Opening evening: reveal the theme, form teams, kick off the first research sprint.
Informal arrival, drinks, first conversations.
Logistics: rules, timeline, tools, rooms.
Projector, slides
The secret theme is announced. Collect first spontaneous reactions (Post-its).
Post-its, markers
Form teams of 3–5 people. Aim for a mix of different backgrounds.
Name cards, team lists
Teams explore the problem space independently.
Interview users (internal/external), document observations, look for analogies.
Interview guide, notebooks
Affinity mapping: cluster observations on Post-its, identify patterns.
Post-its, whiteboard
Derive HMW questions from the clusters. 3–5 per team.
HMW Post-its
Each team briefly presents (2 min.) which HMW question they want to pursue.
Anyone who wants to keep working can. No obligation.