Prototype your future

Similar to my previous post about ideation and brainstorming, prototyping is a critical part of design thinking. This stage will take you past the “idea” phase of a project and well into the next steps. If you were to pick one idea or one change, what do the next stages look like?

As a coach, I’ll help you walk through what that future looks like. I’ll help you conduct a prototyping exercise for your change that includes key activities—and, potentially others around you. Part of prototyping is visualizing the change—so I’ll have you drawing different elements of the situation.

At each stage, we’ll be discussion three things—in a given situation, what do you think you would be thinking, feeling, and doing? This is all part of a comprehensive approach to change that will lay the groundwork for sustainability.

Next, we’ll pull in people close to you and show them your visualization. What do THEY think they’d be thinking, feeling, and doing at each stage? Do they have any responses to your proposal? Do they have any different ways of thinking about your prototype?

Approaching change through design thinking can help you create a structure and way forward that will intercept any emotions that may try to derail you. If you know what the future MIGHT hold by anticipating your behavior through prototyping, you’ll be less likely to be surprised by how your change interrupts your behavior.