Sponsor User Program
Sponsor Users are a scaled approach to co-creation with end users. Sponsor Users are “clients” (customers, non-customers, business partners, end users, or organizations) who provide domain expertise to your team. Sponsor Users help you design experiences for real target users rather than for assumed needs.
What is a Sponsor User Program?
A Sponsor User Program formalizes and scales the relationship between your team and your users. The program derives insights from your users to inform your team’s designed experience, roadmap, and Hills. It is not a channel for feature requests.
Do I have to call them “Sponsor Users”?
No. The most important aspect of Enterprise Design Thinking is a relentless focus on human-centered outcomes. Working with end users helps us do just that, and this act of co-creation matters more than terminology. If you want to call it a feedback program, customer advisory council, or something else, feel free. Just remember: Stay focused on your users.
Ready to get started?
In the following sections, you’ll find checklists and tips to help plan, start, run, and wrap up your feedback program.
Where do you come in?
Each team member can meaningfully contribute to the creation of a successful Sponsor User Program.
The Explorer:
- What types of Sponsor Users should we be working with?
- What conferences or events might we attend to find new Sponsor Users?
The Guide:
- Who are the Sponsor Users we need to focus on at this time?
- How many Sponsor Users do we need at this point in time?