to follow.
* * * * *
Crazy 8
https://designsprintkit.withgoogle.com/methodology/phase3-sketch/crazy-eights
An activity where participants create eight distinct ideas in eight minutes. Very used as a way to kickstart an idea generation session.
* * * * *
Design Methods Finder
https://www.designmethodsfinder.com/
Website compiling many tools and templates to apply design methods.
* * * * *
Design Sprint
A time-limited, five-phase process following a design Thinking approach focusing on fast research, ideation and testing towards evaluating and minimising the risk of introducing a new product or service into the market.
* * * * *
Dexter Industries
https://www.dexterindustries.com/
A website that offers tutorials to design, build and support educational robot platforms.
* * * * *
Emcelettronica
Platform offering projects and tutorials on various maker topics in Italian.
* * * * *
Fablabs
Fab Labs discussion platform. Fablabs.io is the online social network of the international Fab Lab community.
* * * * *
Hackathon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackathon
Hackathon (also known as a hack day, hackfest or codefest) is a design sprint-like event in where coders, designers, project managers, researchers and other subject-matter-experts collaborate intensively on software projects.
* * * * *
Hackday
Collaborative hardware development community based platform.
* * * * *
Hackster
https://www.hackster.io/hologram/discussion
Community platform of developers working from machine learning and edge computing to IoT security and automation.
* * * * *
Idea dashboard
https://dschool.stanford.edu/resources/idea-dashboard
A way to create a visual overview of the co-created ideas and what they address. This activity facilitates the clustering and specific aspects that might need to be incorporated into the product/service.
* * * * *
Instructables
https://www.instructables.com/
Instructables is a community platform for people who like to make things. Their tutorials include circuits, workshops, craft, cooking, living, outside and educational materials for teachers.
* * * * *
Is – is not – does – does not
https://martinfowler.com/articles/lean-inception/product-is-isnot.html
Is – Is not – Does – Does not is an exercise helping define and assess both product/services capabilities and goals.
* * * * *
Lotus Blossom
http://creatingminds.org/tools/lotus_blossom.htm
A visual brainstorming tool.
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Maker
Platform helping makers to design and collaborate with one another, with the goal to take their product to market. Offers both public and private project settings to support proprietary information.
* * * * *
Maker Design Lab
Platform offering laser cutter project cases and ideas.
* * * * *
Maker platforms
https://www.digikey.com/en/maker/platforms
Another product to market support platform, helping makers understand the phases that occur from concept through production. The main objective of the site is to walk makers through the design-chain “Roadmap” that offers an aggregated community of tools, ideas, solutions, and information that properly meet the needs of the marketplace every step of the way.
* * * * *
Makershare
Makershare platform is a joint venture between Make: and Engineering.com to connect and elevate those who create and problem solve through projects.
* * * * *
Makezine
Maker community magazine website offering various projects and tutorials.
* * * * *
Mapping/Brainstorming
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainstorming
An activity where one or more people collect information from the participants in an open and dynamic way, and write it on a flipchart or whiteboard to create a type of ‘map’ the group can logically follow.
* * * * *
Mini-campaign challenge
https://ccn.waag.org/navigator/tool/mini-campaign-challenge
An exercise where participants create a short ‘fake’ campaign to dive further into the possible product/service proposition. Another way to explore and further develop ideas and concepts.
* * * * *
Open Processing
https://www.openprocessing.org
Community platform of coders, designers, artists and educators experimenting on algorithmic design.
* * * * *
Physical Computing at ITP
Interactive Telecommunication Programme Physical Computing class syllabus and examples.
* * * * *
Image sharing and social media service platform designed to enable saving and discovery of information on the World Wide Web using images and, on a smaller scale, GIFs and videos, in the form of pin boards.
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Rapid prototyping/Low-fi prototyping
https://theblog.adobe.com/prototyping-difference-low-fidelity-high-fidelity-prototypes-use/
A fast way to make something abstract into tangible using average office supplies, off-the-shelf microcontrollers, or other available resources to recreate a minimised version of an idea/concept.
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Reverse brainstorming
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newCT_96.htm
Reverse brainstorming is an activity focusing on developing bad solutions to the issue or problem giving perspectives on what the concept should avoid.
