People Divergence Sprint

A 45–90 minute exercise to map candidate communities before you choose

Goal: produce a shortlist of plausible communities (10–30), each with a clear description, why-they-might-hurt, and at least one access channel to verify next.

Materials & Setup

Sticky notes or a shared doc/board
Timer (phone is fine)
This guide + the Diverge chapter for context
Team of 2–5 (solo works too; halve the timers)

Tip

Timebox: If you only have 45 minutes, use the “Quick Mode” timings in each step.

Step 1 — Anchor a Problem Space (5–10 min)

Write one plain-language statement:

Anchor: “We’re exploring friction around ___ for ___ in ___ context.”

Examples: - “Safety during the walking segments of commutes for women in urban areas.” - “Care coordination for adult children supporting aging parents across states.”

Warning

Avoid solution words (“app,” “platform,” “AI”) in the anchor.

Step 2 — Generate Communities (10–20 min)

Silent brainstorm first (3–5 min), then round-robin share. Aim for quantity (20+). Use these stretch prompts:

Who experiences this most intensely?
Who is ignored by current solutions?
Who has workarounds no one sees?
Who faces this at odd times/places (night shift, rural routes, transfer points)?
Who’s adjacent (caregivers, gatekeepers, frontline workers, volunteers)?

Quick Mode: 8–10 minutes total; shoot for 12–15 groups.

Step 3 — Add Texture (8–15 min)

For each promising group, sketch a one-liner profile: role + situation + friction.

Template:
“[Group] who [do X / live in Y] often [friction] because [why].”

Examples: - “Professional women who walk from subway to office often avoid side streets because lighting is inconsistent and foot traffic thins.” - “Night-shift nurses crossing hospital lots carry keys visible because security patrols are sparse at 3am.”

Step 4 — Map an Orbit (6–10 min)

Name 1–3 orbit roles per group (people who influence or constrain the experience): e.g., property managers, transit security, roommates, HR, campus police, rideshare drivers, subreddit mods.

Note

Orbit roles become access multipliers and reveal hidden constraints you’ll test later.

Step 5 — Capture Light Access Signals (8–12 min)

For each group, jot at least one plausible channel where you could reach them in the next week:

Physical: specific stations, entrances/exits, bus stops, gyms, dorms, employer lobbies
Digital: subreddit, Slack/Discord, alumni groups, HOA/Nextdoor, Meetup, church/ward groups
Warm routes: student clubs, coworking spaces, HR newsletters, union/local boards

Rule: If you can’t imagine where they are and how to approach, mark LOW access.

Step 6 — Snapshot & Shortlist (5–10 min)

Create a one-screen table you can revisit in Converge:

Group label	One-line profile	Orbit roles	Likely access channels	Access (LOW/MED/HIGH)	Why this group might hurt
Women walking part of commute	Subway → office walkers avoid side streets after dark	Roommates, property mgr, transit security	Station exits, coworking list, r/nyc	MED	Lighting, sparsity, vigilance load
Night-shift nurses	3am lot crossing w/ fatigue	Hospital security, supervisors	Staff Slack, union board	LOW	Distance, staffing patterns
Female grad students	Campus-to-housing late	Roommates, campus police	Grad Slack, dept admins	HIGH	Staggered hours, low-cost routes

Keep 10–30 rows; you’ll down-select in the next chapter.

Quick Bias Check (2–4 min)

Are most groups people like us or easy to reach? Add three that aren’t.
Did we include at least one non-obvious subgroup (e.g., transfers, caregivers, gig workers)?

Done = “Diverge Complete” When…

You have 10–30 candidate communities with one-line profiles
Each has ≥1 realistic access channel (even if tentative)
Orbit roles are noted for at least your top 8–10 candidates

Field Sheet (Copy/Paste)

Anchor: We’re exploring friction around ______________________ for ________________ in ______________.

Candidate groups (aim 20+): 1) ___________________________ 2) ___________________________ 3) ___________________________ …

One-line profiles (pick 10–30 to flesh out): - [Group] who [do/live] often [friction] because [why]. - [Group] who [do/live] often [friction] because [why]. …

Orbit roles (1–3 each): - [Group]: ___________________ - [Group]: ___________________

Access channels (at least one per group): - [Group]: ___________________

Bias check adds (3 non-obvious): - ___________________________ - ___________________________ - ___________________________

What to Save to Your Data Room

This guide + a dated sprint doc (export to PDF/PNG if you used a board)
The shortlist table (CSV/Sheet) for the Converge chapter
Any contact lists or channel links you surfaced (for Access Test later)