13 · Resource

Participant Template

A workshop template that connects the Think, Test and Build Journey to the Decision Canvas.

The Participant Template is your working space during the workshop. It is designed to connect the three parts of the framework without repeating them.

ToolWhat it does
JourneyTells you what activity to do next.
CanvasHolds the strongest evidence and current decision.
Participant TemplateGives you space to do the work before updating the Canvas.

Start with the Journey. Complete the matching section below. Then transfer only the clearest, evidence-supported answer to the Canvas.

01

Think

Observe the situation, understand the customer and define the problem.

Canvas blocks 1–7
02

Test

Choose a critical assumption and run a small validation experiment.

Canvas blocks 8–10
03

Decide

Compare the result with the success criteria and choose what happens next.

Canvas block 11
04

Build

If the evidence supports Build, plan the smallest useful version and keep learning.

Design · Build · Launch · Learn

Think — understand what matters

01
THINKJourney: Notice · ObserveCanvas: Observation · Current behaviour

Notice and observe

Record what is happening before deciding what it means.

What caught my attention
Where and when it happens
What I directly observed
What people do today
Repeated delay, effort or workaround
My interpretation—which is not yet a fact
02
THINKJourney: DiscoverCanvas: Customer · Impact · Alternatives · Evidence

Understand the customer

Learn who experiences the situation, why it matters and what they already do.

Specific customer and context
A recent example in their own words
How often it happens
What it costs in time, money, effort or risk
How they handle it today
What they have already tried
Evidence or artefact I saw
What contradicts my current view
03
THINKJourney: DefineCanvas: Problem

Define the problem

Turn what you learned into one focused problem without proposing a solution.

Complete this sentence:

[Customer] struggles to [make progress] when [situation] because [difficulty], resulting in [meaningful consequence].

My problem statement
What is inside this problem
What is outside the current focus
Evidence that supports this statement
Important gap I still need to understand

Test — turn assumptions into evidence

04
TESTJourney: ValidateCanvas: Critical assumptions

Choose the critical assumption

Select the unproven belief most likely to change your direction.

We know

What have we observed or measured?

We assume

What do we believe without enough evidence?

We need to learn

What uncertainty should the next test reduce?

Our opportunity depends on the belief that
If this belief is false
Why this is the most important uncertainty now
Evidence we need before investing more
05
TESTJourney: ValidateCanvas: Validation experiment

Design the experiment

Choose the smallest responsible action that can test one assumption.

Assumption being tested
Target participant
Experiment method
Real behaviour or commitment I will observe
Evidence I will record
What this experiment will not test
Owner and completion date
06
TESTJourney: ValidateCanvas: Success criteria

Set success criteria

Decide how you will interpret the evidence before the experiment begins.

Number and type of participants
The assumption is supported if
The assumption is unsupported if
The result is inconclusive if
Strongest commitment signal
07
TESTJourney: ValidateCanvas: Evidence

Record field evidence

Capture what happened during the test—not what you hoped would happen.

Participant and dateBehaviour observedEvidence or commitmentContradiction or surprise

During the workshop, practise the experiment with a peer. Use their feedback to improve the test, but do not treat peer agreement as customer evidence.

Decide — choose the next responsible investment

08
DECIDEJourney: DecideCanvas: Evidence-based decision

Make the decision

Compare the result with your criteria and choose Build, Pivot, Pause or Stop.

BuildPivotPauseStop
Evidence collected
What changed in our thinking
Uncertainty that remains
Next responsible investment

Build — act on what the evidence justifies

09
BUILDJourney: Design · Build · Launch · LearnCanvas: Update Evidence · Assumptions · Decision

Plan the next learning cycle

Complete this only when the decision supports further investment.

Useful customer outcome
Smallest version that can deliver or test it
What we will deliberately leave out
First customers or participants
What we will measure after launch
What result would make us change direction
Learning review date

Transfer to the Canvas

Before leaving the workshop, copy the best current answer—not every workshop note—into each Canvas block.

ThinkTestDecide and continue
Observation, Customer, Current behaviour, Problem, Impact, Alternatives, EvidenceCritical assumptions, Validation experiment, Success criteriaEvidence-based decision; then update evidence as you Design, Build, Launch and Learn