VISION

Test with people

Learn what people think about the future being described

Preview how this activity will begin in this two-minute video from the template. Turn on closed captioning to read instructions in your preferred language.

To learn what those you’re designing for think about the vision you’re describing, you’ll need to share it with them in a way that produces honest feedback. But asking for, and receiving, constructive criticism can be hard.

Why test with other people?

Testing a vision with customers, users and other external stakeholders reduces the risk of wasting resources or choosing a direction that limits success. You’ll spot weaknesses in your thinking, whilst gaining the benefit of others’ knowledge and experience. The vision can only improve as a result.

There are different ways to test with people. You could

Invite them to a show and tell
Circulate project materials and ask for feedback
Ask a subject matter expert for their opinion

A good approach will:

Gather input from a diverse range of people
Make it easy for others to contribute
Enable an honest, unbiased response
Highlight opportunities for improvement
Have a consistent and replicable structure

A powerful yet deceptively simple approach we recommend, is to:

Identify key people and how best to invite their contribution
Present your picture of the future, in person or via a recording for example.
Gather feedback by asking:
- Is there anything unclear about what we’re trying to achieve?
- What do you like about this vision?
- What are some challenges we might face?
- How might we improve this vision?
Take notes to enable further analysis and synthesis