Candidate Pattern: Future Scenarios Workshop

Summary	Put patterns to the test by applying them to novel real problems in real contexts.
Status	alpha	Confidence	1
details...		Group	Planet team

Problem

Design patterns provide a powerful language for such a conversation, enabling stake-holders to identify potential problems as early as possible and make an informed choice of solutions. Paradoxically, often as more expert knowledge is embedded in a pattern language it becomes less accessible to novices. In order for patterns to be used effectively by their prospective audience, they need to be presented in an approachable manner.

Furthermore, many patterns suffer from lack of validation; while they may seem compelling, this impression is not backed by unbiased empirical evidence. This reduces the audiences' confidence in patterns, and creates a second obstacle to their adoption.

Such problems can be overcome by meticulous efforts on behalf of the pattern authors. Yet, with the abundance of  proto-patterns which can emerge from any design-discussion, for example at a pattern mining workshop, we need a mechanism for prioritising efforts.

Context

Communities engaged in collaborative reflection on their practice, using design patterns as part of their discourse.

This pattern assumes a co-located (on-site) half to full day workshop with 20-30 participants, and with a collaborative authoring system to support a-synchronous contributions before, during and after the workshop.

It can be adapted to smaller or larger groups, and to a shorter time-frame. A cohesive community could also adapt it to a distributed location event using audio-graphic conferencing.

Solution

Establish a scenario-driven discussion of case stories and design patterns in a domain of practice, by facilitating a Collaborative Reflection Workshop in which participants share concrete problems in the form of future scenarios, compare them to past cases, and identify the patterns most applicable to form a solution. The discussion is instigated by prompting participants to post their scenarios in a shared space. It culminates at a workshop, where the scenarios are analysed by groups of 3-6 participants. After the workshop, participants and facilitators revisit the cases, patterns and scenarios which where discussed.
Follow the Collaborative Reflection Workshop structure, adding:

Before the Workshop

Instruct participants to contribute a rich description of a real problem they are confronted with in their practice, using a template which prompts them to specify:

Situation

What is the setting for this scenario? Describe the educational, technological and institutional setup.

Task

What is the problem to be solved, or the intended effect?

On the day

• Tag the scenario and the cases with keywords and concepts highlighting the essence of the context and the problem.
• Find patterns that match the same tags, and consider their utility in solving the problem.
• Describe a possible solution, based on applying the selected patterns.
• Note how the patterns were modulated to support the solution.

The template should provide additional slots for capturing these outputs, thus producing a coherent description of the problem and its proposed resolution:

Patterns

Identify patterns appropriate for the situation and the task. How would they inform the solution?

Solution

Describe a possible solution derived from the patterns you selected.

Expected Results

Concrete, measurable criteria for success.

Lessons Learned

what have you learnt from writing this scenario?

After the workshop

Prompt participants to -

• Publish any new case stories, patterns and scenarios that emerged on the day.
• Add details and artefacts (images, illustrations, diagrams, links, etc.) to their scenarios.
• Comment on the patterns, noting questions which have emerged from the discussion.

Notes, Links and References

Liabilities, potential risks, extensions, expected side-effects

The Learning Project project used trails to address some of the issues this pattern targets.======= Related ========

Extends: 

• Collaborative Reflection Workshop

Used by:

• Participatory Pattern Workshops

Uses:

• Draw and tell
• Three hats
• This reminds me of...
• Table-top Concept Mapping

Follows:

• Case Story Workshop
• Pattern Mining Workshop
  ======= END Related ========
  

Licensing

This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence.