Behind the Session: A Hands-on Journey in UX & Design Thinking with IIT Kanpur Students

This article provides a comprehensive walkthrough of the entire session covering what we explored, discussed, and practiced together.

1 June 2025, I had the privilege of delivering a guest session at Entrepreneurship Cell IIT Kanpur

What made this experience truly special was not just the content we covered, but the curiosity, energy, and hands-on enthusiasm of the students. In this article, I want to walk you through what we explored, what stood out, and why this session reminded me of the power of starting small and thinking user-first.

📅 Session Structure: A Two-Part Learning Journey

✅ Part 1: Conceptual Foundation, Understanding UX, MVP & Lean UX

We began with a deep dive into fundamentals:

• What is UX? And how is it different from UI?

• What is an MVP (Minimum Viable Product)?

• Why MVPs are not half-baked products, but small, focused experiments

• How to choose the right design process when you're building fast

We then discussed and compared common UX processes:

• Design Thinking

• Double Diamond

• Design Sprint

• Lean UX

The goal was to help students understand that there's no one-size-fits-all approach, but for MVPs, Lean UX stands out for its speed, practicality, and user-focused mindset.

📊 Going Deep: The Lean UX Process

We zoomed into the Lean UX framework, breaking it down into four key stages:

1. Hypothesize

• How to define assumptions and frame a hypothesis

• Tools like assumption mapping, problem statements, proto-personas, and jobs-to-be-done

2. Design & Build

• How to go from a hypothesis to a low-effort prototype

• Used concepts like sketching, low-fi wireframes, information architecture, Gestalt principles, and copy-first design

3. Test with Users

• How to validate quickly using usability testing, think-aloud methods, and post-test surveys and how to see behavioral insights using VWO's capabilities.

4. Measure & Learn

• Why iteration matters more than perfection

• How to define success metrics, analyze funnels, and learn through retros

We also explored terms like:

• Persona vs Proto-Persona

• User Journey vs User Flow

• Low-fidelity vs High-fidelity Wireframes

• Types of Usability Testing

The idea was to ensure that even if students had no prior design background, they walked away with actionable mental models to test ideas quickly.

🎨 Part 2: We Didn’t Just Talk UX, We Built Together (Live!)

After laying down the basics of UX and MVPs, it was time to get our hands dirty. And this is where the real magic happened.

I dropped a live Figma link. Within seconds, dozens of students jumped in even those who had never used Figma before.

👇 Here’s what we did — in just 20 minutes:

• 🧠 Listed real campus problems (from mess food to lost items)

• ⭐ Voted as a group — “Lost & Found” came out on top

• 👥 Formed small teams and started solving the problem

• 🖱️ I gave a crash course on Figma (just enough to get them started)

• 🎨 8+ students designed thoughtful, user-first solutions — live

• 📢 Each team presented their work confidently

• 🎭 Other students role-played as users and gave instant feedback

• 📝 We wrapped it up by identifying what worked and what could improve

The energy was real. The ideas were raw, honest, and full of potential. And the best part? Everyone was learning by doing.

I wrapped up the session by assigning a follow-up challenge:

“Take your design. Iterate based on the feedback. That’s how real UX teams work.”

You don’t need to be a designer to solve problems. You just need to start. And these students?

They started - fast, fearlessly, and together. 💥

📑 Presentation deck: View the slides here