Getting Engaged: A Toolkit for Better Brainstorming Sessions

Sponsor: Microsoft

Students: Valerie Ho, Alexa Schlein, Jody Laflen, Mary Kate McCray

HCDE master's team

With a shift to remote and hybrid work environments during the COVID-19 pandemic, the way that brainstorms are conducted has changed. Our project, sponsored by Microsoft Whiteboard, aims to improve remote brainstorming sessions using their platform. Through our research, we discovered that many existing digital whiteboards lack a human touch and struggle to replicate the dynamics of in-person interactions. We narrowed our project's focus on a solution for experienced facilitators, empowering them to improve engagement as well as foster inclusivity for effectively brainstorming sessions. Specifically, our solution introduces new features that help facilitators navigate and conduct sessions for optimal participant focus. It also provides sandboxes to closely simulate an in-person session where participants have space to brainstorm privately before sharing it out to the larger group.