Collective ReflectionParticipatory Action ResearchParticipatory DesignParticipatory Planning
How Might We (HMW)
- Duration
- 20-30 minutes.
- Participants
- 5-20 people.
- Areas of application
- Educación y formaciónDesarrollo comunitarioGestión organizacional y empresarialPlanificación urbana y ruralSalud y bienestar socialArte, cultura y creatividadSostenibilidad y medio ambientePolíticas públicas y gobernanzaInnovación y diseñoInvestigación y evaluaciónResolución de conflictosTecnología y entornos digitalesParticipación ciudadana y social
- Participation level
- ColaboraciónEvaluación participativaGeneración de conocimiento
- Target audience
- EducadoresFacilitadoresEstudiantesLíderes comunitariosONGs y colectivos socialesEquipos empresarialesFuncionarios públicosDiseñadores creativosInvestigadores
How Might We (HMW) is a collaborative activity and a core methodology used in Design Sprints. This method helps teams capture opportunities during inspiration sessions or the Understand phase. It reframes challenges and pain points into positive, actionable questions, creating a dynamic framework for collaboratively and creatively addressing problems.
Organizational and Business Management
Civic and Social Participation
Sustainability and Environment
Health and Social Well-being
Preparation
- Define the purpose:
- Reframe pain points as design opportunities.
- Encourage expansive and collaborative thinking.
- Avoid jumping to solutions before fully exploring the problem.
- Prepare materials:
- Sticky notes or cards (preferably in bright colors).
- Thick markers (e.g., Sharpies).
- A spacious and comfortable area to write and organize notes.
- Set up the space:
- Provide surfaces to place and organize notes (e.g., whiteboards, tables, or walls).
- To run the activity virtually:
- Use collaborative platforms that allow participants to share notes or ideas in real time.
Step-by-step instructions
- Introduce the activity:
- Explain the purpose of the HMW method and the structure of the question:
- How: Invites the team to believe a solution exists.
- Might: Creates a safe space to explore possibilities.
- We: Emphasizes teamwork and collective problem-solving.
- Highlight that the focus is on opportunities, not solutions.
- Explain the purpose of the HMW method and the structure of the question:
- Start lightning talks or the Understand phase:
- During this phase, participants identify pain points and challenges they hear.
- For each idea or problem, reframe it into an HMW question on a sticky note.
- Write HMW questions:
- Use a thick marker and write one question per sticky note.
- Don't aim for perfection—prioritize quantity over quality.
- Examples of HMW questions:
- “How might we make the process more intuitive?”
- “How might we motivate users to engage more?”
- “How might we simplify the customer experience?”
- Organize and discuss:
- Once all questions are gathered, cluster them by themes or related topics.
- Select the most relevant questions to explore in the next stage of the Design Sprint.
Purpose
The purpose of How Might We? is to capture design opportunities and foster a positive approach to challenges by transforming pain points into questions that guide the team toward collaborative and creative solutions.Required materials
- Sticky notes or cards.
- Thick markers (Sharpies).
Platforms
Practical recommendations
- Emphasize the importance of prioritizing quantity over initial quality when generating questions.
- Help participants resist the urge to jump to immediate solutions.
- Provide simple and clear examples to inspire participants.
- Encourage a positive, judgment-free environment to maximize creativity.
- Group questions by themes or priorities to support later analysis.
Inspiration
Examples of HMW (How Might We) questions organized by context Innovation and Design- How might we make our product more inclusive?
- How might we simplify the user experience?
- How might we personalize our services to better meet user needs?
- How might we integrate emerging technology into our processes?
- How might we reduce the time required to complete a task in our app?
- How might we make our design more visually appealing?
Organizational and Business Management
- How might we improve communication between departments?
- How might we encourage employees to contribute innovative ideas?
- How might we make our meetings more productive?
- How might we identify and develop leaders within our organization?
- How might we promote a healthy work-life balance?
- How might we simplify decision-making within the team?
Civic and Social Participation
- How might we increase participation in community events?
- How might we build more trust between citizens and local leaders?
- How might we involve young people in civic initiatives?
- How might we ensure all voices are included in community decisions?
- How might we make public information more accessible and understandable?
- How might we promote volunteerism in the community?
Sustainability and Environment
- How might we reduce our use of single-use plastics?
- How might we educate our customers on sustainable practices?
- How might we encourage recycling in our facilities?
- How might we minimize our transportation carbon footprint?
- How might we harness renewable energy sources?
- How might we design products that are fully recyclable?
Health and Social Well-being
- How might we encourage healthy lifestyle habits in our users?
- How might we reduce workplace stress?
- How might we support employee mental health?
- How might we make healthcare services more accessible?
- How might we create a safe space for discussing health issues?
- How might we improve access to reliable health information?