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Role play
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role-playing
An activity where participants recreate through acting out/playing a part of the context/scenario where the experience takes place. The guidelines are modelled on realistic aspects to provide an experience close to reality (Elmore, n.d.).
* * * * *
Sketching
An activity where participants draw an idea to help communicate and have a shared visual input to discuss/present.
* * * * *
Sparkfun
https://learn.sparkfun.com/resources
SparkFun is a another maker platform with open course components and online tutorials helping users create from a smart weather station, to exploring the frontier of machine learning, as well as building a robot for school or prototyping a range of products. The platform is designed to broaden access to innovative technology and make the path to a finished project shorter.
* * * * *
Storyboards
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storyboard
Create a linear narrative through drawing and telling a story of your product/service scenario in use.
* * * * *
Storytelling/video prototyping
https://toolkits.dss.cloud/design/method-card/video-prototyping/
This activity focus on creating narratives where the product or service is described within a context, its use and its purpose. It facilitates the sharing of an idea and it becomes easier to be understood by the other participants. It can be drawn or made as a video.
* * * * *
Thingverse
Platform offering instructions and models for various DIY projects.
* * * * *
Wiki factory
Social platform for collaborative product development. Designed for open source communities, designers and product companies.
* * * * *
3DPrint
Platform offering online Q&A catalogue for 3D printing.
* * * * *
Ada Fruit
Online platform for learning electronics and making designed products for makers of all ages and skill levels.
* * * * *
Ambition ranking
https://ccn.waag.org/navigator/tool/ambition-ranking
In this activity, participants list and order project ideas and ambitions towards creating a common ground across the team.
* * * * *
Arduino
Open-source hardware and software ecosystem offering a range of software tools, hardware platforms and documentation enabling users of all types to be creative with technology. Arduino is a popular tool for IoT product development as well as one of the most successful tools for STEM/STEAM education. Designers, engineers, students, developers and makers around the world use Arduino to innovate in music, games, toys, smart homes, farming, autonomous vehicles, and more.
* * * * *
Blender
https://www.blender.org/forum/
Developers’ Discussion forum platform.
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Blueprinting
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/service-blueprints-definition/
A tool to strategize the service around the product offer with clear tasks and product/service flow. A detailed guideline for a project replication.
* * * * *
Board games
https://ccn.waag.org/navigator/tool/board-games
An activity where participants develop a board game with rules and goals based on a project topic.
* * * * *
Business Model Canvas
https://www.businessmodelsinc.com/about-bmi/tools/business-model-canvas/
A tool that identifies different aspects of a business propositions towards assessing value and other key aspects to develop and deploy products/services to market.
* * * * *
Community Mapping
https://ucanr.edu/sites/CA4-HA/files/206668.pdf
An exercise where participants identify the community stakeholders and create a map indicating how they relate and intersect with each other.
* * * * *
CraftPassion
Website offering hundreds of free patterns & tutorials covering sewing, crochet, knitting, beading, paper crafts and more. The site also offers many tutorials on how to recycle unwanted materials into a useful handmade. All patterns and tutorials in Craft Passion come in full details with step-by-step photos, easy to follow.
* * * * *
Crazy 8
https://designsprintkit.withgoogle.com/methodology/phase3-sketch/crazy-eights
An activity where participants create eight distinct ideas in eight minutes. Very used as a way to kickstart an idea generation session.
* * * * *
Design Methods Finder
https://www.designmethodsfinder.com/
Website compiling many tools and templates to apply design methods.
* * * * *
Design Sprint
A time-limited, five-phase process following a design Thinking approach focusing on fast research, ideation and testing towards evaluating and minimising the risk of introducing a new product or service into the market.
* * * * *
Dexter Industries
https://www.dexterindustries.com/
A website that offers tutorials to design, build and support educational robot platforms.
* * * * *
Ecology mapping (also called Ecosystem Map)
https://servicedesigntools.org/tools/ecosystem-map
An exercise to map and correlate the different communities, products and services related to your project. The final visual map serves as a good overview of the project context.
* * * * *
Emcelettronica
Platform offering projects and tutorials on various maker topics in Italian.
* * * * *
Empathy mapping
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/empathy-mapping/
A tool to gain perspectives from project participants, stakeholders or users. It can create a collective perception on a product or service interactions.
