Design Sprint is an activity based on time and involves design team members to help design and redesign. They are best for a new product launch. It was developed by Google Ventures and is considered a problem-solving process. This framework can be used with a remote and on-site team. The typical timeline of a test solutions and design solutions design sprint is 2-5 days.
A flexible length
Teams that cannot gather the members for a complete sprint or those that don’t have 5 days can adjust and complete the sprint in 48 hours. Teams with experience may know the drill and have already bonded to speak. It may span 5 days for less urgent challenges and more complicated problems. The important aspect is that you have space to experiment and adjust the approach or create a unique approach.
When to use a design sprint
A design sprint is used when one of these conditions is met:
- Requiring a quick solution
- Faced with a complex and big challenge
- A stuck team
Meet your design sprint team
The design sprints involve 5-8 people: smaller teams are best for the design sprint. Selecting more committed members is more important. Every team member should dedicate time to activities and be involved. It requires mobilization and engagement over a 2-5 day period.
Sprint master
The sprint master is the leader and designer of the team and the process. The sprint master invites members and leads the team.
Sprint designers
The design sprint does not have to resemble a finished product but has to look good to convince the team members of the potential.
Sprint engineers
You may need to build a prototype where testing will require a product. The engineer will build it for you.
Product managers
They can express the customer’s needs. It’s good to have a marketing person on the team as they know the client and the market and facilitate in turning ideas on paper into gold.
Experts
An expert can be a visionary or an outsider in the company. They add information or seed of an idea to drive the group outside the box.
Design Sprint Template Google Docs
Preparing for the design sprint
The workflow of the design sprint is set by the sprint master and is completed before the start of the design sprint.
- STEP 1
Create a template and add a design brief, explain constraints and challenges with a timeline for launch.
- STEP 2
Invite the team members, share the board, and schedule interviews and lightning talks with partners, users, and gurus.
- STEP 3
The next step is the design audit. In this step, the sprint master collects the data on the product. This step validates the sprint goals and aids the team in determining the direction.
- STEP 4
The final step is the room preparation and booking and the arrangement of the sprint playbook.
Design Sprint Template Word
Design Sprint Template Excel
Stages in a design sprint
The best way to get the most out of the design sprint method is to pay attention to what comes next. Below are the tips and strategies you can adopt to make a difference when testing an idea:
1. Understand
In this phase, the data collection methods are used. The team develops an inside-out and comprehensive view of the challenge.
2. Define
In this phase, the team ideas and data are organized and the teams start to create a plan or a strategy. All the sticky notes and ideas are put on a map and it begins to provide more information about the project direction.
3. Diverge
In this phase, the team starts working. They put their pen to paper and draw out their ideas. It’s an opportunity for the team to brainstorm.
4. Decide
The template enables the team to access existing data, challenges, sketches and ideas. Pull the ideas into a whiteboard to allow making notes, voting on favourites, and commenting.
5. Prototype
Your team goal here is to test and get feedback on a mocked-up product. The designers and engineer gets to shine in this phase.
6. Validate
In this stage, test your prototype. The feedback gathered from potential users helps determine if the requirements have been met.
Design Sprint Template PowerPoint
Design Sprint Online Tools
Below are some of the online tools for a design sprint
Trello Design Sprint Board
A design sprint board is a process that helps ideates concepts and tests ideas with customers. The main value is how quickly they can be run. They are best with a focused and small team. Facilitate your team with a solution using this Trello template for the design sprint.
Miro
Create new products, solve big challenges, or improve existing ones with this Miro design sprint template. Build better products with faster and more innovative processes.
Design Sprint Template Confluence
Brainstorm solutions, understand design problems, and run a sprint with this Confluence design sprint template.
Design Sprint FAQs
When should you use a design sprint?
Use a design sprint when the problem is challenging and meaningful enough that employees from different teams work on it together to find a solution.
Who leads a design sprint?
The sprint master of a facilitator leads the design sprint. The first objective is the clarification the problem and then recruit the team to run the sprint. The team usually consists of 5-7 members which makes it easy to manage.
Why do design sprints fail?
Design sprints fail when they are used to solve a problem that isn’t suited for it. The design sprint is a dirty and quick process and tests the ideas fast. Some projects are beyond the scope or are too narrow.
How do you best prepare for a design sprint?
Understand the user’s context, define problems, imagine solutions, and try with users and improve based on feedback.