Kick-off

Introduction

What is it?

In UX design, success begins even before the creation of sketches or prototypes: it is founded on alignment.

The Kick-off is the first structured session in a UX or service design project. It establishes a collaborative tone, clarifies expectations, and ensures that everyone is working towards the same goals.
Make sure you bring together stakeholders, designers, and project leads, as it is important to have all key participants on board.

During this meeting, you will align on:

Project objectives
Scope and constraints
Team roles
Research needs
Success metrics

Why do a Kick-off ?

Kick-off meetings offer more than just a project overview—they’re strategic enablers in UX work. It is your opportunity to foster clarity and build momentum.
It will help you to:

Improve focus: Align on what matters to avoid scope creep and last-minute pivots.
Enhance decision-making: Shared understanding leads to faster, more informed decisions throughout the process.
Build relationships: Establishing early collaboration builds trust and reduces friction later on.Step-by-Step Guide

Resource

Kick-off Template

We created a Kick-Off template in Figjam. You can use it as a basis for your next Kick-Off meeting.

Link to Kick-off Template

Step by Step Guide

1. Understand Purpose 2. Define Scope 3. Map Stakeholders 4. Chose Methodology 5. Define Next steps

Step 01

Understand Purpose

Establish the purpose of the project. Introduce the business challenge, identify user pain points, and provide any relevant background information.

Understand what triggered the project and define how success will be measured.
Identify key stakeholders and their roles.

Pro-tip

Meeting Preparation with AI

Make sure to review pre-meeting documents like benchmark studies, stakeholder analysis, product history, etc.

Use an AI-powered tool to summarise these documents for faster alignment. The ‘Projects’ feature in ChatGPT Plus can help you centralise and distil all project-related information.

STEP 02

Define scope

Clearly define what you aim to achieve and the limitations you’re operating within.

Outline the primary goals and key performance indicators (KPIs)
Discuss constraints such as budget, timelines, technology, and regulatory factors.
Specify what is out of scope to avoid future misunderstandings.