* * * * *
Ergocreo
A co-design platform for rapid prototyping challenges.
* * * * *
Experience mapping
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ux-mapping-cheat-sheet/
https://servicedesigntools.org/tools/empathy-map
A task where participants draw or write the steps composing the customer/product journey experience to create a full overview of highs and lows involved in product/service delivery.
* * * * *
Fablabs
Fab Labs discussion platform. Fablabs.io is the online social network of the international Fab Lab community.
* * * * *
Facebook groups
Maker dedicated groups on the social network platform.
* * * * *
Freepik
A website offering free graphic resources.
* * * * *
Github
Membership development platform offering support and advice from open source to business, members can host and review code, manage projects, and build software alongside 50 million developers.
* * * * *
Grabcad
Free cloud-based collaboration platform that helps engineering teams manage, view and share CAD files.
* * * * *
Hackathon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackathon
Hackathon (also known as a hack day, hackfest or codefest) is a design sprint-like event in where coders, designers, project managers, researchers and other subject-matter-experts collaborate intensively on software projects.
* * * * *
Hackday
Collaborative hardware development community based platform.
* * * * *
Hackster
https://www.hackster.io/hologram/discussion
Community platform of developers working from machine learning and edge computing to IoT security and automation.
* * * * *
Idea dashboard
https://dschool.stanford.edu/resources/idea-dashboard
A way to create a visual overview of the co-created ideas and what they address. This activity facilitates the clustering and specific aspects that might need to be incorporated into the product/service.
* * * * *
Insights and learnings
https://sightsinplus.com/insight/learning/the-difference-between-insights-learning/
A final activity to compile the outcomes of the workshop or session.
* * * * *
Instructables
https://www.instructables.com/
Instructables is a community platform for people who like to make things. Their tutorials include circuits, workshops, craft, cooking, living, outside and educational materials for teachers.
* * * * *
Journey map
https://servicedesigntools.org/tools/journey-map
An activity where one draws or writes the steps composing the customer/product journey to identify the steps required to deliver the optimal product/service. The final map also aids in identifying aspects that might be lacking in the plan.
* * * * *
Maker
Platform helping makers to design and collaborate with one another, with the goal to take their product to market. Offers both public and private project settings to support proprietary information.
* * * * *
Maker Design Lab
Platform offering laser cutter project cases and ideas.
* * * * *
Maker platforms
https://www.digikey.com/en/maker/platforms
Another product to market support platform, helping makers understand the phases that occur from concept through production. The main objective of the site is to walk makers through the design-chain “Roadmap” that offers an aggregated community of tools, ideas, solutions, and information that properly meet the needs of the marketplace every step of the way.
* * * * *
Makershare
Makershare platform is a joint venture between Make: and Engineering.com to connect and elevate those who create and problem solve through projects.
* * * * *
Makezine
Maker community magazine website offering various projects and tutorials.
* * * * *
Mapping/Brainstorming
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainstorming
An activity where one or more people collect information from the participants in an open and dynamic way, and write it on a flipchart or whiteboard to create a type of ‘map’ the group can logically follow.
* * * * *
Mini-campaign challenge
https://ccn.waag.org/navigator/tool/mini-campaign-challenge
An exercise where participants create a short ‘fake’ campaign to dive further into the possible product/service proposition. Another way to explore and further develop ideas and concepts.
* * * * *
Multispectral Imaging tool
https://publiclab.org/wiki/multispectral-imaging
Open source community platform to modify consumer cameras to capture near infrared imagery for a range of purposes.
* * * * *
Note to self
https://ccn.waag.org/navigator/tool/note-to-self
An activity where each participant writes down a note to him/herself to follow up regarding the project or the teamwork.
* * * * *
Onshape
Product development platform that unites 3D CAD, data management & analytics. Onshape helps businesses modernize their product design process.
* * * * *
Open Processing
https://www.openprocessing.org
Community platform of coders, designers, artists and educators experimenting on algorithmic design.
* * * * *
Openscad
Product development platform that unites 3D CAD, data management & analytics.
* * * * *
People value canvas
https://waag.org/en/project/people-value-canvas
The People Value Canvas tool supports designers and stakeholders to gain insight into what people consider valuable in a structured way. This process aids stakeholders and users identify key aspects of a service/product concepts and their value proposition.
