Why You Need A UX Toolbox
When bringing a large group together for a meeting, such as an initial kick-off, it's crucial to make the most of that time. In order to accomplish that, it helps to be prepared for anything. Carrying a playbook in our back pocket allows us to be flexible with our meeting game plan. While having a variety of exercises to pull from is helpful, it also means that we need to have a variety of tools at our disposal in order to get the job done.
That's why we take our UX Toolbox with us to on-site client meetings. I'm not speaking metaphorically here. I'm talking about a literal toolbox. It's bright orange, it's easy to carry, and it says "Let's get down to business."
Our UX Toolbox is helpful because it allows us to keep a basic set of tools together in one place. When it's time to head to a client's office for a meeting, we don't need to spend time gathering things - they're already ready to go. If we know that we'll need something special, we can add it before we leave. But for the most part, we can rest easy knowing that we'll have what we need.
What does our toolbox include?
Writing Utensils
- Sharpies
- Pens
- Markers
- Dry erase markers
Paper Products
- Plain paper(8x11 sheets, various colors)
- Index cards(unlined, various colors)
- Post-its(various sizes and colors)
- Envelopes
Bonus Items
- Tape & Thumbtacks - Helpful for hanging things up, if needed.
- Motivators - Mainly in the form of snacks and candy.
- Monopoly money - Handy for prioritization exercises.
- Play-Doh - Sometimes it helps to have something to play with.
Having a dedicated toolbox that's ready to go for client meetings has definitely been a helpful addition to our meeting process, and we encourage other teams to consider putting together a toolbox of their own. If you're already doing some form of this, we'd love to hear about it!
