Conference Agenda

Designers thrive on creating useful, innovative solutions, requiring an understanding of diverse domains and the needs of various users. Participatory design often comes into play, incorporating users' perspectives directly into the creative process. However, recognizing and prioritizing these myriad needs present challenges, especially when users may not confidently articulate their needs or feedback in the early and later stages of design.

This workshop introduces a toolkit aimed at helping designers empathize with users and analyze their needs more effectively. It's designed to discover the most effective questions that facilitate co-creation by engaging users in meaningful ways.

The workshop will be structured around interactive group activities involving groups of five, focusing on a specific design challenge. Activities kick off with an introduction to the process and toolkit, followed by role-playing and empathy mapping to foster a deeper understanding of user perspectives. After a short break, the groups will delve into identifying and prioritizing user needs, culminating in presentations of their findings and a comprehensive feedback and discussion segment.

Outcomes include testing the toolkit, fostering empathy and understanding among participants towards users, and identifying key questions that can improve communication and potentially highlight areas for future research.