* * * * *
Personas
https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/personas-why-and-how-you-should-use-them
Personas are (fictional) descriptions of a possible user or stakeholder based on a compilation of variables acquired through research. The personas can be applied in different circumstances and will help bring different perspectives based on the case/project.
* * * * *
Physical Computing at ITP
Interactive Telecommunication Programme Physical Computing class syllabus and examples.
* * * * *
Positioning the Project
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positioning_(marketing)
This activity covers benchmarking a concept in relation to existing products/services.
* * * * *
Processing
Platform introducing Processing programming language with examples and tutorials.
* * * * *
Rapid prototyping/Low-fi prototyping
https://theblog.adobe.com/prototyping-difference-low-fidelity-high-fidelity-prototypes-use/
A fast way to make something abstract into tangible using average office supplies, off-the-shelf microcontrollers, or other available resources to recreate a minimised version of an idea/concept.
* * * * *
Role play
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role-playing
An activity where participants recreate through acting out/playing a part of the context/scenario where the experience takes place. The guidelines are modelled on realistic aspects to provide an experience close to reality (Elmore, n.d.).
* * * * *
Scrum
Website where the Scrum framework is introduced and explained. The platform offers instructions towards developing, delivering, and sustaining complex products. The site offers roles, events, artefacts, and the rules that bind them together into the framework.
* * * * *
Sketching
An activity where participants draw an idea to help communicate and have a shared visual input to discuss/present.
* * * * *
Snapguide
Platform offering the possibility to create and share step-by-step "how to guides." The service provides easy to understand instructions for a wide array of topics including cooking, gardening, crafts, repairs, do-it-yourself projects, fashion tips, entertaining and more. Users are invited to create their own guides using the iPhone app. Snap pictures and videos of your project, add captions, and share their guide with the Snapguide community.
* * * * *
Sparkfun
https://learn.sparkfun.com/resources
SparkFun is a another maker platform with open course components and online tutorials helping users create from a smart weather station, to exploring the frontier of machine learning, as well as building a robot for school or prototyping a range of products. The platform is designed to broaden access to innovative technology and make the path to a finished project shorter.
* * * * *
Storytelling/video prototyping
https://toolkits.dss.cloud/design/method-card/video-prototyping/
This activity focus on creating narratives where the product or service is described within a context, its use and its purpose. It facilitates the sharing of an idea and it becomes easier to be understood by the other participants. It can be drawn or made as a video.
* * * * *
Street vote
https://ccn.waag.org/navigator/tool/street-vote
This activity helps connect with citizens/users/target audience in an easy, low-cost, and data-driven way by making quick and low-fi interviews or interventions in the public space.
* * * * *
Superviz
A VR tool that can be used for collaborative work and conferences towards products and project development.
* * * * *
Thingverse
Platform offering instructions and models for various DIY projects.
* * * * *
Tinkercad
Platform offering an online collection of software tools that help people all over the world think, create and make. Offers introduction to Autodesk, the leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software.
* * * * *
Unintended consequences/ Dormant opportunities
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unintended_consequences
In this activity, participants develop scenarios to explore ways how a product, technology or service can be appropriated towards an unplanned use. This activity can also be used with blueprints to uncover possible opportunities within services.
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Who what when
https://ccn.waag.org/navigator/tool/who-what-when
An activity where the participants collectively decide and delegate the tasks and timeline.
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Wiki factory
Social platform for collaborative product development. Designed for open source communities, designers and product companies.
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World Café
http://www.theworldcafe.com/key-concepts-resources/world-cafe-method/
In this activity, groups of 3-5 people gather around tables to discuss a common topic for a short time (10-15’). After the first round, a ‘host’ stays at the table, while the others move to another table. The host summarises what has been discussed at that table and the ‘new’ table participants share their previous conversations. This format allows for the threads of the various conversations to be linked together.
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YouTube
Online video-sharing platform.
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Zedboard
Platform offering development kits for a wide range of applications and levels of complexity. Documentation, reference designs and training material for kits aimed at entry-level designers to those developing highly complex designs like embedded vision, test and measurement and Industrial IoT.
