Also called:
Alternative plays: User Story Assumptions Mapping
Follow-up plays: RICE Scoring
See also: RICE Scoring, User Story Assumptions Mapping
Origin: Adapted from Kurt Buttress' Growth Hacking sprint.
Prep time
5 minutes
Run time
2-3 hours
Group size
3-10
Why: Identify growth opportunities and bottlenecks to refine strategy and boost customer engagement and ROI
When: Great for assessing or revising growth strategies, optimizing customer acquisition, engagement, and retention
This workshop exercise is part of the Workshop Patterns printed card deck.
A collection of workshop exercises that will help you ditch dull meetings and facilitate with confidence. It will help you master the design process and have more productive time with your team. The card deck will be ready for purchase in the end of 2025 and is now undergoing rigorous testing.
Reserve your deck!Instructions for running this play
- Setup. Introduce the concept of a funnel and draw four columns on a large surface: Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Referral
- Quantify each column. Explain how each funnel step can be quantifiably measured. For instance:
Acquisition: Blog posts bring in new clients. Activation: Most leads become customers. Retention: Clients stay for years. Referral: Happy customers recommend us.
- Identify drivers & barriers. Note factors enhancing or hindering growth at each funnel step on separate sticky notes. Share and group ideas.
- Identify opportunities. Convert each barrier into possible solutions by formulating one or more “How Might We” (HMW) questions from each.
- Funnel mapping. Document the actions taken throughout the funnel, from left to right, to create an overview of what the company currently does from acquisition to referral. This should range from when a user first makes contact to when they become a customer and later a lifelong ambassador.
- Place all the HMWs on the map where the solution fits. A cluster will begin to form as you identify where most problems lie. Some solid solutions will become apparent.
Tips to perfect this play
Master and adapt the play to fit your context and needs.
Tip
Steal from competitors. Incorporate competitor analysis to identify improvement areas and gain new ideas for funnel stages.
Tip: Prep participants
Distribute pre-reads on funnels and growth hacking principles to build a shared understanding before starting the workshop.
This workshop exercise is part of the Workshop Patterns printed card deck.
A collection of workshop exercises that will help you ditch dull meetings and facilitate with confidence. It will help you master the design process and have more productive time with your team. The card deck will be ready for purchase in the end of 2025 and is now undergoing rigorous testing.
Reserve your deck!