What is a design sprint? definition & benefits

Yields of Design Sprint to QE Team

Effort/Cost saving: Since No Physical POC is required, substantial savings are made on QE and Dev efforts.
Better Testing Insights or Better Test Planning: Owing to a better understanding of Product with a clear vision.
A more testable product: Since QE is involved from the beginning and have a clear scope and understanding of the product, it ensures to have better test coverage and eventually having a more testable product.
Farther Shift left: Moving the activity of involving the QE team from the beginning ensures better Test Estimation and early detection of defects which in turn means faster and better delivery of your product with reduced costs.
Minimizes Testing Risk: Validating the idea first minimizes the risk to fail thereby increases the overall testing efficiency.

Почему дизайн-спринт может быть плохой идеей

Итак, вы узнали все плюсы 5-дневного марафона. Но значит ли это, что дизайн-спринт подходит для вашего следующего проекта?

Вот несколько причин, которые могут помешать системе давать положительные результаты:

У вас нет стартовых данных. Дизайн-спринт не может начинаться с предположения. Вы берете на себя обязательства и вряд ли захотите работать на основе догадок;
У вас уже есть решение. Суть спринта заключается в том, чтобы систематически определять проблему, выдвигать гипотезы решения, а затем проверять их обоснованность. Но если вы уже знаете ответ, нет причин тратить время;
Проблема слишком маленькая/большая. В этом случае размер имеет большое значение. Пять дней могут показаться достаточным временем для решения любой проблемы. Но маленькая проблема решится слишком быстро – вы впустую потратите бюджет. Большая проблема может выйти за рамки спринта или вам придется урезать время на прототипирование, например;
У вас не хватает членов команды. Мы уже говорили, что в команде должно быть от четырех до восьми людей. Маленьким компаниям и фрилансерам не хватает ресурсов, а значит и начинать нет смысла;
Это затратно (по деньгам). Если вы не работаете в большом дизайн-агентстве, где отсутствие восьми человек не ударит по работе, то дизайн-спринт будет слишком дорогостоящим. Возможно, вы сможете добиться потрясающих результатов, но это целая неделя без выполнения другой оплачиваемой работы;
Сложно настроить всех на одну волну. Допустим, вы фанат дизайн-спринтов. Сможете ли вы убедить остальных членов команды, чтобы они сосредоточились на работе и выключили мобильные телефоны? Особенно тяжело придется с принимающим решения: они очень заняты и потому часто отвлекаются;
Слишком много начальников. Главная сложность, когда вы объединяете стольких талантливых людей из разных отделов – вопрос иерархии. Они привыкли принимать решения, когда речь заходит о финансах и маркетинге. Так почему они должны уступать эту роль лицу, принимающему решения? Если ваш ведущий не справится с подавлением этих эго, проблем не миновать.

Исследование и применение новых технологий и материалов

Инженер по прототипированию в своей работе должен быть в курсе последних достижений в области технологий и материалов

Это важно, так как новые технологии и материалы могут значительно улучшить процесс создания прототипов и повысить их качество

В современном мире технологии развиваются семимильными шагами, и инженеру по прототипированию необходимо быть в курсе всех новинок. Новые материалы могут быть более прочными, легкими, гибкими или иметь другие полезные свойства, что позволяет создавать более точные и функциональные модели-прототипы. Новые технологии же, такие как 3D-печать или программное обеспечение для создания прототипов, позволяют значительно ускорить процесс прототипирования и сэкономить время и ресурсы.

Инженер по прототипированию должен изучать новые технологии и материалы, а также определять их применимость в своей работе. Он должен понимать, какие материалы и технологии подходят для создания прототипов в различных отраслях, таких как промышленность, медицина или производство игрушек. Например, в медицине могут использоваться биокомпатибельные материалы, а в производстве игрушек — безопасные для детей.

Исследование новых технологий и материалов является одним из этапов процесса прототипирования. Инженер-прототипист должен уметь отследить новые направления в своей области и применить их в своей работе. Например, сейчас в Новосибирске компании занимаются созданием композитных систем для прототипирования, что позволяет создавать более прочные и легкие модели-прототипы. Также сейчас широко используется программное обеспечение для прототипирования, которое позволяет создавать точные и функциональные модели с помощью компьютерного моделирования.

Использование новых технологий и материалов позволяет инженеру по прототипированию создать более точные и функциональные модели-прототипы, что удовлетворяет потребности заказчиков и клиентов. Кроме того, это позволяет сократить время и ресурсы, затрачиваемые на процесс прототипирования

В итоге, исследование и применение новых технологий и материалов является важной частью профессионального роста инженера по прототипированию и способствует развитию его профессии

GV Design Sprints

What is it?

The Design Sprint by Google Ventures can be seen as a combination of the three approaches above: Design Thinking, Agile, and Lean. Let’s refer to Google’s own definition for clarity:

The sprint is a five-day process for answering critical business questions through design, prototyping, and testing ideas with customers. Developed at GV, it’s a “greatest hits” of business strategy, innovation, behavior science, Design Thinking, and more—packaged into a battle-tested process that any team can use.

GV Sprint, adapted from GV.com

Focus on Innovation

As highlighted in the definition, and shown in the diagram above, Design Sprints can be a powerful tool for innovation. Where Lean UX tries to address everything from idea to delivery of a feature, Design Sprints focus primarily on the idea and understanding of the problem. William Deng, author in UX Mastery, helps us visualise the differences between Design Sprints, Agile and Lean. Here’s our adaptation of his diagram:

Agile UX, Lean UX and Design Sprint — adapted from UX Mastery

Innovate faster

The aim is to learn without building and launching features, as you would with an MVP (in Lean UX). This approach therefore gives chance for entire product teams to iterate and test ideas rapidly together within just 1 working week. This is especially useful in larger organisations and corporations who can sometimes be slower to move. Design Sprints get everyone together and can be a great solution to generate momentum quickly and early on in a project.

The GV Sprint also provides activities and resources for every single day in the week, so teams know exactly what they’re doing, and are able to quickly test ideas. In contrast to Design Thinking, everything in a Design Sprint is set out and structured, enabling teams to move quickly through a design process. For an overview of the differences between the two, check this article out.

Learn through prototypes

A key component of the sprint is the creation of a prototype, which is one of the best ways to gather data and test ideas out. Essentially, this helps reduce as much time as possible that may be spent by engineering working on ideas that may be thrown away. As Google put it:

“The sprint gives you a superpower: You can fast-forward into the future to see your finished product and customer reactions, before making any expensive commitments.”

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve covered the valuable work of the Sprint Master and how the organization, along with the application of the Miro Toolkit, can aid the team throughout the challenge.

We’ve covered how to choose and work with a selection of team members that enhance the outcome. By including the right mix of engineers, marketers, and stakeholders, nothing will be missed along the way.

Finally, we went through the steps to follow in the Design Sprint, including suggested methods from Google Sprint Masters.

Next time you’re ready to create an exceptional user experience with a new product, put on your design-thinking cap and load up our design sprint template. Using a sprint template can help you tackle small tasks for a long-term goal and identify the big problems coming up in your new product. Then you can test with real users and release your product!

Прототипирование с низкой точностью и с высокой точностью

Верность относится к уровню детализации и функциональности, которые мы включаем в наш прототип. Это зависит от стадии разработки нашего продукта. Мы можем сделать тот, который дает широкий обзор, или тот, который дает подробное представление только об одной функции. Выбранный нами уровень достоверности должен подходить для представления пользователям в пользовательские тестытак что они могут обеспечить целенаправленную обратную связь.

Низкая точность воспроизведения

Пример: Бумажный прототип.

Преимущества:

Быстро и дешево.
Легко изменить и протестировать новые итерации,
Краткий обзор продукта.
Их может произвести любой.
Дизайнерское мышление, прототип явно не окончательный.

минусы:

Недостаток реализма, поэтому пользователи могут испытывать трудности с обратной связью.
Трудно применять результаты сырых ранних версий.
Может быть слишком простым, чтобы отражать пользовательский опыт конечного продукта.
Может упростить сложную проблему.
Отсутствие взаимодействия лишает пользователей прямого контроля.
Пользователи должны представить, как они будут использовать продукт.

Высококачественный

Пример: цифровые прототипы, созданные с помощью программного обеспечения, такого как Adobe XD.

Преимущества:

Все заинтересованные стороны имеют прототип в своих руках и могут судить, насколько хорошо он соответствует их потребностям.
Тестирование даст более точные, более применимые результаты.
Версии, наиболее близкие к конечному продукту, позволяют нам предсказать, как пользователи будут его использовать.

минусы:

Делать дороже.
Занимает больше времени.
Пользователи чаще комментируют поверхностные детали, чем содержание.
После нескольких часов работы дизайнеры, вероятно, ненавидят идею внесения изменений.
Пользователи могут спутать прототип с конечным продуктом и сформировать предрассудки.

Интерактивный прототип дает много полезных результатов при пользовательском тестировании. Однако эта достоверность относительна, например, статичный макет лендинга более надежен, чем нарисованный вариант. В общем, мы должны создавать прототипы с учетом потребностей пользователей, особенно с учетом бизнес-процессов.

Preparing for the sprint

Preparing for a sprint includes the following steps:

The facilitator writes a brief for team members and stakeholders to ensure they are prepared and supportive of the sprint. The brief should explain the problem the sprint is solving, the deliverables that will come out of it, the background of the project, and the schedule for each day of the sprint.
User research should be conducted and compiled before the sprint. This information should then be shared with the team to ensure the sprint stays user-centric.
Experts from inside and outside the organisation should be enlisted to give brief talks that provide insight into the problem the team is planning to tackle during the sprint.
The facilitator should book a dedicated space, such as a conference room, for the duration of the sprint.
The facilitator should stock the room where the sprint will take place with supplies, including Post-it notes, whiteboards, and markers, to ensure the sprint runs smoothly without interruptions.
The facilitator will share the rules of the sprint with the team, including that everyone is expected to attend the sprint without interruption until it is complete and that no devices that could distract from the sprint will be allowed.
The facilitator should also plan for the user testing that will take place at the last stage of the sprint.

Design Sprint Planning

Step 1: Write a Sprint Brief – This is a document that contains the Sprint Challenge, Key Goals, and Deliverables which the team wish to create during the Sprint

Step 2: Collect/ Conduct User Research – Research on the existing Idea/feature /product already existing in the market.

Step 3: Assemble your Sprint team- Team of 5-7 people who can provide their inputs and reject impractical ideas in the strategic direction for the project.

Step 4: Plan the Lightning Talks. – Involve team members and leverage knowledge of external experts to bring in new perspective/ ideas

Step 5: Create a Deck- It will support as a guide for going through the sprint.

Step 6: Find the Right Space- Right space to bring out the best creativity.

Step 7: Get the Supplies Availability of stationary required by the team.

Step 8: Choose a Good Ice Breaker- To bring the focus and start creative thinking.

Step 9: Set the Stage at the beginning of the Sprint -Availability of team and schedule.

Preparing for a Design Sprint

Before embarking on a design sprint, organizations must ensure they have the right foundations in place. This involves assembling the appropriate team, defining clear objectives, and gathering necessary resources and tools.

Assembling the Right Team

A successful design sprint relies on a diverse, cross-functional team that can bring a range of perspectives and expertise to the table. A typical design sprint team should include:

A facilitator who guides the team through the process and keeps them on track.
Product managers and designers who can contribute to product development and ideation.
Engineers and developers who can create prototypes and tackle technical challenges.
Business stakeholders who can provide insights into customer needs and make strategic decisions.
Domain experts who can contribute specialized knowledge to inform and enrich the process.

It is important for the team to have a good balance of skills and experience. The facilitator should be skilled in managing group dynamics and keeping the team focused on the task at hand. The product managers and designers should have a deep understanding of the product and the customer, while the engineers and developers should be able to quickly prototype and test ideas. The business stakeholders should be able to provide strategic direction, and the domain experts should be able to contribute specialized knowledge to the process.

Defining the Problem and Goals

Design sprints begin with a clearly defined problem statement that articulates the challenges the team seeks to address. The problem statement should be customer-centric and focused on a specific issue or opportunity. The team should also establish clear goals for the sprint, including specific outcomes or deliverables they aim to achieve.

It is important for the team to take the time to fully understand the problem they are trying to solve. This may involve conducting user research, analyzing customer feedback, and reviewing market trends. The problem statement should be clear and concise, and should be agreed upon by the entire team.

Gathering Necessary Resources and Tools

Design sprints require a range of resources and tools to facilitate collaboration and productivity. Before starting the process, organizers should ensure the team has access to:

A dedicated workspace, such as a meeting room or design studio, for the duration of the sprint.
Whiteboards, flip charts, and other visual aids to facilitate communication and ideation.
Sticky notes and markers for brainstorming, prioritizing, and mapping ideas.
Software and hardware tools for prototyping, testing, and refining ideas.
Access to user testing and feedback, either through in-house resources or external partners.

The workspace should be comfortable and conducive to collaboration, with plenty of natural light and space to move around. The visual aids should be easily accessible and should allow the team to quickly capture and share ideas. The tools should be up-to-date and easy to use, and should allow the team to quickly prototype and test ideas. User testing and feedback should be an integral part of the process, and the team should have access to the necessary resources to conduct this testing.

By assembling the right team, defining clear objectives, and gathering the necessary resources and tools, organizations can ensure a successful design sprint that leads to innovative and customer-centric solutions.

Related: Why Do You Need A Public Roadmap?

