The Odyssey Works
Empathy and Experience Design Workshop

Thanks for registering!
Please read the information below now, or at least 1 hour before the workshop.

Below is a bit of preparation and additional information. When the workshop begins on Zoom, you will be given a password for the button at the bottom of this page. You should have already received an invitation to the Zoom session. If you haven’t, click the CONTACT link above. Please leave this page open during the workshop.

Workshop Overview

During this workshop, you will be partnered with another participant. You will interview one another for 20 minutes each, following a series of prompts that can serve as starting points. With interview responses in hand, you'll spend the rest of the workshop structuring an experience for your partner. We have created an example experience that you can emulate or deviate from as you see fit, and the questions we’ve provided have been tailored to help you make something similar. After the interview, you'll have a chance to collaborate with another attendee to flesh out ideas and discuss your designs. The final experience you design as homework will be structured as a series of steps and instructions to be emailed to your partner. Each person will leave the workshop with the gift of one another’s attention, presence, and, within 24 hours, a bespoke mini-Odyssey that has the potential to be transformative.

Note! There is homework following the class. Please set aside time to complete the design activity after the workshop is over.

You Will Learn

● What experience design is ● How to use empathy as a springboard for creative practice ● The art of asking powerful questions ● Odyssey Works' singular interview process

Preparation

  • If you don’t already know about Odyssey Works, read this article in The NY Times about one of our performances.

  • Please set aside at least three hours of uninterrupted time during the period of the workshop. If possible, advise those you live with not to interrupt.

  • You will need audio, video, and a microphone for the workshop; it is entirely participatory. If you have a weak internet connection we recommend using your phone for audio - the invite will contain call-in options.

  • Set yourself up to write and draw however you prefer to do so. This may be with a pen and paper, sticky notes, or an app on your computer. At our in-person workshops, we provide pens, markers, paper, notecards, and sticky notes aplenty.

  • Gather any snacks or beverages you might want during the workshop.

  • Please sign in to the Zoom session 5 to 10 minutes early. If you are having trouble logging in, click the CONTACT button at the top of this page.

  • Shut off phones or place them in do not disturb mode.

  • Eliminate distractions from your screen if possible. We recommend closing open apps and any unnecessary tabs on your browser.

  • Relax! This is going to be both intense and fun!

During the workshop, you will be given a password to continue. You may then click the button below.

Have another 18 minutes before your workshop? Watch this TEDtalk by Odyssey Works Artistic Director Abraham Burickson about Experience Design.