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Arduino
Open-source hardware and software ecosystem offering a range of software tools, hardware platforms and documentation enabling users of all types to be creative with technology. Arduino is a popular tool for IoT product development as well as one of the most successful tools for STEM/STEAM education. Designers, engineers, students, developers and makers around the world use Arduino to innovate in music, games, toys, smart homes, farming, autonomous vehicles, and more.
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Blender
https://www.blender.org/forum/
Developers’ Discussion forum platform.
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Blueprinting
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/service-blueprints-definition/
A tool to strategize the service around the product offer with clear tasks and product/service flow. A detailed guideline for a project replication.
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Business Model Canvas
https://www.businessmodelsinc.com/about-bmi/tools/business-model-canvas/
A tool that identifies different aspects of a business propositions towards assessing value and other key aspects to develop and deploy products/services to market.
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Community Mapping
https://ucanr.edu/sites/CA4-HA/files/206668.pdf
An exercise where participants identify the community stakeholders and create a map indicating how they relate and intersect with each other.
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Design Sprint
A time-limited, five-phase process following a design Thinking approach focusing on fast research, ideation and testing towards evaluating and minimising the risk of introducing a new product or service into the market.
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Distributed Design
A platform membership of 12 partners, supported by the European Union through the Creative Europe fund and an Advisory Board made up of experts related to Distributed Design. The platform fosters the role of emerging Makers and Designers as part of this new digitized world. It celebrates, supports and inspires these professionals from across Europe and provides opportunities to support the mobility and circulation of their work to connect them with new digital markets.
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Ecology mapping (also called Ecosystem Map)
https://servicedesigntools.org/tools/ecosystem-map
An exercise to map and correlate the different communities, products and services related to your project. The final visual map serves as a good overview of the project context.
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Empathy mapping
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/empathy-mapping/
A tool to gain perspectives from project participants, stakeholders or users. It can create a collective perception on a product or service interactions.
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Ergocreo
A co-design platform for rapid prototyping challenges.
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Experience mapping
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ux-mapping-cheat-sheet/
https://servicedesigntools.org/tools/empathy-map
A task where participants draw or write the steps composing the customer/product journey experience to create a full overview of highs and lows involved in product/service delivery.
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Fablabs
Fab Labs discussion platform. Fablabs.io is the online social network of the international Fab Lab community.
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Facebook groups
Maker dedicated groups on the social network platform.
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Github
Membership development platform offering support and advice from open source to business, members can host and review code, manage projects, and build software alongside 50 million developers.
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Grabcad
Free cloud-based collaboration platform that helps engineering teams manage, view and share CAD files.
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Hackathon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackathon
Hackathon (also known as a hack day, hackfest or codefest) is a design sprint-like event in where coders, designers, project managers, researchers and other subject-matter-experts collaborate intensively on software projects.
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Journey map
https://servicedesigntools.org/tools/journey-map
An activity where one draws or writes the steps composing the customer/product journey to identify the steps required to deliver the optimal product/service. The final map also aids in identifying aspects that might be lacking in the plan.
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Mini-campaign challenge
https://ccn.waag.org/navigator/tool/mini-campaign-challenge
An exercise where participants create a short ‘fake’ campaign to dive further into the possible product/service proposition. Another way to explore and further develop ideas and concepts.
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Onshape
Product development platform that unites 3D CAD, data management & analytics. Onshape helps businesses modernize their product design process.
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People value canvas
https://waag.org/en/project/people-value-canvas
The People Value Canvas tool supports designers and stakeholders to gain insight into what people consider valuable in a structured way. This process aids stakeholders and users identify key aspects of a service/product concepts and their value proposition.
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Personas
https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/personas-why-and-how-you-should-use-them
Personas are (fictional) descriptions of a possible user or stakeholder based on a compilation of variables acquired through research. The personas can be applied in different circumstances and will help bring different perspectives based on the case/project.
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Positioning the Project
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positioning_(marketing)
This activity covers benchmarking a concept in relation to existing products/services.
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Rapid prototyping/Low-fi prototyping
https://theblog.adobe.com/prototyping-difference-low-fidelity-high-fidelity-prototypes-use/
A fast way to make something abstract into tangible using average office supplies, off-the-shelf microcontrollers, or other available resources to recreate a minimised version of an idea/concept.
