Design the Box/Ad

What is the Design the Box/Ad Method?

Design the Box takes what might include intangible information and visualizes a solution as a physical object to be marketed. This method focuses team members on capturing the consumer’s point of view by selling their idea of important features and other aspects of a product vision that may be otherwise difficult to articulate.

Why Use the Design the Box/Ad Method?

This method helps people to think of the core features and succinctly describe them. As a fun, creative activity, it allows people to think of these features differently than they otherwise would.

The activity doesn’t always need to be about designing the box. It can be used to create many things, including key website pages like a home page – here people still include the key features – they don’t literally design a home page.

How to Use the Design the Box/Ad Method:

This method is typically used as an activity during a workshop just after participants have generated ideas and narrowed them down to one to explore further in the workshop. You'll need to have an idea of the ‘product’ that you'll be describing. You don’t have to have a solid idea yet – this activity often helps you to think through the product itself.

Decide whether you want people to work alone or as a group. Alone is good when a workshop needs some quiet reflection time or when people need a break from collaborative work. It is suitable for a group to discuss the key features together and when the workshop requires a lift in energy. Both approaches produce good outcomes.

Explain that this is a creative activity designed to help everyone think about the main features of an idea. It is meant to be fun, not literal. They don’t need to design the actual box in which the product will be sold!

Show the example from a different activity so people understand what kind of "thing" they will create.

Explain the key things they need to include, such as: