DESIGN SPRINT

Tips to boost creativity and manage your design process based in SPRINT by Jake Knapp

The Design Sprint

1. Understand

The sprint starts by expanding our understanding of the problem at hand.

The first part of this sprint requires advance preparation: inviting the right people to share quick 5 minute presentations on: Business goals, Technology capability, User need.

Make a map of the project

• What solution is the stakeholder looking for?

• Could their problem be solve differently?

• How much are you willing to explore?

• What outcomes could come from which research methods?

• What steps would you need to take and what deliverables would you present?

2. Define

In this phase, the team starts developing their focus and strategy. This happens by defining the central journey they want to create for their users.

Setting the stage• Define the Business Opportunity.

• Define the Customer.

• Define the Problem.

• Define the Value Proposition

• What part of this project do you want to highlight the most?

• Process

• Research

• Strategy

• Visual Design

• Testing

Research

• Consider the scope of the project

• When do you need your results so you can move on?

• Consider the type of data you need

• Do you want to know the context?

• Do you want to know the user?

• Consider your resources

• Do you have a vast social media base?

• Do you share your office with a lot of people?

2. Diverge

Often, teams choose the first ready idea to pursue. The diverge phase encourages the team to do the opposite: to first generate as many ideas as possible before they commit to the best option. In this stage, everyone is encouraged to work individually to sketch ideas.

Sketch

• Sketch, a lot

• Generate insights and potential solutions to the user’s problems.

• Explore as many ways of solving the problems as possible, regardless of how realistic, feasible, or viable they may or may not be.

• Translate the learning into opportunities

• What is your data telling you is a good idea to pursuit?

• Go back to your plan to consider constraints

• As a result of the research, articulate what you need to build in a blueprint and roadmap

• Don’t go crazy with wireframes, or do, depends on your goal

3. Decide

This phase is when critical thinking reenters the picture. Coming up with a bunch of amazing ideas is only useful if you actually take the next step to build them.

This is when critical thinking reenters the picture. Coming up with a bunch of amazing ideas is only useful if you actually take the next step to build them.

4. Prototype

Rapid prototyping allows you to test out your ideas without investing a ton of time, money, or resources

Focus on key moments:

• Screen What does the app look like?

• Interaction How does the persona interact with the application?

• Use caseWhen and where does the persona use the application? when does the application intervene with the persona’s life?

Determine what to prototype

• Write down the key elements of your solution and primary questions for each part

• What are you trying to test? (Looks, Interactions, Flow)

• What resources do you have at your disposal?

• Remember your goal

5. Validate

In this design sprint we validate through show and tell. This allows the group to further learn different ways to design for this new form factor while also hearing from each other on their own designs.

Some tips

Plan ahead for obstacles

• What distractions could you face?

• Are there other responsibilities you have to finish first?

• In which part of the process have you felt stuck before?

• What can you do to avoid these?

Managing your time

• Track your performance with Toggl

• Organize your tasks in Pomodoros

• Set constraints, it’s good for creativity

• Don’t cave to distractions

Present your results

• There should be a clear path from your research to your final presentation

• Put it all in a presentation, articulating design decisions is tough

Thanks!

Celeste North | UX Designer