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Storyboards
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storyboard
Create a linear narrative through drawing and telling a story of your product/service scenario in use.
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Storytelling/video prototyping
https://toolkits.dss.cloud/design/method-card/video-prototyping/
This activity focus on creating narratives where the product or service is described within a context, its use and its purpose. It facilitates the sharing of an idea and it becomes easier to be understood by the other participants. It can be drawn or made as a video.
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Street vote
https://ccn.waag.org/navigator/tool/street-vote
This activity helps connect with citizens/users/target audience in an easy, low-cost, and data-driven way by making quick and low-fi interviews or interventions in the public space.
* * * * *
Unintended consequences/ Dormant opportunities
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unintended_consequences
In this activity, participants develop scenarios to explore ways how a product, technology or service can be appropriated towards an unplanned use. This activity can also be used with blueprints to uncover possible opportunities within services.
* * * * *
Your priorities (online tool)
https://www.yrpri.org/domain/3
Online participatory social network, launched in 2008. The community has over 11.000 registered users, with more than 6.000 ideas generated and over 10.000 arguments for and against ideas submitted.
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Arduino
Open-source hardware and software ecosystem offering a range of software tools, hardware platforms and documentation enabling users of all types to be creative with technology. Arduino is a popular tool for IoT product development as well as one of the most successful tools for STEM/STEAM education. Designers, engineers, students, developers and makers around the world use Arduino to innovate in music, games, toys, smart homes, farming, autonomous vehicles, and more.
* * * * *
Design Sprint
A time-limited, five-phase process following a design Thinking approach focusing on fast research, ideation and testing towards evaluating and minimising the risk of introducing a new product or service into the market.
* * * * *
Distributed Design
A platform membership of 12 partners, supported by the European Union through the Creative Europe fund and an Advisory Board made up of experts related to Distributed Design. The platform fosters the role of emerging Makers and Designers as part of this new digitized world. It celebrates, supports and inspires these professionals from across Europe and provides opportunities to support the mobility and circulation of their work to connect them with new digital markets.
* * * * *
Ecology mapping (also called Ecosystem Map)
https://servicedesigntools.org/tools/ecosystem-map
An exercise to map and correlate the different communities, products and services related to your project. The final visual map serves as a good overview of the project context.
* * * * *
Personas
https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/personas-why-and-how-you-should-use-them
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persona_(user_experience)
Personas are (fictional) descriptions of a possible user or stakeholder based on a compilation of variables acquired through research. The personas can be applied in different circumstances and will help bring different perspectives based on the case/project.
* * * * *
Storyboards
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storyboard
How to template on appendix 5
Create a linear narrative through drawing and telling a story of your product/service scenario in use.
* * * * *
Your priorities (online tool)
https://www.yrpri.org/domain/3
Online participatory social network, launched in 2008. The community has over 11.000 registered users, with more than 6.000 ideas generated and over 10.000 arguments for and against ideas submitted.
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Research (R): Covering different approaches to identify citizens and stakeholders’ perceptions, habits, preferences, needs, etc. Research tools and resources can be used at different times in the projects. In a Design Thinking approach, projects should use research as a starting point for understanding current issues and opportunities instead of starting with a solution to be developed.
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Team-building (TB): Creating a team is a key aspect in co-creation. To obtain a higher engagement together, participants need to feel involved and belonging to the group. These tools and activities focus on creating a space with a common language and a feeling of trust and equality, which are key aspects to achieve a positive collaboration towards a shared outcome. Team Building should be seeing as a preparation to engage in the Design Thinking process, as well as used throughout as a way to create cohesion and better cooperation and exchange among the teams working in the projects.
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Ideation (I): Tools and resources that help participants develop ideas and gain perspectives to create novel concepts solving or addressing insights uncovered through the research tools.
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Development (D): Tools catered to help develop the ideas into more tangible concepts and scenarios that can be initially prototyped, both in low of high definition.
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Assessment/Evaluation (AE): These tools facilitate an understanding about the concepts feasibility, impact, value and positioning compared to related cases/projects on the market as well as the project budget and timeline.
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Validation (V): Validation tools are applied as a way to test if the ideas and solutions fulfil their goals, and how they are adopted and appropriated by users. They can also be used to benchmark the service or product.