Uncover Hopes and Fears with Design Thinking

TL;DR

Understand stakeholders' aspirations, concerns, and potential obstacles through the Hopes and Fears activity. Download our free worksheet and conduct a collaborative session to shape your project or initiative effectively.

The Hopes and Fears activity is a design thinking technique used to understand the hopes, aspirations, and concerns of stakeholders. This activity is useful when beginning a project or initiative to get a sense of what the group is hoping to achieve, what they are concerned about, and what potential obstacles might exist. 

Here's a step-by-step guide

Gather your group

Bring together a group of stakeholders who will be involved in the project. This can include designers, developers, clients, users, and other interested parties.

Explain the activity

Briefly explain the Hopes and Fears activity to the group. Explain that the purpose of the activity is to get a sense of what people are hoping to achieve, what they are concerned about, and what obstacles might exist.

Distribute the worksheet

Distribute the Hopes and Fears worksheet to the group. This worksheet should have two columns: "Hopes" and "Fears."

Fill out the worksheet

Ask the group to take a few minutes to fill out the worksheet individually. In the "Hopes" column, ask them to write down what they hope to achieve through the project or initiative. In the "Fears" column, ask them to write down what concerns or fears they have about the project.

Share the worksheet

Once everyone has completed the worksheet, ask each person to share their hopes and fears with the group. As each person shares, write their hopes and fears on a whiteboard or flip chart so that everyone can see.

Discuss the hopes and fears

Once everyone has shared their hopes and fears, lead a discussion about what was shared. Ask the group to identify common themes and patterns in the hopes and fears. This can help identify priorities and potential obstacles that need to be addressed.

Move forward

Use the insights gained from the Hopes and Fears activity to guide the rest of the project or initiative. Address any concerns or fears that were identified and work to achieve the hopes and aspirations of the group.

If you're ready to conduct your own Hopes and Fears activity, download our free worksheet to get started. It's a great way to ensure that everyone's voices are heard and to set the stage for a successful project or initiative.