Design Sprint

Design Sprint Facilitation

Overview

Design Sprints are a 5-day process developed at Google Ventures for answering critical business questions through design, prototyping, and testing ideas with customers. It compresses months of work into a single week.

When to Use Design Sprints

Ideal for:

• High-stakes decisions with significant risk
• Starting new products or features
• Facing a tight deadline
• Team alignment is needed
• Expensive or risky to build wrong thing

Not ideal for:

• Problems already well understood
• Incremental improvements
• When the answer is obvious
• When you can't get key stakeholders together

Sprint Team Roles

Optimal team size: 4-7 people

The 5-Day Process

Day 1: Map (Understand)

Goal: Create shared understanding and identify the target.

Schedule (6 hours):

• 10:00 - Start at the end (long-term goal)
• 10:30 - List sprint questions
• 11:00 - Make a map
• 12:00 - Lunch
• 13:00 - Ask the Experts
• 15:00 - Target selection
• 17:00 - Wrap up

Exercises:

1. Long-Term Goal

• Where do we want to be in 2 years?
• Template: "In 2 years, we will have [outcome]"

2. Sprint Questions

• Turn risks into questions
• Format: "Can we...?" or "Will they...?"
• Example: "Will enterprise developers trust AI-generated code?"

3. Make a Map

[Actors] → [Steps in Journey] → [End Goal]

Developer → Discovers tool → Signs up → First use → Regular use → Recommends

4. Ask the Experts

• Interview stakeholders, customers, subject matter experts
• Capture insights as "How Might We" notes
• Each person writes HMWs on sticky notes

5. Target Selection

• Vote on most important moment in customer journey
• Decider picks the target
• Rest of sprint focuses on this target

Day 2: Sketch (Diverge)

Goal: Generate many possible solutions individually.

Schedule (6 hours):

• 10:00 - Lightning demos
• 11:30 - Divide or swarm
• 12:00 - Lunch
• 13:00 - Four-step sketch
• 16:00 - Solution sketches complete
• 17:00 - Wrap up

Exercises:

1. Lightning Demos (90 min)

• Each person presents 1-3 inspiring products/features
• 3 minutes per demo
• Capture big ideas for reference

2. Four-Step Sketch (3 hours)

• Notes (20 min): Review material, jot down ideas
• Ideas (20 min): Rough solutions, one per sticky
• Crazy 8s (8 min): Fold paper into 8 panels, sketch 8 variations in 8 minutes
• Solution Sketch (90 min): Detailed 3-panel storyboard of best idea

Solution Sketch Guidelines:

• Self-explanatory (no verbal explanation)
• Anonymous
• 3 panels showing key moments
• Words, wireframes, diagrams welcome

Day 3: Decide (Converge)

Goal: Choose the best solution to prototype.

Schedule (6 hours):

• 10:00 - Art museum
• 11:00 - Heat map voting
• 11:15 - Speed critique
• 12:00 - Lunch
• 13:00 - Straw poll
• 13:30 - Supervote (Decider)
• 14:00 - Rumble or all-in-one
• 15:00 - Storyboard
• 17:00 - Wrap up

Exercises:

1. Art Museum

• Put all solution sketches on wall
• Walk around silently, study each

2. Heat Map

• Each person gets dots (20+)
• Vote on interesting parts of any sketch
• Cluster votes reveal popular concepts

3. Speed Critique

• 3 minutes per sketch
• Facilitator narrates
• Team calls out standouts
• Sketcher reveals intent
• Scribe captures big ideas

4. Supervote

• Decider gets 3 special votes
• Places votes on solutions to prototype
• These choices are final

5. Storyboard

• Create 10-15 panel storyboard for prototype
• Include opening scene (how user discovers)
• Step-by-step interaction
• Closing scene (success moment)

Day 4: Prototype (Build)

Goal: Build a realistic prototype in one day.

Schedule (6 hours):

• 10:00 - Pick tools
• 10:30 - Divide and conquer
• 12:00 - Lunch
• 13:00 - Stitch together
• 15:00 - Trial run
• 16:00 - Finalize
• 17:00 - Wrap up

Prototype Mindset:

• Fake it: Goldilocks quality - realistic enough to evoke honest reactions
• Facade prototype: Real-looking front, nothing behind it
• Just enough: Only what you need to test

Prototype Types:

• Digital products → Figma, Keynote, InVision
• Physical products → 3D print, foam, cardboard
• Services → Brochure, landing page, video

Team Roles:

• Makers (2+): Build the prototype
• Stitcher (1): Ensure consistency, connect pieces
• Writer (1): Write realistic text
• Asset Collector (1): Find images, icons, data
• Interviewer (1): Prepare test script

Day 5: Test (Validate)

Goal: Learn from real users in 5 interviews.

Schedule (6 hours):

• 09:00 - Room setup
• 10:00 - Interview 1
• 11:00 - Interview 2
• 12:00 - Lunch + debrief
• 13:00 - Interview 3
• 14:00 - Interview 4
• 15:00 - Interview 5
• 16:00 - Pattern finding
• 17:00 - Wrap up + next steps

Interview Structure (60 min each):

1. Friendly welcome (5 min): Build rapport
2. Context questions (10 min): Learn about their life
3. Introduce prototype (3 min): Set up scenario
4. Tasks + think aloud (30 min): Watch them use it
5. Quick debrief (5 min): Summarize reactions
6. Thank and wrap (5 min): Next steps, incentive

Note-Taking Grid:

| Interview 1 | Interview 2 | Interview 3 | Interview 4 | Interview 5 |
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
| Positive    | Positive    | Positive    | Positive    | Positive    |
| Negative    | Negative    | Negative    | Negative    | Negative    |
| Question    | Question    | Question    | Question    | Question    |

Pattern Finding:

• 3+ users with same reaction = pattern
• Positive patterns = validated
• Negative patterns = needs iteration

AI-Facilitated Sprint

When running a Design Sprint asynchronously with AI:

Day 1 Simulation

1. Gather all stakeholder context and goals
2. Generate long-term goal options
3. Create sprint questions from risks
4. Draft customer journey map
5. Synthesize "expert" insights from available data

Day 2 Simulation

1. Research lightning demo candidates
2. Generate solution sketches as descriptions
3. Create multiple concept variations
4. Document as structured storyboards

Day 3 Simulation

1. Evaluate solutions against criteria
2. Identify trade-offs and risks
3. Recommend winning solution(s)
4. Create detailed storyboard

Day 4 Simulation

1. Specify prototype requirements
2. Create wireframe descriptions
3. Write prototype copy/content
4. Define test scenarios

Day 5 Simulation

1. Create interview guide
2. Define success criteria
3. Plan pattern analysis
4. Prepare decision framework

Preparation Checklist

2 Weeks Before

• Pick the big challenge
• Assemble team (4-7 people)
• Schedule 5 consecutive days
• Recruit 5 test users for Friday
• Book sprint room

1 Week Before

• Gather background materials
• Schedule expert interviews
• Prepare supplies
• Send calendar blocks

Sprint Supplies

• Whiteboards or large paper
• Sticky notes (various colors)
• Sharpies (thick markers)
• Dot stickers for voting
• Timer
• Healthy snacks

Integration Points

Inputs from:

• User research and customer data
• Stakeholder interviews
• Competitive analysis
• Previous sprint learnings

Outputs to:

• lean-startup skill: Prototype → MVP hypothesis
• assumption-testing skill: Test results → Validated/invalidated assumptions
• Engineering team: Prototype → Technical specifications

References

For additional Design Sprint resources, see: