Design Sprint is an action methodology that aims to solve problems quickly. He draws his experience and knowledge from design thinking, created by Google Venturees — creative design of solutions related to products and services. Why use this methodology? When to decide on it?
What is Design Sprint?
The Google Design Sprint is a five-step workshop — collaborative design thinking that aims to minimize risk when launching a new service or product. It is a solution creation technique that aims to satisfy customers and deliver what they need. A project team is involved in the process, guided by a common goal.
During the event, a moderator is appointed — his task is to coordinate each of the tasks and check the correctness of their execution. It also supports employees, guides them through the path of action — from the whole to the detail. It is intended to ensure that the end result is as close as possible to the intended one.
The moderator is able to properly perform his duties only at the moment when he maintains the objectivity of the situation. His task is to use his own experience to show the right way and to make sure that the participants of the meeting show a similar attitude. It would be good if the moderator of the meeting was a person who is not emotionally attached to other people.
Another important person at the meetings is the decision-maker — the person who makes the final decision on the most important issues of the project. His role is especially important when the group is not in agreement about the project that is being carried out at the moment. At this point, it is he who decides which direction to lead the project. However, it must be a decision guided by his experience and knowledge of the principles of the functioning of the organization for which he works. It would be ideal if it were a person who knows the risks of making a decision and reckons the consequences that result from it. The decision-making person is most often the general directors of a given enterprise.
Design Sprint — Stages
The five-day Design Sprint is a methodology that assumes 5 stages of duration. They are:
Comprehend (Understand)
The first stage is to define a common goal and understand the concept. The entire team is working to create possible strategies for action, exploring each option. Conversations are held that make it easier to check many issues. In addition, experts in the respective fields provide data and information to colleagues. The group is also preparing for the next stages of action.
Sketching (Sketch)
At the moment when everyone knows and understands what problem needs to be solved — the second stage begins, that is, sketching ideas. Each member of the group can present a solution alone, individually or in groups. Thanks to this, everyone has an equal chance to create their own concept.
Deciding (Decide)
This stage is to make a decision - choosing the best project, on the basis of which work on the prototype and tests will begin. Before that, however, the actions are discussed and often questioned. This is a difficult stage — team members often disagree on the final choice. The decision is often made by one person.
Prototype creation
At this point, the first version of the project is created — it is not the final version, but only a concept, intended for analysis. At the type stage, verification of the idea should take place. It is standard practice to create virtual mock-ups to check how the initial visualization looks.
Testing (Test)
At the stage type, the design must be put into circulation. It is at this point that all opinions and suggestions regarding the work on the project are essential. Only then is it possible to make improvements and refine the solution to the maximum.
History of Design Sprint
A way to quickly and cheaply create prototypes of solution ideas and put them into practice was sought long before the creation of the Design Sprint methodology. One of its creators was Jake Knapp, who in 2000 was an employee of Google, the largest technology platform.
In the team where he had the opportunity to work, there were open and intelligent people who worked together to develop a system of cooperation. Jake Knapp saw that the attention of employees was focused only on the profits of the company. However, this approach was disastrous — it discouraged brainstorming and working to create services and products of the highest quality. Jake Knapp wanted to change that — so he was looking for a solution that would enable efficient prototyping and bringing solutions to market. This meant that all ideas would be implemented in a few days, instead of the previous few months.
One day, the originator of Design Sprint was hanging out with friends. As it turned out later — it was a breakthrough moment during which the idea of live chat was born. At the very beginning, the solution was used only in larger enterprises. This changed over time — the idea was launched under the name Hangouts (now — Meet). One of the next steps was the implementation of Gmail. Today, solutions of this type are widespread and used all over the world.
Design Sprint — Benefits
The benefits of using Design Sprint include:
- time saving — verification of the idea in terms of feasibility of implementation is possible in a short time, thanks to simple and understandable prototyping,
- saving money — the labor cost of programmers who have to create untested functionalities — is very high. It is also highly likely that the expected benefits will not be measurably high, in relation to the financial outlay incurred. So it is best to start the construction phase after a preliminary analysis of the project and its documentation,
- joint work of the team — Design Spring helps to build a sense of belonging to the environment,
- transparency in the project — a knowledgeable moderator, the process and stages of implementation, carried out in accordance with established rules of conduct, make it possible to monitor the progress of activities,
- Creating new opinions — if there are specialists from different areas in the team of employees — this will allow you to get a broad view on a specific topic. The ability to compare different opinions opens up new perspectives and makes it possible to create new solutions,
- simple method — Design Sprint is a very easy, one of the simpler processes that is perfectly described,
- Focus on usability and users — this method puts in the first place the recipient of the solution, who will accept or reject it. From the beginning of the project, its needs are the most important. If they are satisfied — there is a good chance of success of the venture.
When should I use Design Sprint?
Design Sprint is a methodology that allows you to easily verify various ideas and create new services. It allows you to save both a lot of time and money. It can prove itself especially for start-ups, at the very beginning of doing business. It allows you to eliminate products and services that customers do not need and that do not have the potential for development. This is an easy way to avoid the cost of manufacturing them.
This way of working is also useful for the improvement of a product that has been present on the market for a short time. It can also be used to upgrade a product that is already on the market.
Design Sprint — when is it not worth deciding on it?
Design Sprint will not work when employees do not have the right amount of information about the product. Then it's a good idea to wait a bit and gather the necessary information in the meantime.
The use of the Design Sprint methodology is also not a good idea at a time when the team is ready to implement the solution and there is little time left to complete the activities. The very preparation of the Design Sprint takes a lot of time, which can contribute to the need to modify the entire schedule and result in the extension of the work.
This way of acting will not be appropriate even at the moment when the project has precisely defined requirements, e.g. legal requirements. Trying to use the capabilities of Design Thinking in such cases is unnecessarily time- and labor-intensive.
If you want to know a little more about Design Sprint or are interested in other issues, e.g. UX research — contact us!
