Experience canvas

Inspired by the classic lean canvas, an experience canvas helps clarify what problem your project is trying to solve, the customer(s) you're solving it for, and what success looks like.

Prep time

15 min

Run time

100 min

Persons

3 - 6

Prep time

15 min

Run time

100 min

Persons

3 - 6

What you will need

Whiteboard
Markers
Sticky notes
Timer
Rubber chicken

Running the play

Use this play to...

Make sure your work is user-centered, technically sound, and makes sense for the business.

If you're struggling with shared understanding, value and metrics, one-pager, or proof of concept on your Health Monitor, running this play might help.

What is an experience canvas?

Solving gnarly problems is... well, gnarly. Pleasing your project's stakeholders is hard enough. But it's your customers – who may be internal or external – that are the biggest challenge. And the ambiguity is amplified by the fact that, often times, you have to take multiple customers or personas into account.

Without a structured way to see the problem through their eyes, you risk missing the mark with your solution. And to make matters worse, you probably won't realize it until you've delivered something.

That's where the experience canvas comes in. It's a framework for thinking through customers' needs and experience, whilst making sure the solutions you consider are viable (and valuable) from the business's perspective. The experience canvas isn't a quick n' easy activity. But the problem you're tackling isn't exactly quick n' easy, either. For gnarly projects, it's time well spent.

Who should be involved?

This activity benefits from having diverse skill sets and areas of expertise in the room, so keep that in mind as you're inviting stakeholders and project team members. We suggest: