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Get oriented in the problem space before talking to stakeholders. Use AI to build an industry-grounded foundation you can take into research and validate — so you walk into the first conversation already oriented, not starting from scratch.
6 methods
This is your foundation method. Everything downstream—your research plan, your discussion guide, your personas—gets sharper when you have an industry-grounded blueprint first. It's also the highest return on tokens spent at this stage. The Research Discussion Guide is a close second because it directly converts your blueprint gaps into something you can walk into an interview with.
Required tools
Why it helps
Gives you an industry-grounded starting point before you talk to a single stakeholder. Expect a full end-to-end service map covering all actors, touchpoints, and frontstage/backstage processes based on how the industry actually operates — not just how your client thinks it works. Use it to get oriented fast on unfamiliar domains.
What to provide
The domain or industry, the process you're mapping, and the start and end points of the scope.
Prompt example
Using industry knowledge of [domain], generate a full end-to-end service blueprint. Include all actors, customer-facing touchpoints, backstage processes, support systems, and pain points at each stage — from [start point] through to [end point].
Tip on prompting
I had to specifically ask the LLM to build a table within chat to review, and then ask it for a downloadable CSV that I could bring into Miro or FigJam. Just something to consider.
⚡ With MCP
Figma MCP — reads your existing Figma files directly, grounding the blueprint in screens that already exist rather than a text description.
Using the Figma MCP, read the file at [Figma URL]. Based on the screens and flows you find, generate an end-to-end service blueprint for [domain]. Include all actors, customer-facing touchpoints, backstage processes, support systems, and pain points at each stage.
Before you move on
Walk it through a subject matter expert or someone with domain experience before taking it into stakeholder interviews. Flag any steps that feel generic or assumed — AI works from industry patterns, not your client's specific reality.
Required tools
Why it helps
Turns the gaps and assumptions surfaced in your service blueprint and process map directly into structured interview questions and workshop facilitation prompts. Expect a guide organized by topic area with open-ended questions, follow-up probes, and workshop activities tailored to what you still need to learn.
What to provide
Your service blueprint or process map, your list of identified gaps or assumptions, and the stakeholder type you're interviewing.
Prompt example
Based on this process map and these identified gaps [paste both], generate a research discussion guide for interviews with [stakeholder type]. Include open-ended questions organized by topic, follow-up probes for each question, and suggested workshop activities to validate the key assumptions.
Before you move on
Run a practice session with a colleague before the first real interview. Check that questions feel natural, don't lead the participant, and actually address the gaps you need to close. Remove any question that could be answered with a yes or no.
Required tools
Why it helps
Surfaces all the roles and teams involved before interviews begin. Expect a list of stakeholder types, their responsibilities, and where they intersect. Helps you build your research plan and avoid missing key voices.
What to provide
Your service blueprint or a description of the process and domain.
Prompt example
Based on this service blueprint, identify all stakeholders and user types involved. For each, describe their role in the process, their key responsibilities, and where they interact with other stakeholders.
Before you move on
Cross-reference against the org chart or project brief. Run the list by your main client contact before scheduling interviews — roles are often split differently in practice than they appear on paper.
Required tools
Why it helps
Gives you a hypothesis-driven starting point before interviews rather than a blank page after them. AI synthesizes your stakeholder list, service blueprint, and workshop notes into a structured persona — role, goals, frustrations, behaviors, and context. Expect a draft you can walk into research with and pressure-test, not a finished artifact.
What to provide
Your stakeholder list, service blueprint or process map, any raw workshop or interview notes, and which stakeholder type you're building the persona for.
Prompt example
Based on this stakeholder list and service blueprint [paste both], generate a UX persona for [stakeholder type]. Include their role, primary goals, key frustrations, typical behaviors, and the context in which they interact with the system. Frame it as a hypothesis to be validated in research.
Before you move on
Treat every attribute as a hypothesis, not a fact. Validate each goal, frustration, and behavior directly in research interviews. Update the persona after each round — a persona that hasn't been touched since it was generated hasn't been validated.
Required tools
Why it helps
Condenses a complex service blueprint into a digestible linear process map stakeholders can actually engage with. Expect a step-by-step flow organized by high-level phases with nested micro-interactions — framed around user actions, not system logic. Use this as your workshop artifact.
What to provide
Your service blueprint and any validation notes from the product team.
Prompt example
Condense this service blueprint into a process map with 5–7 high-level steps. Each step should show the primary user action, supporting roles involved, and key micro-interactions within it. Format it as a linear flow a non-technical stakeholder can follow.
Before you move on
Walk it through at least one internal stakeholder before using it in a workshop. Expect corrections — surfacing those corrections is the whole point. A map no one has pushed back on hasn't been validated.
Required tools
Why it helps
When you're orienting on an unfamiliar workflow, a swimlane makes the actors visible in a way a process map alone doesn't. Each lane represents a role — you can immediately see who owns each step, where handoffs happen, and which roles interact most. Use this early to pressure-test your understanding of the process before you design anything.
What to provide
Notes from stakeholder interviews or observations, a list of all roles involved in the workflow, and any existing process documentation.
Prompt example
Based on these interview notes and process documentation, generate a swimlane diagram for the [workflow name] process. Create a lane for each role involved. Show every action, decision point, and handoff between roles in sequence. Add a CSV export option with columns: Step, Role, Action, Handoff To, Notes.
Before you move on
Share with at least one person who does the work — not just a manager who oversees it. Role ownership and handoffs are the most commonly misassigned parts of a swimlane when built from interviews alone.