SANJIESAN LICENSING / Workshop practice
Bring three contrasting objects to the first product workshop
A workshop that begins with a long slideshow can leave everyone agreeing with abstract adjectives. Instead, bring a small set of ordinary objects that differ in form and use. They are discussion prompts, not proposed supplier products. The aim is to discover which characteristics matter before the team selects a format for the collaboration.
Choose differences that prompt useful questions
Select objects that differ on a meaningful dimension: something handled often, something displayed and something carried, for example. Avoid choosing three nearly identical items in different colours. Ask participants to describe how each is encountered during an ordinary day. Keep brand preferences out of the opening discussion so the group can notice practical characteristics before familiar names dominate the conversation.
Connect the observations to the property carefully
After discussing the objects, introduce the selected property references. Ask which visual features could work with each form and where the fit becomes awkward. Use rough paper overlays if helpful, keeping the original references intact. Do not treat the workshop as permission to change a character or borrow a third-party object’s distinctive design. The useful output is a set of questions about fit, not a copied product concept.
Leave with fewer options and clearer reasons
Summarise one or two directions worth exploring and the reasons they survived the discussion. Keep rejected directions with a short explanation so the next meeting does not restart the same debate. If the group has not found a useful connection, record that honestly. A workshop can succeed by revealing a weak premise early, without producing a forced product sketch or a fictional customer endorsement.