What is sprint design?
Sprint design is an accelerated product creation process popular in start-ups.

The process unfolds in a very short time (usually 5 days) the main phases of product creation, which are brainstorming, creating a prototype, testing and evaluation.

What are the advantages of sprint design?
It allows you to propose a product quickly by eliminating the risks and uncertainties of knowing if it is adapted to the target audience. We start with a public demand, we create it very quickly and we have it tested and improved by the target audience.

The prototype proposed under the time constraint makes it possible to quickly satisfy its customers, to make them participate in the life of the company by playing the role of beta-tester and to improve the product as the proposals for improvement reach the designers.

On the company’s side, this method of creation not only boosts the creativity of the teams but also allows to propose a product that is sure to find a buyer.

On the consumer side, the co-creation of products is very beneficial. They have preview access to the product content, they know it by heart and they can talk about it around them to promote it. This is where the magic happens: testers become ultra-fans who promote the product for you! And, as you know as well as I do, a product promoted by a customer is twice as likely to be purchased than if you promote it yourself.

This allows a faster return on investment, to reassure potential investors interested in financing the project as well as future customers on the quality of the product in view of the positive feedback from the first customers.

How to succeed in a design sprint?
The Sprint Design process takes place in 5 main stages, generally over 5 days:

Step 1: Defining the problem
Every good product solves a problem that the future user encounters.

And like any problem, we have to ask ourselves the right questions in order to solve it.

We don’t look for a precise answer at this stage. We ask the problem and its different facets.

We will try to define the type of clientele that encounters the problem. We put a name to the problem and the negative consequences for the person experiencing it.

The more questions we ask ourselves, the better we can identify the problem and the better the answers (and therefore the future product) that we will find.

Step 2: Brainstorming on the resolution of the problem
This day we let our creativity flow to imagine the different solutions to the problem imagined the day before.

Don’t limit yourself. All proposals are welcome, even those that seem unrealistic.  You will sort out tomorrow among the multiple solutions that emerged.

You can start defining your typical customer panel to prepare your first group of beta testers.

Step 3: Define the best solution
If everything went well yesterday, you have a huge list of potential solutions that can solve your customers’ problem.

You need to choose one that will be the basis of your product.

To do this you can rely on decision support methods such as the Pugh matrix for example or simply by taking a show of hands.

A final decision maker, designated as such in the group, will formalize the group’s choice or decide in case of disagreement.

Step 4: Creating the product prototype
You have defined the different phases necessary to create your product. Today, you create it.

In a single day? Yes. But you’re only going to create the basic architecture and the minimum viable so that your beta testers have a clear idea of the final product.

You can continue designing your product during the testing phase.

Step 5: Testing the prototyped product
You have built your test team that represents your ideal customer base for this product.

Today you have them test your product created the day before.

You collect their first impressions, you question them to get their opinions on the improvements to be made, you observe them to know their first reactions to the use of the product…

At the end of the day, you will know which direction to take to create the final product.

Building a good team is essential.

What is a good team?

It is a small, multidisciplinary, complementary team united in the same objective.

The main quality of this team must be listening and taking into account the skills of others.