Format — Mini-Lab

Enter fast. Leave with a solution.

2–6 weeks of intensive collaborative work: from content chaos or a broken program — to a working architecture and a hypothesis for your first pilot.

Why Mini-Lab

When you need results fast — without a long commitment

The full system design cycle (Diagnostics → Architecture → Implementation) takes 4–9 months. That's appropriate for large systems. But sometimes the task is different: quickly understand where the problem is and get a concrete direction.

Mini-Lab is a compressed, intensive format. We don't simplify the method — we apply it faster, focused on one specific task or system. The result isn't just a list of recommendations, but a working architecture you can test.

Mini-Lab often becomes the first step before full Architecture work. Sometimes it's a standalone solution that's enough on its own.

What clients come with

  • A course exists — but unclear why it doesn't work
  • Need to quickly rework a learning journey
  • Chaotic content with no architectural logic
  • Launching an EdTech product — need to validate the learning logic
  • An expert program that needs to become systematic
  • Have a hypothesis — need an architecture to test it

Process

How Mini-Lab works

01

Context analysis

Interviews + review of existing materials, metrics, and feedback. Where does the system lose people? Where does knowledge fail to become action? What's the real task — not the stated one, but the underlying one.

02

Gap mapping

Structural analysis: where exactly the learning system fails. Not "content is poor" — but specifically: what's missing in the architecture of practice, transfer, support, and assessment.

03

Architectural solution

A concrete redesign or new architecture: module structure, practice logic, transfer to the real context, interaction formats. Not a concept — a working document you can build from.

04

Pilot hypothesis

What we're testing, with which audience, what metrics will show the system works. A concrete next step — regardless of whether we continue working together.

Parameters

Format and outcomes

Duration: 2–6 weeks, depending on task complexity and the scope of the existing system.

Format: 3–5 working sessions of 90 minutes + async work between them. Remote.

Deliverables: Architectural brief + gap map + first pilot roadmap. Everything is yours to keep.

What's not included: Full implementation, work on large organizational systems, long-term support — that's the territory of Architecture and Implementation.

Mini-Lab is not a scaled-down consulting engagement. It's a different scope of task. The method is the same — the focus is tighter.

Studio principle

Works best when

  • The task is specific and limited in scope
  • You have access to materials and data about the current system
  • You need results within 4–6 weeks
  • You're ready for intensive collaborative work

Request a Mini-Lab

Describe the task

What exists now, what isn't working, what you need as an outcome. We'll figure it out together.

Or directly: georgii@askesis.academy

What happens next

First conversation — 30 minutes. We clarify the task and assess whether Mini-Lab is the right fit. No obligations.

If the task is larger

→ Diagnostics — full structural analysis
→ Architecture — system design