Design Sprint: An Online Experience – 2026

ONLINE live ONLY workshop: ‘design sprint: an online experience’, Mon 20 july 10am – 2.30pm UK

Design, market and launch a 30-90 minute online experience this September to attract new clients, pre-sell or promote your commissions or books, or get started with online teaching in a joyful & easy way. 

A practical 4-hour super practical live online workshop for Max. 10 professional creatives, teachers or authors

Have you been thinking about teaching online? Maybe you even started, but quickly felt overwhelmed by online teaching, technology and all other challenges?

Maybe you are a creative who wrote a book and want to share your expertise even more? Would you like to promote your book, have online discussions or use your knowledge and experience to teach online and reach an international audience?

Or perhaps you don’t really want to teach online at all, but would love a better way to attract participants for your in-person workshops or courses, to explain your commissioning process face-to-face, or build stronger relationships with your existing audience? Or maybe you are passionate about something that you would like to discuss with other like-minded people online?

Or maybe you want to get a quick boost in sales or pre-orders this September? Or simply get more people signing up to your mailing list!

If so, this brand new 4-hour design sprint workshop is for you!

A ‘design sprint’ is a super practical & quick workshop where you will be designing your online experience! In this practical 4-hour workshop, Patricia will help you design, market and launch a simple 30-90mins online experience to be hosted in September that supports or promotes your creative business, training, writing or commissions. 

The aim is simple: by the end of this Design Sprint you will have a clear outline, a practical action & marketing plan and a launch date in your diary for your online experience!

Because you don’t need complicated technology, expensive equipment or a huge online course to use online technology to teach or promote yourself. Instead, you’ll focus on creating one meaningful, short but creative online experience that you will offer this September.

You don’t even need a huge audience to succeed! (Scroll down for details!) 

Note: Limited to 10 participants for personal attention. Live only. No recordings.

Plus two special bonuses

• Besides helping you to create & launch your online experience, you’ll also receive personalised written feedback from Patricia on your concept and launch plan in August.
• In early September we’ll promote all design sprint participants’ online experiences to our audience via email and social media. That’s indeed a big marketing gift + accountability boost for you!

the key facts

• 4-hour live only, online workshop on Monday 20 July 10am – 2.30pm (UK time)
• Outcomes: Design a 30-90mins online experience to launch in September
• Especially created for: Creative professionals, teachers & authors
• Facilitator: Patricia van den Akker – Director of The Design Trust & author of the book ‘Teaching Creative Workshops In Person & Online’.
• Time commitment: 4 hours for the design sprint + time to create and launch your online experience in September

Why create an online experience?

Many creative professionals are looking for new ways to connect with potential clients, students, collectors and supporters. And with like-minded people and peers.

Social media is becoming harder work. People are overwhelmed with information. Advertising is expensive. And increasingly, people want to understand who you are and how you work before they buy or commission from you.

Whether you sell creative workshops, craft kits, commissions, art, mentoring … TRUST matters now more than ever.

And that is why ‘educational marketing’ is so powerful.

One of the most effective ways to market your work is to educate, inspire and entertain. 

When people experience your expertise, hear your stories and voice, understand your teaching or commissioning process and engage with your ideas and you, they become MUCH more likely to buy from you, book a longer in-person course, commission your art work or photography, and recommend you to others.

As I often say:

“People only buy from people they know, like & trust”

and

“The best marketing is educating your audience”

Marketing is NOT about pushing. Marketing is about pulling the right people in, raising recognition and becoming attractive to them.

By educating them. Entertaining them. Inspiring them. By co-creating with them. 

A short, thoughtfully designed online session can become one of your most effective marketing tools. Because it’s the closest they can get to meeting you face-to-face. Because it’s more memorable. Because it builds trust.

 And THAT’S THE KEY to get sales, bookings & commissions in the current economic climate. 

But I do not want to teach online!

I hear this a lot and I totally get it!

Many creative professionals are reluctant to show their face online. And too often online teaching still brings back memories of Lockdown, endlessly boring webinars or huge online courses that take months and a big budget to launch.

But this Design Sprint workshop is not really about creating an online course …

And it is NOT only for people who want to become online teachers!

So, what’s going on? What is this about?

