How to Use ClickUp for Design Thinking Workshops

ClickUp can support your entire design thinking workflow, from problem discovery to testing solutions, by mirroring the structure of popular Miro templates directly in your workspace. This guide walks you through a practical process you can follow with your team.

The method below is inspired by techniques highlighted in the original Miro design thinking templates overview, adapted so you can run everything inside ClickUp while still collaborating visually and asynchronously.

Step 1: Plan Your Design Thinking Session in ClickUp

Before you start whiteboarding, set up a simple structure in ClickUp to keep your workshop organized and trackable.

Create a Design Thinking Space in ClickUp

Begin by creating a dedicated Space or Folder for your design thinking work. This will host all tasks, documents, and links to your boards.

1. Create a new Space or Folder and name it after your project or challenge.

2. Add Lists for each design thinking phase, such as:

   • Empathize

   • Define

   • Ideate

   • Prototype

   • Test

3. Assign owners for each List so responsibility for each phase is clear.

Set Up Workshop Tasks in ClickUp

Next, create repeatable tasks that mirror the structure of Miro-style templates so you can reuse this workflow for future workshops.

1. Create a task called “Design Thinking Workshop Plan”.

2. Add subtasks describing agenda segments, such as:

   • Intro and problem framing

   • Customer research review

   • Journey mapping

   • Brainstorming and prioritization

   • Wrap-up and next steps

3. Use Custom Fields to track time allocation, facilitator, and participants for each segment.

Step 2: Run the Empathize Phase with ClickUp Docs and Boards

The Empathize phase focuses on understanding user problems. You can replace stand-alone whiteboards by combining ClickUp Docs and visual boards.

Document User Research in ClickUp

Start by pulling research into a single ClickUp Doc for your team to review.

1. Create a Doc titled “User Research – Empathize”.

2. Summarize interviews, surveys, and observations with short sections:

   • Who we talked to

   • Key quotes

   • Observed behaviors

   • Pain points and needs

3. Add comments and suggestions in the Doc so teammates can ask questions asynchronously.

Recreate Empathy Maps in ClickUp

Instead of building empathy maps only in Miro, you can host the structure inside ClickUp and still link out to a collaborative board if necessary.

1. Create a task called “Empathy Map – Target Persona”.

2. Use the task description to add four sections that mirror a typical empathy map:

   • Thinks and Feels

   • Sees

   • Says and Does

   • Pains and Gains

3. Add comments where teammates can drop bullet-point insights for each section.

4. If you still prefer a visual board, add an external link in the task to the source templates at this Miro design thinking guide so facilitators can access the original layouts.

Step 3: Define the Problem Using ClickUp Tasks

After collecting user insights, you will convert them into clear problem statements and requirements inside ClickUp.

Translate Insights into Problem Statements in ClickUp

1. Create a task called “Problem Statement Drafts”.

2. In the description, outline a simple template, for example:

   • User: [type of user]

   • Need: [what they are trying to achieve]

   • Obstacle: [what stands in their way]

3. Add one subtask for each proposed problem statement and assign an owner to refine the wording.

4. Use task comments for team feedback and reactions.

Prioritize Problems with ClickUp Views

To decide which problems to tackle first, use ClickUp views to score and sort ideas.

1. Add Custom Fields such as “Impact”, “Effort”, and “Confidence”.

2. Create a Table view so you can quickly sort by Impact and Effort.

3. Hold a short session where each stakeholder updates the fields, then filter to reveal the most promising opportunities.

Step 4: Ideate Solutions with ClickUp Collaboration Tools

The Ideate phase benefits from structured brainstorming. You can use ClickUp to manage idea generation, clustering, and voting.

Capture Brainstorming Ideas in ClickUp

1. Create a List called “Ideas – Ideate”.

2. Ask each participant to create individual tasks for their ideas rather than sharing them verbally first. This levels the playing field and prevents groupthink.

3. Encourage descriptive task titles and include quick sketches or screenshots as attachments when helpful.

Cluster and Refine Ideas with ClickUp

Once ideas are captured, you can organize them using grouping and tags.

1. Create tags such as “Quick Win”, “Innovative”, and “User Request”.

2. Switch to Board view and group tasks by tag or assignee to visually cluster related concepts.

3. Add a Custom Field for “Vote Count” so teammates can upvote ideas during or after the session.

Step 5: Prototype and Test Using ClickUp as the Project Hub

With prioritized ideas in place, you can use ClickUp to coordinate prototypes, tests, and follow-up actions.

Turn Ideas into Prototype Plans in ClickUp

1. Move selected idea tasks into the “Prototype” List.

2. Add subtasks for:

   • Prototype design

   • Content and copy needs

   • Technical setup

   • Review and sign-off

3. Assign owners and due dates to turn concepts into scheduled work.

Track User Tests with ClickUp

Finally, structure your testing workflow so you can capture feedback consistently and reference it for future iterations.

1. Create a new List called “User Tests – Test Phase”.

2. Add one task per test session or cohort of participants.

3. In each task, include sections for:

   • Hypothesis

   • Test script

   • Observations

   • Metrics and outcomes

   • Next steps

4. Use comments to capture live notes while tests run, then summarize findings in the description.

Best Practices for Running Design Thinking in ClickUp

To make your sessions smoother and ensure nothing gets lost between phases, follow a few simple habits.

Standardize Your ClickUp Templates

Turn your best workshop tasks and Docs into templates inside ClickUp so you can spin up new sessions quickly.

• Create task templates for Empathy Maps, Problem Statements, and User Tests.

• Create Doc templates for Research Summaries and Workshop Agendas.

• Store them in a shared folder so every facilitator uses the same structure.

Keep Stakeholders Aligned in ClickUp

Use ClickUp as the single source of truth across research, ideas, and implementation.

• Invite stakeholders to the Space and give them clear permissions.

• Use comments and @mentions to request input rather than relying on scattered chat threads.

• Share views and dashboards that summarize progress across all phases.

Next Steps and Additional Resources

With this workflow, you can replicate the structure of Miro-based design thinking templates while keeping everything anchored in ClickUp, from early research to tested prototypes.

For additional guidance on building scalable workflows and automation around collaborative work, you can explore consulting resources like Consultevo, which focuses on process optimization and tooling.

Combine these practices with the ideas in the original Miro design thinking article linked above, and you will have a complete, repeatable framework for running high-impact design thinking workshops with ClickUp at the center of your product development process.

Need Help With ClickUp?

If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your ClickUp workspace, work with ConsultEvo — trusted ClickUp Solution Partners.

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