Show people things that encourage meaningful conversations – props, storyboards, videos and working prototypes, for example. Finished-looking artifacts can make observers reluctant to comment, so show early designs as will and help people to express themsleves
Ask thought-provoking questions to tease out ‘hidden’ needs. If you work in an office, try leaving Post-it notes around with a saying, ‘Your opinion wanted’. This is a great way of enabling the cross-fertilization of ideas.
It takes courage to show early ideas to potential users, partners, bosses or colleagues. Learn to take constructive feedback on the chin. Build, show, discover, reject and refine your ideas, both quickly and frequently. By taking this approach, you’ll learn what’s right and wrong early in the process when it’s comparatively cheap to make adjustments.