Yes, some participants (especially those who teach already in person or have written a book) may decide to create a paid online workshop or even a short online course during this design sprint workshop.

This workshop could be a great way to kickstart your online teaching – especially if you have been thinking about online teaching for a long time!

But, other participants may develop something rather different from an online workshop, for example …

• An online taster event for your in-person training in the autumn
• An artist talk, interview, (panel) discussion or get-together for like-minded creatives around a topic you feel passionate about 
• A reading or book club of an inspirational book or even the book you wrote
• An info session to explain your commissioning or teaching process
• An online sale or pre-order launch showing new or existing products this September
• A Q&A or practical creative session for your craft kits (or a practical session to get people to use them!)
• To upsell and provide 121 mentoring or personal feedback to your existing in-person students 

The format matters less than the outcome: to inform, educate, promote, and (ultimately) get sales.

The real question is …

How could an online experience help your creative business?

Could it help you attract new students or stay in touch with existing clients? Get ‘better’ email addresses and make it easier to fill your autumn workshops?

Or test or launch a new teaching idea, or new products or collections? 

Or promote your book or commissioning service?

This practical design sprint workshop will help you to turn your idea into an online session this September!

Online experience does not mean a big online course

One of the biggest barriers to getting started with ‘online educating’ is the belief that online teaching means creating a big course with dozens of videos. Month of preparation. Editing, voice overs. A film crew. And bags of money. 

But what if you started with something much simpler?

What if your first online experience was a 30-minute Q&A, a 60-minute interview or presentation, or a 90-minute creative workshop or panel discussion?

What if it was simply designed to test an idea, start a conversation or introduce people to your work?

We recommend to keep it simple, so use Zoom or Teams as a simple, easy-to-start-with tool for your online experience. 

The purpose of this workshop is not to help you build a complicated online business.

The purpose is to help you create an easy-but-meaningful online experience that supports your business & sales goals … and can be launched quickly.

Because your confidence comes from doing, not from endlessly planning.

What we will do together

This workshop is highly interactive: You will be designing, planning & launching your 30-90mins online experience during these 4 hours. There will be no recordings, live only. 

Patricia will help you answer questions such as:

• What kind of online experience would actually suit me & my clients?
• What topic or idea would people genuinely want to join?
• Should I charge or offer it for free?
• How do I make it engaging rather than another boring webinar?
• How can this help me sell products, art, workshops, commissions or services?
• Who should I invite?
• How do I actually get this launched?

BEFORE the workshop …

You’ll get practical homework: Bring 3 possible ideas for your online experience that you will work on during this design sprint.

Don’t worry if you don’t know which one is best. That’s exactly what we will decide during the session.

DURING the workshop …

We will start by learning what works especially well online and what doesn’t. Some formats & activities that work brilliantly in person can feel flat online, while other experiences online can be surprisingly engaging and effective!

We will look at different types of online experiences and formats, and help you identify the ones that best suit your business, marketing or teaching goals, audience and personality.

From there, we will design the structure of your session and the activities. We will explore how to create engagement, vary pace and energy, encourage participation and create a positive experience for all participants.

We will discuss pricing and perceived value. Should you charge or offer it for free? How will you make money directly or indirectly?

Finally, we will focus on marketing & launching. You will draft promotional copy, identify who you want to invite and create a realistic plan for getting your online experience in front of the right people in September.

By the end of this design sprint you will have moved from idea to action.

AFTER the workshop … (This is where it gets really special!)

Send your online idea & launch plan in August to Patricia and she will review it for you! You will get personalised written feedback from her by the end of August. 

PLUS in early September we will send a promotional email with all participant’s online training to our contact list (12,000 people!) and promote your online event on our socials too! 

Not just great for some extra marketing for your online experience, but some great accountability for you … to make it actually happen! 

What will you leave with?

By the end of this Design Sprint you will have: 

• A clear outline for a 30 – 90-minute online experience in September that supports your creative business.
• A stronger understanding of what works online, what doesn’t and why
• A simple structure for your session
• A draft promotional copy
• Pricing ideas or how you can make money (directly or indirectly)
• A practical marketing launch plan

Bu most importantly: you will have committed to launching your online experience this September.

