User goals should be the backbone of your design strategy. That’s the thought that led to the creation of this UX technique I dubbed “Missions, Mindframes and Methods,” or “M3” for short. It’s a UX workshop activity designed to help stakeholders consider the goals and potential mindsets of the target audience at hand.
The template for leading this activity visualizes Missions (user goals) as the backbone of the discussion. Associated Mindframes (mental states) and Methods (ways in which we can help users achieve their missions) are then brainstormed and associated with each mission.
In facilitating UX workshops, I found that stakeholders sometimes have a “Features First” mentality, meaning they want to define what an asset will look, feel and act like before taking the time to think about business goals and customer needs. The M3 activity helps them shift to “People First” thinking and come to consensus on prioritized customer needs before jumping into the deep end of defining the solution.
I hope that you’ll find this UX technique to be a resource in helping you:
- Collectively define and prioritize user needs.
- Tease out individual insights and knowledge from the brains of stakeholders with varying perspectives.
- Reach consensus on goals, effectively creating greater buy-in and ownership from stakeholders.