Workshop Overview

In this unique role-reversal workshop, developers will take on design challenges to gain deeper insights into the design process. Through hands-on exercises and guided activities, participants will develop empathy for design work while learning fundamental design principles that can enhance their development practices.

The Design Challenge: Raccoon Housing Finder

For this workshop, participants will tackle an unconventional design prompt: creating a mobile app that helps raccoons find secure housing in urban environments! This whimsical challenge comes with real user research, including:

User Personas

• Rex: A suburban father of 3 struggling with locked trash cans
• Roxy: A country girl seeking better insulation
• Mabel: A new mother concerned about noise and bright lights
• Bandit: A frequent mover dealing with housing instability

Key Pain Points

• Limited access to secure shelter options
• Safety concerns during travel and at potential locations
• Housing quality issues (size, insulation, location)
• Frequent displacement due to human intervention
• Noise and light pollution in urban areas

This unique prompt encourages creative problem-solving while removing the pressure of industry expectations, allowing participants to focus on core design principles and user-centered thinking.

Workshop Structure

1. Introduction & Design Thinking (15 minutes)

   • Understanding the designer's mindset
   • Overview of the whiteboarding challenge format
   • Introduction to design thinking methodology

2. Research & Empathy Phase (20 minutes)

   • Analyzing user personas and interviews
   • Defining "How Might We" statements
   • Identifying key pain points and user needs

3. Ideation & Solution Design (30 minutes)

   • Brainstorming feature concepts
   • Sketching initial solutions
   • Group discussion and solution selection

4. Prototyping (45 minutes)

   • Creating low-fidelity wireframes
   • Developing mid/high-fidelity screens in Figma
   • Using provided component libraries

5. Presentation & Critique (20 minutes)

   • Solution presentations
   • Design critique and feedback
   • Discussion of technical implementation considerations

Expected Outcomes

By the end of this workshop, participants will:

• Experience the UX design interview process firsthand
• Practice structured design thinking and problem-solving
• Learn to use Figma for rapid prototyping
• Develop empathy for design workflows
• Strengthen designer-developer collaboration skills

Prerequisites

• No design experience required
• Figma account (free)
• Willingness to think creatively and collaborate

Resources

• Workshop slides and Figma template
• Component library for prototyping
• User persona and interview examples
• Design thinking framework reference