Not someday.

Not when everything is perfect.

This September.

With extra feedback & real life marketing support from Patricia and The Design Trust too! 

This live only experience + small group + the extra support is created so that you will DO it!

(And we hope to have a fabulous gathering of 10 inspiring & fun creative professionals who will cheer each other on during August & September to get their ideas launched! But that depends on who signs up.)

Who is this design sprint for?

This 4-hour online practical workshop is designed for creative professionals who want to: 

• Explore online experiences as a new way to ‘educate’ or promote what you offer, including products, art, your books or training, commissions and other creative services.
• Build ‘know, like and trust’ in you and your business (especially important if you offer high end products or creative services – these are intangible and rely on trust-building!)
• Want to (finally) really have a go at teaching online? Not complicated or overwhelming, but in the easiest and cheapest way possible (but still very creative!)
• Get bookings for training or (pre) sales for products, services or commissions this September? By using an alternative, but very effective & more personal marketing opportunity?
• Connect deeper & more memorably with your audience, previous or new clients, students, peers or partners to talk, discuss, learn, share, … about topics you are excited or inspired about?

It’s also a great opportunity to get more signups for your email list – if you teach, or your commissions!

• The Design Trust and Patricia work with professional creatives: This design sprint is ideal for artists, makers, designers, illustrators, and especially creative teachers, coaches & creative authors who want to explore online experiences as a way to teach, promote or sell what you do or are passionate about.
• You may already teach in person and want a very effective marketing tool to sell your in person training, or be curious about offering online workshops or 121 mentoring as a complementary income stream.
• You may want to use online experiences to promote your workshops, attract commissioning clients or build trust with potential customers.
• Or you may simply have expertise, stories and ideas that you would like to share, discuss, talk about in a more engaging and strategic way.

This 4-hour design sprint is particularly suitable if you are looking for a practical, manageable, joyful, creative and realistic approach rather than another overwhelming project.

But, What if I do not have a huge audience?

Many creatives assume they need thousands of followers before they can run an online event.

You don’t.

In fact, some of the most successful online experiences are small, focused and personal.

You only need the right people. Even 5 or 6 might be all you need.

During the workshop we’ll explore how to identify and invite the people most likely to benefit from your online experience.

Imagine this …

A jeweller hosts a free 45-minute online session: “Everything you need to know before commissioning a bespoke engagement ring.”

Eight people attend. Two commission enquiries follow. One becomes a £2,500 commission.

Or …

A textile artist runs a paid 90min online talk about repair culture and visible mending with a colleague.

She sells 10 tickets at £35, generating £350. The event attracts people from across the UK and Europe who are interested in her work and she gets 6 new email addresses. Four participants book her in person workshops in autumn, generating another £600.

Pretty cool, right?

Included in the price

One week before the workshop you will receive the practical homework to identify 3 potential online experience ideas that you could deliver in September.

The 4-hour online live only workshop will take place on Monday 20 July from 10am – 2.30pm UK time (30mins breaks), facilitated by Patricia van den Akker, author of Teaching Creative Workshop in Person & Online. 

The small group size (10 people max) allows for more interaction, peer learning and personalised support throughout the session. 

You will get access to the private course hub till 31 December 2026, with the presentation PLUS useful downloadable resources created by Patricia including: reflection prompts, planning templates, session design tools, pricing exercises, marketing prompts and a launch checklist. Remember: no recordings!

This setup means that our time together can focus on discussion, decision-making, feedback and implementation rather than information overload.

AFTER the workshop – TWO SPECIAL BONUSES:

• Email your online experience proposal + launch plan to Patricia in August to get personalised written feedback from her.
• Get our marketing & social media support: Your online experience will be included in one group email in early September to promote your online experience to our email database and on our socials (Instagram + Facebook). 

The September Online Experience Challenge

Your goal is not to leave with another unfinished training or marketing idea …

Our goal for you is to launch an online experience. By the end of September EVERY participant will have delivered their (first) online experience.

That’s why we include:

• Live only, small group design sprint so you get personal attention and DO it. 
• Extra tools incl. Lesson planner, promotional email examples, marketing & launch plan
• Personalised feedback on your idea & marketing plan by Patricia in August
• Promotion in early September through The Design Trust

This isn’t just a workshop.

