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The discovery stage

The discovery stage is about exploring the problem and developing a deep understanding of what your users need. Discovery helps your team challenge their existing ideas of what the problems and solutions might be.

Discovery is the first stage of the four stages the service design and delivery process.

Plays in this stage

Customer journey mapping

Gain insights into the user experience and identify pain points by charting user interactions and touchpoints.

Variable run time
2+ (incl. 1 facilitator)
DiscoveryAlphaBeta

User interviews

Empathise with users perspective throughout their experiences to gain insights about products or services.

Up to 1.5 hours per session run time
2-3 (incl. 1 facilitator)
DiscoveryAlphaBetaLive

Grouping

Categorise information or ideas into groups to identify themes and find patterns.

50 mins run time
1-12 (incl. a facilitator)
DiscoveryAlphaBetaLive

Dot voting

A simple voting activity to identify a group's priorities and preferences.

20 – 45 mins run time
2-12 (incl. 1 facilitator)
DiscoveryAlphaBetaLive

User research planning

Plan your user research in a step-by-step approach, with a clear path towards user recruitment and research methods.

2 hours to 8 hours run time
1-4
DiscoveryAlpha

Stakeholder mapping

Identify the people and groups that have an interest in a product or service and visualise how they are related.

60 mins run time
3-8 (incl. 1 facilitator)
PlanningDiscovery

Problem definition

Identify and define the problem that a product or service aims to solve.

95 mins – 135 mins run time
5-10 people (incl. 1 facilitator)
Discovery

Service ecosystem map

Visualise relationships between stakeholders and systems to understand who is involved in your service.

1.25 hours run time
5-10 (inc. 1 facilitator)
DiscoveryAlpha

Desktop research

Review existing research, data, and resources to find relevant information and identify gaps.

Variable run time
1-3 (+ Subject Matter Experts and Stakeholders)
DiscoveryAlpha

Service blueprint

Map out the process of service delivery to understand the customer experience, cross-functional relationships and alignment of processes.

Variable run time
1+ (incl. 1 facilitator)
DiscoveryAlphaBeta

Defining success

Identify metrics and success indicators to measure project effectiveness and track progress.

Variable run time
1+
DiscoveryAlpha

Retrospective

Improve future outcomes by reflecting on team process and making an action plan.

40-60 mins run time
2-8 (incl. 1 facilitator)
PlanningDiscoveryAlphaBetaLive
Last updated:
12 September 2023
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