Glossaries
Design Sprint
What is a Design Sprint?
A Design Sprint is a time-constrained, five-phase process that uses design thinking to reduce the risk when bringing a new product, service or feature to the market. It allows teams to rapidly prototype and test ideas with users, compressing months of work into a single week.
Synonyms: Design Thinking Sprint, Google Design Sprint, 5-Day Design Sprint, Rapid Prototyping Workshop
Why Design Sprints are Important
Design Sprints are crucial in user research and product development because they:
- Save time and resources by quickly validating ideas
- Foster collaboration and alignment among cross-functional teams
- Provide a structured approach to solving complex problems
- Generate user-centered solutions through rapid prototyping and testing
How Design Sprints Work
A typical Design Sprint follows these five phases:
- Understand: Define the problem and gather existing knowledge
- Ideate: Brainstorm potential solutions
- Decide: Choose the best ideas to prototype
- Prototype: Create a basic version of the chosen solution
- Test: Gather feedback from real users
This process allows teams to move from problem identification to user-tested solutions in just five days.
Examples of Design Sprint Outcomes
Design Sprints have been successfully used by various companies:
- Google used a Design Sprint to develop and test the Google Meet hardware kit
- Slack ran a Design Sprint to improve their onboarding process for new users
- Airbnb utilized Design Sprints to create and refine new features for hosts
Frequently Asked Questions
- How long does a Design Sprint take?: A typical Design Sprint lasts five days, with each day dedicated to one of the five phases.
- Who should participate in a Design Sprint?: Ideally, a cross-functional team of 5-7 people, including a facilitator, decision-maker, and representatives from design, engineering, and product management.
- Can Design Sprints be done remotely?: Yes, Design Sprints can be adapted for remote teams using digital collaboration tools and video conferencing.
- What's the difference between a Design Sprint and regular brainstorming?: Design Sprints are more structured and time-boxed, focusing on rapid prototyping and user testing, while brainstorming is typically a single phase within a larger process.