The Design Sprint is a user-centered methodology: interactive, practical, and collaborative. The method was developed and introduced by Google Ventures, an arm of Google, around mid-2010. And starting in 2016, with the book “Sprint” — which covers implementing the method to create innovative solutions in just 5 days — it became an even more widely adopted approach.
Learn how the technique works to optimize your time
The Design Sprint is a great methodology for validating an idea in a short amount of time while spending as little as possible. The method is applicable for brainstorming, forming future project teams, and also serves as an option for early-stage testing of more complex features and processes, thereby avoiding wasted time and money.
With the Design Sprint, it is possible to conceptualize and materialize an idea or product in an agile manner, as well as its implementations and features in a short timeframe.
It consists of five days of intensive work, designed to compress months of discussions and project back-and-forths into a single week.
To conduct a Design Sprint, it is recommended to do so in dedicated spaces, with the necessary resources and free from interruptions, yet with scheduled breaks so the intensity of the activities does not hinder the creative process.
By the end of the week, the goal is to have an idea or product already tested and refined.
The Sprint gives companies the ability to build and test almost any prototype in just 40 hours. There is already a 2.0 version as well, where the methodology is applied in 4 days.
The Design Sprint processes can be divided as follows:
Day 1: Understand
This is the day to develop an overview of the problem. In a company, each department usually holds a piece of the information; therefore, on this day, the problem is mapped out and a target is selected to be tackled.
Day 2: Sketch
Each team member sketches out possible solutions to the problem identified the previous day. With guidance from the facilitators, the group reviews and votes on the best ideas.
Day 3: Decide
This is the day to choose an idea from among the top votes from the previous day. After all, there isn’t enough time to prototype everything. Following the decision, it is time to draw a storyboard that will serve as a blueprint for the prototype.
Day 4: Prototype
This is the day when the prototype is built, which should be as realistic as can be achieved in eight hours. In parallel, part of the team prepares the testing sessions for the next day.
Day 5: Test
The fifth day is the testing phase. The goal is to test the prototype with real users and learn from the results and feedback gathered. At the end, you gather all the insights collected in this phase and decide on the continuity and real-world application
of that idea.
Design Thinking vs. Design Sprint
Unlike the Design Thinking methodology, which focuses on generating ideas, the Design Sprint focuses on producing a prototype. That is what makes it so practical, as in the end there is a tangible deliverable to show.
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