# Design Sprint

> Facilitate Google Ventures Design Sprints - 5-day process for answering critical business questions through design, prototyping, and testing with customers.

- Skill: `majiayu000/design-sprint-2` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add majiayu000/design-sprint-2`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/majiayu000/design-sprint-2/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: majiayu000 (https://skillmd.com/u/majiayu000)
- Updated: 2026-09-09
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/majiayu000/design-sprint-2

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# 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

| Role | Description | Responsibility |
|------|-------------|----------------|
| **Decider** | Final decision maker (CEO, PM, etc.) | Makes calls when team can't agree |
| **Facilitator** | Runs the process | Keeps time, manages energy, neutrality |
| **Designer** | Visualizes ideas | Creates prototype |
| **Engineer** | Technical feasibility | Reality check on ideas |
| **Marketing/Sales** | Customer voice | Customer insights, messaging |
| **Finance** | Business viability | ROI, pricing considerations |
| **Customer Support** | User perspective | Common problems, user language |

**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

```text
[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**:

```text
| 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: