When you become an XRDA Member, you are stepping into an environment created for design professional committed to personal and career growth.
"There’s something transformative when ambitious professionals gather with the single aim of mutual success.” Sophia Juarez, XRDA Mentor.
XRDA Sessions are a masterclass in collaborative problem-solving and insight discovery. Our session's structure is tailored to maximize your growth, allowing members to bring their most challenging obstacles, exciting opportunities, and pressing decisions to the table. The objective? Collaborative problem-solving, vetting ideas, and, importantly, uncovering blind spots. The outcome? Powerful, actionable perspectives.
The meeting kicks off with a warm welcome and a moment of reflection, setting the tone for an engaging session that promises fresh perspectives.
Your focused journey begins with:
• Welcome: The Mentor's welcoming remarks that set the tone.
• Reflection: A moment to pause and align your thoughts.
• Roll Call: A quick check to ensure all members are present and engaged.
• Agenda: A roadmap of what lies ahead in the next two hours.
"The Initiate phase sets the session's tone, focused, yet very welcoming. It promises fresh perspectives."
We delve into club business, celebrate our members' achievements, and engage in an accountability check. It's not just about keeping track; it's about keeping track together:
• Club Business: Quick updates on projects and initiatives.
• Members' Spotlight: Celebrations of individual milestones.
• Accountability Check: A collective review of previous sessions.
"It's not just about keeping track; it's about keeping track together. We celebrate our achievements and hold each other accountable."
This is where the magic happens. A member presents a "Featured Challenge" and through a multi-step, carefully structured and deeply engaging dialogue, we unlock actionable steps. The member's challenge serves as a real-world case study for collective problem-solving.
"The Process is where we transform challenges into actionable insights, fuelled by collective wisdom."
Amelia, a seasoned Product Designer, presents her challenge: continuous scope changes from a client are causing delays and affecting team morale. She details the situation, what she's tried so far, and what kind of solutions or insights she is hoping to get, following the proven XRDA Challenge Processing Format.
The Mentor guides and prompts the room with questions like, "What is the underlying challenge here?" "Is there a broader context we need to consider?", "Have you experienced something similar?", "What immediate steps come to mind?", "What are the potential bottlenecks in resolving this challenge?". Members ask Amelia more questions and freely contribute, offering various angles and perspectives to consider, enriching Amelia's and everyone's understanding of the Challenge.
Amelia finds that her problem isn't just about design, but also about client management. With fresh insights, she reframes the challenge: "How can I maintain design integrity while managing a client's changing scope?"
The group splits into mini think-tanks, each focusing on different aspects like client communication, change control, and team morale. They then reassemble, and representatives from each group offer their solutions.
The best ideas from the Clustered Exploration phase are discussed in detail, dissected, and built upon. A clear consensus emerges about initiating a change control process and setting up regular client check-ins.
Following thought-provoking questions from her group members, "What resonated the most with you?", "Do you see any conflicting suggestions?", "What are you leaning toward?" Amelia considers the collective advice and the 12 perspectives. She finds herself leaning towards a hybrid solution that combines multiple suggestions from her peers.
Energized and with newfound clarity, guided by the mentor, "What specific action(s) will you take?", "What is your timeline for these actions?", "Is there any support you need from the group to execute this?" Amelia commits to implementing the decided-upon action steps. She sets a two-week timeline and promises to update the group at the next meeting.
"Thanks to this structured yet open dialogue, I moved from a state of confusion to absolute clarity in under an hour. It’s like having a board of advisors at my fingertips."
We break into Huddles, targeted discussion rooms, focusing on topics from Career Development to Work-Life Balance. Members return with a Snapshot of enriching insights.
• Huddles: Small groups delve into specialized topics like Career Development or Work-Life Balance.
• Snapshots: Quick summaries and key takeaways are shared.
"I return from the Ignite phase with a snapshot of enriching insights—a mini-conference packed into 15 min."
We invite keynote speakers to provide valuable perspectives, after which we engage in an open dialogue, letting new insights percolate.
• Keynote: A member or external speaker shares actionable or thought-provoking insights.
• Dialogue: A collective conversation lets the new perspectives percolate.
"Reflection isn't just passive listening; it’s active learning that feeds into our future actions."
We wrap up by expressing gratitude, making future proposals, and affirming our collective and individual commitments. You leave with not just answers but also the right questions for the journey ahead.
• Gratitude: A moment for members to express their gratitude.
• Proposals: Ideas and suggestions for future meetings.
• Farewell: The Chair concludes the meeting, ensuring everyone leaves inspired and focused.
"We affirm our collective and individual commitments. I leave with not just answers but also the right questions for the journey ahead."