Are there different or better ways to meet user needs by applying circular strategies?
In this workshop, you will redesign an everyday product by reflecting on the functional and emotional needs that it serves and using the circular strategy cards to brainstorm new solutions that are better for people and planet.
**1. Introduction & group formation (5 minutes) **
- Explain the overall workshop objective
- Split into groups of ideally 3-4 people
- Ask each team to pick one of the following products
**2. Explore functional and emotional needs (15 minutes) **
- Ensure understanding by providing examples:
Car example - the underlying functional need of a car is to get from one place to another. Emotional needs might be a sense of freedom or a car as status symbol.
Office chair - the functional needs of a chair include ergonomics, health, comfort, convenience. From an emotional point of view office chair (think leather armchair) may communicate hierarchical status, or others encourage collaboration or creativity.
- Interview a user: Pick a member of your team to be the user. The person should be a user of the product you picked. Take notes in post its as you listen.
- **Understand how they might use the product or service: **Ask open-ended questions about your topic such as: What are the best/worst parts about...?
- **Ask about the why: **Ask questions such as “Can you tell me why that is important?” as often as you can.
- **Seek to understand how they live their lives or operate their business: **explore potential areas to leverage with new ideas.
- **Share observations in the team and move to insights: **Ask ‘what is broken in the experience?’ Ask ‘what they identified as missing from the experience?’
**3. Ideate new products or services (15 minutes) **
Are there different or better ways to meet these needs by applying circular strategies?
**- Get familiar with the strategies: **get teams to read out all the cards in each group.
**- Brainstorm using the Circular Strategy Cards: **brainstorm to come up with as many ideas by combining the circular strategy cards. For example, for a car it may be car sharing service, car rentals, leasing, trade-in, remanufacturing, etc. Go for quantity. Try different card combinations.
**4. Design your solution (15 minutes) **
- Pick an idea: that better serves user need while applying circular principles
- **Describe and illustrate your selected idea:** Try to be visual and give it a memorable name.
**5. Develop your rationale (10 minutes) **
**- Why is it better for the user? **How does it improve the user experience? What are the economic or practical benefits?
- **What makes it circular?** Does it increase the circularity of materials? Is it regenerative?
- **What systems need to be in place?** What feedback or data would be important to have? What infrastructure is needed? Who would you need to collaborate with?
**6. Share back (extra 10 minutes) **
- Pick 2-3 groups who worked in different product categories
- Ask them to share their final idea and explain why is it better for the user and what makes it circular.
1. Introduction & group formation
2. Explore functional and emotional needs
3. Ideate new products or services
4. Design your solution
5. Develop your rationale
6. Share back
Are there different or better ways to meet user needs by applying circular strategies?
In this workshop, you will redesign an everyday product by reflecting on the functional and emotional needs that it serves and using the circular strategy cards to brainstorm new solutions that are better for people and planet.
**1. Introduction & group formation (5 minutes) **
- Explain the overall workshop objective
- Split into groups of ideally 3-4 people
- Ask each team to pick one of the following products
**2. Explore functional and emotional needs (15 minutes) **
- Ensure understanding by providing examples:
Car example - the underlying functional need of a car is to get from one place to another. Emotional needs might be a sense of freedom or a car as status symbol.
Office chair - the functional needs of a chair include ergonomics, health, comfort, convenience. From an emotional point of view office chair (think leather armchair) may communicate hierarchical status, or others encourage collaboration or creativity.
- Interview a user: Pick a member of your team to be the user. The person should be a user of the product you picked. Take notes in post its as you listen.
- **Understand how they might use the product or service: **Ask open-ended questions about your topic such as: What are the best/worst parts about...?
- **Ask about the why: **Ask questions such as “Can you tell me why that is important?” as often as you can.
- **Seek to understand how they live their lives or operate their business: **explore potential areas to leverage with new ideas.
- **Share observations in the team and move to insights: **Ask ‘what is broken in the experience?’ Ask ‘what they identified as missing from the experience?’
**3. Ideate new products or services (15 minutes) **
Are there different or better ways to meet these needs by applying circular strategies?
**- Get familiar with the strategies: **get teams to read out all the cards in each group.
**- Brainstorm using the Circular Strategy Cards: **brainstorm to come up with as many ideas by combining the circular strategy cards. For example, for a car it may be car sharing service, car rentals, leasing, trade-in, remanufacturing, etc. Go for quantity. Try different card combinations.
**4. Design your solution (15 minutes) **
- Pick an idea: that better serves user need while applying circular principles
- **Describe and illustrate your selected idea:** Try to be visual and give it a memorable name.
**5. Develop your rationale (10 minutes) **
**- Why is it better for the user? **How does it improve the user experience? What are the economic or practical benefits?
- **What makes it circular?** Does it increase the circularity of materials? Is it regenerative?
- **What systems need to be in place?** What feedback or data would be important to have? What infrastructure is needed? Who would you need to collaborate with?
**6. Share back (extra 10 minutes) **
- Pick 2-3 groups who worked in different product categories
- Ask them to share their final idea and explain why is it better for the user and what makes it circular.
1. Introduction & group formation
2. Explore functional and emotional needs
3. Ideate new products or services
4. Design your solution
5. Develop your rationale
6. Share back
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