Workshops Aren’t the Answer to Everything

The project exec showed me the workplan: 16 weeks of workshops.
I asked: “Cool, and when does the research start?”
The response: “What do you mean - that IS the research?!” 🙃 

Workshops are fantastic for bringing people together, sparking ideas, and getting everyone aligned. But here’s the thing: workshops are not research. Too often, teams treat a workshop like it’s the whole process when in reality, it’s just one piece of the puzzle.

Workshops are most useful when they help us make sense of what we already know, when we use them to analyze existing info and collaborate on next steps. But actually talking to users, digging into data, challenging assumptions are the real research. If you skip this part, then your workshop is just a well-organized group brainstorm.

Fun? Sure. Insightful? Not so much.

The fix isn’t to stop doing workshops; it’s about running them with intention. For example,. a Personas session or an Empathy Mapping exercise isn’t just about filling out a template. It’s about understanding the framework, prepping with purpose, and making sure what comes out is rooted in reality, not just guesswork or wishful thinking. (See: UX theatre)

And here’s another secret: sometimes people need permission. They might not feel empowered to spend time on research or reach out to users because it feels outside their job description or there’s “no time.” Giving explicit permission to dig deeper, ask questions, and gather real insights breaks down those barriers and helps build a culture that genuinely cares about users.

Bottom line: workshops should amplify real insights, not replace them. When you combine solid research with smart collaboration, you get results that actually matter. So don’t treat workshops as the whole story and start using them for what they’re best at: turning real data and teamwork into meaningful action.