Phase 4: Prototype

Goal:

Build a prototype that can be tested with existing or potential customers.

The prototype should be designed to learn about specific unknowns and
assumptions. Its medium should be determined by time constraints and learning
goals. Paper, Keynote, and simple HTML/CSS are all good prototyping media.

The prototype storyboard and the first three phases of the sprint should make
prototype-building fairly straight forward. There shouldn’t be much uncertainty
around what needs to be done.

Why:

A prototype is a very low cost way of gaining valuable insights about what the
product needs to be. Once we know what works and what doesn’t we can
confidently invest time and money on more permanent implementation.

Activities:

Prototype implementation.

Deliverables:

A testable prototype.
A plan for testing. If we are testing workflows, we should also have a list of
outcomes we can ask our testers to achieve with our prototype.

What are the limitations of a design sprint?

While design sprints can be valuable for teams looking to iterate on and refine their ideas quickly, there are some limitations to keep in mind. We explore these below.

Limited scope

Design sprints tackle a specific problem or challenge quickly. This means they may not be suitable for complex, multi-faceted problems requiring a more in-depth approach.‍

Time constraints‍

Sprints typically last five days, which can be a tight timeframe for some teams. There may be a risk of rushing through the process and not giving enough time to certain phases of the sprint, such as prototyping and testing for usability.‍

Limited stakeholder involvement‍

A sprint will often involve a small team of designers and other key stakeholders, so not all relevant perspectives may be represented. This can lead to blind spots and potential problems down the line.‍

Potential for bias

‍As design sprints are rapid and iterative, team members may introduce their biases and assumptions into the process without realizing it.‍

It’s not suitable for all projects‍

Design sprints are best suited for projects that involve creating something new, such as a new product or service. They may be less effective for projects that involve incremental improvements or maintenance of existing products or services.

Advantages of a Design Sprint

Design sprints are what traditional customer-feedback processes aren’t: efficient, insightful, and actionable. Here is how.

Avoiding Groupthink

Bold ideas hardly shine in group settings.

Imagine a person talking about their new idea that they had a week ago. Another person would immediately jump in to respond to it. In a debate, this works well because both parties can spot flaws in each other’s arguments and improve through it.

Brainstorming sessions aren’t like formalized debates, as it very much focuses on generating ideas on the spot. Not discussing previously processed ideas.

Applying the same dynamics of the debate would neither allow the ideator to fully form their idea nor have an opposition that listens and learns in the process

Design Sprints eliminate that by encouraging every team member to research, think, and ideate individually.

Avoiding Bias

In group settings, ideas get judged by their source more than their actual practicality.

If the boss talks about a new idea that they have, then everyone pays attention and even agrees to think more about the idea.

But if a new idea were communicated by a newcomer, it might not be considered.

This is because the newcomer is perceived as a novice, and the boss is not.

Also because the boss pays the bills and thus agreeability is an obligation.

Design Sprints eliminate biases by making ideas and sketches completely anonymous. The focus stays on the quality and feasibility of the idea and not its source.

Putting Structure

Traditional brainstorming sessions have the barest of rules. There is a time when everyone is supposed to meet, along with an agenda.

But the overall processes of what should be thought upon and how the ideas will be reached are not framed.

As a rigorous set of processes, Design Sprints guide every aspect of the problem-solving session.

From setting a long-term vision to align everyone, to showing exactly how to remix a solution-strategy, a design sprint makes every step of the problem-solving session fast and replicable.

Putting a Diverse Team in action

Traditional planning occurs in silos.

If there is a hurdle with communicating a certain feature during the sales call, then only the sales team handles it.

Design Sprints tackle problems of all shapes and sizes. During one, a sales communication-gap would be solved by not just the sales rep, but the product owner, the CEO, and many others.

This diversification brings in several perspectives and solves the problem much faster.

Where Design Sprint cannot be applied?

There are situations where it might not fit your bill.

NO information about the problem: When you don’t have enough information upfront to successfully inform the solution. The facilitator should know the problem, its solution, customer feedback, market competitors, technical perspective and any previous effort done in this direction.
NO building of effective prototype in a day: The default sprint schedule allows a day for building the prototype. For a broad range of solutions, you can build an excellent prototype in a day but sometimes it takes more than a day to get to something real enough to test.

The Five Phases of a Design Sprint

Once the groundwork has been laid, the team can embark on the design sprint process, moving through the five structured phases over the course of a week.

Phase 1 — Understand and Map

In this initial phase, the team works together to gain a deep understanding of the problem at hand, customers’ needs, and the business context. They also establish a clear goal for the sprint and map out the scope of the challenge.