On September 26, the Chicago Connectory hosted Moonshot by Pactera for part four of their Design Sprints workshop. This session focused on how to best make a decision and how to remove the “uncomfortableness” that comes with making a decision. In Design Sprints, you’re looking to validate decisions in a quick, resource-free manner.

Mike Kim began the workshop with an ice-breaker. He split the participants into two groups and asked each group to find five things they have in common. Mike then presented the groups with the decision they’d need to find an answer for by the end of the workshop. 

All participants would be going on a vacation in June 2020. Mike explained that this vacation has already been approved by work and family, it would be a week-long, and all expenses would be covered. The decision that 30+ participants would need to make is: where? 

Each participant was instructed to think of ten locations they’d want to travel to and write them on a Post-it note. The destinations ranged from Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida to the Moon. After everyone thought of their ten destinations, each team stuck their Post-it notes on the whiteboard. Participants were instructed to consider all their options (over a hundred on each team) and pick the one location they’d want to visit the most. 

After each participant picked one location, they were then asked to pitch their choice to the rest of the participants in order to sway their opinion. After these presentations, participants were again instructed to pick one destination out of the now narrowed-down options. Some stuck to their original choices, while others changed their minds after hearing the different pitches. Mike then threw a curveball at the participants – there would be one decider that would choose where everyone was going. 

This decider was not only deciding for everyone in the room, but they were also representing stakeholders that couldn’t be present. The decider was given added information from this outside group. With the added information, the decider chose the Maldives. 

Mike then broke down the decision process the groups went through. It started with a very individualistic view – “Where do I want to go?” After everyone posted their Post-it notes, it became more of a group decision. Participants were able to see what they had in common and what they didn’t. The group better aligned after hearing everyone’s reasoning behind their choice. Throughout the decision process, it became less-and-less about the individual and more about the group’s needs and wants. However, all options began with a fair chance which is equally as important. 

“Commit confidently” was the takeaway Mike wanted participants to take from the workshop. Don’t hesitate and move forward with your decision. 

Thank you to Mike Kim and the Moonshot team. We look forward to hosting the next part of their Design Sprints workshop. Register here!