Intention - Experience Gap

What is it for?

Sometimes we know what we want to achieve with an activity, but the reality, the experience of the participants is not what we imagined. This activity uses peer questioning, and photographing seemingly unconnected things to spark ideas and creativity.

Time & People

30 – 60 minutes

Any number of people

Materials

Worksheet

Smartphone camera

Source

Viv McWaters and Lee Ryan

Description

The individual worksheet consists of four parts.

1 Planned situation or session (eg presenting information with a slide deck followed by Q & A)

2. What we imagine we are doing: our intention (Sharing information in a timely manner; ensuring that everyone gets the relevant information; providing opportunities for participation through the Q & A session)

3. The actual experience of the participants (Passive attention, coming in and out of attention, missing bits, distracted, bored by the Q & A which is dominated by a couple of individuals)

4. How might we tweak or change the session (1) to still deliver the intention (2) but have a different, more positive participant experience (3)?

Make sure everyone has their own worksheet, and that they do this activity in pairs, with my partner interviewing me and filling in my worksheet. This is an important part of the activity.

Instruct participants to leave the last question (Q4) blank. After 15 – 20 mins and both worksheets have been filled in, instruct participants to go for a 10-minute walk (either in pairs or individually) and to take photos of what they see.

When they return, ask them to share their photos with their partner and then together answer Q4 on their worksheets.