Revitalizing "CookConnect" - A Smart Kitchen Appliance Ecosystem

Product: CookConnect - A suite of smart kitchen appliances (oven, refrigerator, cooktop, blender) integrated with a central mobile app.

Device Type Focus: Mobile App (iOS and Android)

Workshop Goal: To brainstorm, prioritize, and plan the design and implementation of new features for the CookConnect mobile app, focusing on enhancing user engagement, personalization, and ecosystem integration.

Workshop Theme: "Connecting Culinary Experiences"

Target Audience: UX Designers, UI Designers, Interaction Designers, User Researchers, Product Managers, Marketing Representatives, and Engineering Leads.

Workshop Duration: 2 days (10:00 AM - 5:00 PM each day)

Workshop Schedule:

Day 1: Inspiration & Ideation (Focus: Discover & Define)

(10:00 AM - 10:30 AM): Welcome & Introductions (Icebreaker: "My Favorite Kitchen Gadget")

• Brief overview of CookConnect's current state, market position, and user demographics.
• Setting the stage for the workshop's objectives and expected outcomes.

(10:30 AM - 11:30 AM): Competitive Analysis & Trend Research

• Presentation of competitor app features and emerging trends in the smart kitchen and food tech industry.
• Group discussion: Identifying opportunities for CookConnect to differentiate itself.

(11:30 AM - 12:30 PM): User Persona Review & Empathy Mapping

• Review of existing user personas and their needs, pain points, and motivations.
• Collaborative empathy mapping exercise: Deep diving into user perspectives and experiences.

(12:30 PM - 1:30 PM): Lunch Break

(1:30 PM - 3:00 PM): Brainstorming: "Blue Sky" Thinking

• Individual brainstorming: Generating a wide range of new feature ideas for the CookConnect app.
• Brainwriting & Round Robin: Sharing ideas and building upon each other's concepts.

(3:00 PM - 4:00 PM): Idea Clustering & Affinity Mapping

• Grouping similar ideas together to identify key themes and patterns.
• Creating affinity maps to visualize the relationships between different concepts.

(4:00 PM - 5:00 PM): Idea Prioritization: MoSCoW Method

• Using the MoSCoW method (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won't have) to prioritize ideas based on user value and feasibility.
• Voting and discussion to finalize the top 5-7 feature ideas for further development.

Day 2: Concept Refinement & Planning (Focus: Design & Deliver)

(10:00 AM - 11:00 AM): Feature Deep Dive & User Story Mapping

• For each prioritized feature:
• Defining clear user stories ("As a user, I want to… so that…")
• Creating user story maps to visualize the user journey and identify key touchpoints.

(11:00 AM - 12:30 PM): Wireframing & Prototyping (Rapid Prototyping)

• Teams formed around each feature:
• Sketching low-fidelity wireframes to explore different design approaches.
• Creating interactive prototypes using tools like Figma or Adobe XD to simulate user flows.

(12:30 PM - 1:30 PM): Lunch Break

(1:30 PM - 2:30 PM): Prototype Review & Feedback

• Each team presents their wireframes and prototypes.
• Group feedback and discussion: Identifying strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.

(2:30 PM - 4:00 PM): Design Refinement & Next Steps

• Teams refine their designs based on the feedback received.
• Defining clear next steps for user research, usability testing, and visual design.

(4:00 PM - 5:00 PM): Workshop Wrap-up & Action Plan

• Summarizing key takeaways and decisions.
• Assigning responsibilities and setting timelines for post-workshop activities.
• Creating a detailed action plan for implementing the chosen features.

Expected Final Deliverables:

• Prioritized list of new feature ideas.
• User story maps for each chosen feature.
• Low-fidelity wireframes and interactive prototypes.
• Workshop report summarizing key findings and decisions.
• Action plan with assigned responsibilities and timelines.

Post-Workshop Activities:

• User research and usability testing to validate design decisions.
• High-fidelity visual design and prototyping.
• Development and implementation of new features.
• Marketing and communication plan for feature launch.

Success Metrics:

• Increased user engagement (e.g., app usage, session duration).
• Improved user satisfaction (e.g., app store ratings, user feedback).
• Positive impact on business goals (e.g., sales, customer retention).