Markers, paper, ideas: launch a project differently

How to make users want to invest in a new product from the very first stages of the project ?

When working on an ambitious redesign, the risk is missing out on those who will actually use it daily. Staying among experts, among designers, talking about UX without listening to real usage.

In this article, we explain how we took advantage of a user club organized by one of our clients to directly involve users in creating the future product, through a very simple, very accessible, but surprisingly powerful workshop : paper prototyping in small groups, markers in hand. A concrete way to create engagement, lay the foundations for a user-centered approach, and give a voice to those who live with the product every day.

Why we proposed this collaborative paper prototyping workshop

For several weeks, we had been supporting this client on a strategic product redesign. The discovery phase was in full swing : interviews, usage analysis, identifying pain points, validating needs. But there was still a need for a collective sharing moment, an opportunity to involve users in the process, not just as respondents, but as contributors.

When our client told us about their annual user club, we saw the perfect timing. For two days, about thirty end users were gathered, coming from different professions, with varying levels of product and digital expertise. And above all : all were truly eager to help move the product forward.

So we proposed to organize a workshop during the club. Not a demo. Not a questionnaire. A real co-construction moment.

Our objectives with this workshop :

• Create a key moment to launch the redesign, by making the challenge of the project visible
• Highlight the diversity of user expectations, to bring out points of convergence or tension from the start
• Lay the foundations for an active user community, by giving everyone a role in creating the future tool

The format : a low-tech, inclusive co-design workshop

The workshop was based on a very simple format : paper prototyping. A paper kit we designed for the occasion, inspired by UX design principles. Each group had at their disposal:

• printed and laminated interface blocks, representing classic components (buttons, menus, forms…)
• erasable markers, post-its, and templates, to annotate, complete, create
• clear brief: imagine the ideal interface for the future tool, starting from their business needs.

Participants were divided into groups of 4 to 5, deliberately mixed in terms of profiles, to encourage exchange. We wanted each team to cross different points of view: operational managers, daily users, technical referents…

For an hour, each group designed their own version of the interface. On our side, we moved between tables, playing the role of facilitator : helping to start, clarifying instructions, unlocking discussions without ever steering choices.

At the end, each group presented their mockup to all participants. An opportunity to compare visions, identify areas of consensus… or divergence.

What this co-design workshop enabled

Beyond the fun and participatory format, this workshop generated real value for the rest of the project. Here’s what we got out of it :

• Strong user engagement : building, handling, presenting gives an active, rewarding role that creates buy-in
• Concrete, visual, and well-argued feedback, much richer than spontaneous comments or classic surveys
• Highlighting differences in priorities depending on profiles : some very focused on speed of execution, others on information access or ecosystem integration
• Immediately usable material : mockups, exchanges, verbatims provide a very useful base for the rest of the discovery, business workshops, or even product scoping

But above all, the workshop allowed everyone to become aware of the complexity of the project, the plurality of uses, and the role they could play in its success.

What’s next ? Co-constructing for better success

This kind of workshop shows that you don’t need advanced technologies to bring out powerful ideas. By starting with the concrete, encouraging human exchanges, and giving space to every user profile, you can lay the foundations for a fairer, more useful product, more aligned with real usage.

At exFabrica, we strongly believe in this approach : simple, human, engaging formats that create value from the start. Paper prototyping is just one tool among others, but used at the right time, it can really change the dynamic of a project.

If you’re preparing a redesign, a major evolution, or simply an important step in your product’s life, we’d be happy to discuss it with you. Involving your users differently is often what makes the difference.