What it is
Facilitated sessions that align the team on the problem and surface risky assumptions before fieldwork. Lean UX clarifies goals and outcomes; Assumption Mapping ranks assumptions by how little evidence exists and how costly they are if wrong.
Why use it
Unstated assumptions shape what a team looks for. Surfacing them early focuses research on the questions that matter most.
Use this when
- A new initiative is starting and scope is unclear
- Team members hold different assumptions about the problem or users
- You need cross-functional alignment before fieldwork
- The problem statement is unvalidated
You may not need this when
- A validated problem statement already has agreement
- Prior research already prioritized key assumptions
- The initiative is a small iteration on a well-understood problem
Dependencies — what you need
- Cross-functional availability (Design, Product, Engineering, Stakeholders)
- Background on the problem and business context
- Prior research or market data, if any
- Collaboration tools such as FigJam
People involved
- Design
- Product
- Engineering
- Stakeholders
- SMEs
Typical outputs
- A defined problem statement
- Assumptions ranked by evidence and risk if wrong
- Focused research questions and objectives
- Alignment on goals and success criteria
Template
Workshops template
A fill-in structure for running this method: what to prepare, what to do, what to record, and how to read the result.
How AI can help
AI as augmentation — not replacement
- Draft a starter list of assumptions
- Suggest workshop prompts and facilitation structures
- Synthesize sticky notes into an assumption register
- Draft a problem statement for team review
AI prompt
A prompt for any AI assistant. It works only from material you paste in, keeps assumptions apart from findings, and leaves the decisions to you.