What are the most common challenges reported by users when using the table in design thinking workshops?

Design thinking workshops are powerful for innovation, but the physical table around which teams gather can surprisingly become a source of friction. Users frequently report several common challenges that can hinder the process. Firstly, tables often create a physical and psychological barrier, inhibiting the free flow of movement and equal participation. Participants on one side can feel disconnected from those opposite, leading to fragmented conversations. Secondly, the table's surface area is often insufficient for the expansive nature of design thinking. The need to accommodate laptops, notebooks, and vast quantities of sticky notes and prototyping materials leads to clutter, making it difficult to see the big picture and organize emerging ideas coherently. This spatial constraint directly impacts the third major challenge: effective facilitation. The facilitator's ability to move around, observe group dynamics, and interact with the work-in-progress is severely limited when a large table anchors everyone in place. Reaching across to point at a specific sticky note or to guide a participant's sketching can disrupt the group's focus. Fourthly, the traditional table setup often reinforces hierarchical structures and discourages standing, which is crucial for maintaining energy and encouraging dynamic engagement. Participants who remain seated are often less active in the ideation and prototyping phases. Finally, the transition between different stages of the design thinking process—from empathy mapping to prototyping—can be clumsy. The table becomes a surface to be cleared and re-organized rather than a flexible platform that supports the iterative nature of the work. Addressing these challenges often involves rethinking the workspace itself, perhaps by using smaller, modular tables, standing-height surfaces, or even abandoning tables temporarily to use walls and floors as the primary work surfaces, thereby fostering a more dynamic, collaborative, and physically engaged workshop environment.