It’s a challenge to get something real into the world.

If you have been thinking about online ‘teaching’ (for years??!) … this is for you!

Or did you just get a great idea to share online? This is for you too!

FAQ: Got any further questions?

click the arrow to get your answers

• I can’t make it live on the day of the Design Sprint (Mon 20 July). Is that a problem?

  Please do not sign up.

  Due to the nature of the design sprint, we will not record this session. We want to create a small online group that works together, not just on the day but potentially supports each other in August and September too.

• Do I need (online) teaching experience?

  No. Although some participants will already teach regularly (in person or online), other participants will be exploring online experiences for the first time.

  You can choose an online format that’s easier for beginners e.g. presentation, interview somebody else, a Q&A or group discussion.

  This design sprint is created to kickstart your own online experience!

• Is this suitable for promoting commissions, books or high-end offers?

  Yes! In fact, online experiences can be one of the most effective ways to build trust and explain your process to potential commission clients.

  Using Zoom can also help you to get email addresses from people interested in this topic or who are thinking about working with you in the future.

• I teach performing arts, yoga, creative writing. … Is this workshop for me?

  We would love you to join us!

  Although our expertise is working with creative visual artists and designers, in crafts, visual art, photography, illustration etc, we think there is a lot of similarity in what & how to teach these creative skills online.

  We think this design sprint is very suitable for you, and that you will get a lot from this workshop too. However, you might need to be a little more creative with some of the examples that we share.

  If you have any questions then email us on [email protected] with what you want to teach online and we can give you a more specific answer.

• Will we cover marketing our online experiences?

  Yes.

  Marketing and launching are central to the success of your online experience. We will look at practical ways to attract your ideal participants through email marketing, personal invitations, partnerships and outreach.

   

• How much time will this Design Sprint take?

  This Design Sprint is 4 hours (4.5 hours with 30mins break) and we will pack a lot in that time!

  But obviously, to launch your own 30-90mins online experience in September, you will need to spend some time after this workshop on designing & planning, costing & pricing and promotion.

  How much time that will take depends on your existing experience & resources in these areas and how developed your (training) ideas are.

  We recommend that you use either Zoom or Teams to host your online experience, as these are very cost-effective ways to run your sessions, but also record them, get bookings and get paid for them.

• What if I am not very tech-savvy?

  We use Zoom for our online workshops – an online platform that’s very easy to access.

  A week before your Design Sprint will start we will send you the details of how to sign up on Zoom and at the start of the session we will tell you briefly how to use Zoom, the breakout rooms and the chat.

  Participation is voluntary of course, but highly recommended and very useful.

  We recommend that you use Zoom or Teams to create & host your own online experience in September too. These sofwares are easy to use, very well known, affordable, and will enable you to not just host your session in September, but to record it, get email signups and even get paid.

• What if I need to cancel?

  The workshop will take place on Monday 20 July from 10am – 2.30pm UK.

  Due to the nature of this event it will be live only, so no recordings.

  We recommend that you check that your broadband and WIFI is sufficient to join the session live.

  As there is practical preparation for this workshop we have a deadline of Monday 13 July for signups, or when we reach the max. of 10 people.

  You can cancel in writing till Mon 13 July at 12noon UK time. Email us on [email protected] and include ‘cancellation’ in the subject line. We will give you a full refund if cancelled by that time. Do make sure we respond so you know we have received it on time.

  Unfortunately it takes 5 – 10 working days for the money to be in your bank account due to the slowness of most banks.

• What will happen after the Design Sprint: An Online Experience?

  The goal is that you launch your online experience in September.

  You will leave this design sprint with a clear outline, practical action plan, a marketing launch plan, and a clear commitment to make it happen.

  You can send your online experience idea + launch plan to Patricia in August to get personal feedback from her in writing.

  And in early September your online training event will be promoted in an email sent by The Design Trust to all our contacts + on our social media.

  This will not just boost your marketing, but also give you additional deadlines + accountability to make it much more likely that you will design & host your online experience!

   

• I have another question …

  If you have any other questions then please get in touch with us on [email protected]. We are always happy to help.