How a design sprint works – A creative escape room where we solve a concrete challenge in five intensive days

What is a design sprint?

The design sprint was developed by Google Ventures as a framework for using design methods to validate ideas and solve major challenges within a limited period of time. It spans five days, includes a team of four to seven people, and the activities follow a clear process to create solutions collaboratively.

There are two core elements to a design sprint: Each activity has a defined time limit (also called timeboxing), and the sequence is structured to solve any problems along the way (we have to trust the process).

What is the result of a design sprint?

A design sprint provides useful answers to a big question. After five days, we gain knowledge about what users think of a concrete proposed solution to an important problem.

The answers from the design sprint can have major consequences. It's incredibly valuable that these answers come after five days, not five months. The insights from user tests help determine whether the solution is worth pursuing further, or if you need to continue searching for other solutions.



How does a design sprint work?

An important part of a design sprint is that we create a shared understanding through a democratic process. The consequence is that everyone on the team gains greater ownership of the product and the result, and everyone gets to contribute ideas.

The process ensures that we include more introverted team members, while also preventing those who are best at speaking up from getting their ideas pushed through by being the loudest.

When is it appropriate to run a design sprint?

At Halogen, we use design sprints in a variety of projects. Sometimes it's useful to give projects a real push forward towards a deadline or a goal. Other times, we use design sprints because a project is stuck and needs a multidisciplinary team that can view the problems from a new perspective.

We also use design sprints to tackle truly major challenges for a product or an organisation. This allows us to ensure that future investments are built on a solid foundation.

Our experience is that a five-day design sprint makes us confident that what we have developed, tested, and validated together has value, and is a useful next step for the project.

Who takes part in the design sprint?

Ideally, the team consists of four to seven people. Participants must prioritise dedicating the necessary time for the sprint to be a success. It's less effective if the team runs back and forth between the sprint and other (important) meetings.

The different people on the team participate because they have unique expertise:

• The product owner understands the challenge and has extra responsibility for making decisions along the way.

• The facilitator ensures progress and provides energy and motivation for the work.

• The designer has experience in product development and idea generation.

• The technology expert has experience in programming and development.

• The marketing representative has experience in dialogue with customers.

• The finance expert has insight into financing models and opportunities.

Even if only one person on the team has the role of designer, everyone on the team contributes to understanding the problem, sketching ideas, exploring solutions, and building the prototype. Our experience is that a sprint is teamwork. At the same time, the activities give each participant time and space to develop their own ideas. This way, we ensure that the content of the proposals, and not the best storytelling, is what matters for the result.

Is everything allowed during a design sprint?

For a design sprint to work as planned, it's important to follow three simple rules:

1. Listen to the facilitator who guides the process.

2. The product owner makes the key decisions.

3. Keep the room free of mobile phones and laptops.

How does a design sprint work?

We use Post-it notes to generate and sort ideas, and we draw simple sketches with pen and paper. We alternate between working alone and discussing together, depending on what the tasks require. We fill the walls and windows of our room (also called "the war room") with drawings, sketches, maps, and ideas.

A design sprint also needs plenty of coffee and snacks, a shared lunch, and good breaks where we take a walk around the block. The five days are as fun and intense as they sound.

Most design sprints evolve a bit along the way, and we adjust direction and content based on what the project and problem need to move forward. Below, you can read more about what happens each of the five days in a classic design sprint.

Day 1 – we get to know each other and describe the problem

We start the day by getting to know each other and the sprint plan, and we familiarise ourselves with the context of the problem we are going to solve. To ensure that the entire team has a common understanding of the product and what the challenge is, we draw maps of users' interactions with the service or product, and we gather insight by reading reports, interviewing experts, and observing users.

We discuss what characterises success, prepare for what can go wrong, and articulate where the pain points are right now. Slowly but surely, we approach a precise description of a concrete problem we are going to solve together.

We also use voting to make important decisions about which area we will prioritise in the coming days. And then it's time to go home and sleep, and continue the next day.

Day 2 – we fill the room with good ideas

Day two begins by collecting inspiration from existing products and services. We use Lightning Demos to explore existing solutions to the problem we have chosen.

The inspiration gives the team an important starting point for achieving the day's goal: to create a handful of simple sketches for how to solve the problem.

We start by noting, thinking, and discussing together. Then we brainstorm freely, before embarking on the week's most intensive activity: "Crazy 8s." It's all over in eight minutes, and the result is eight different solution proposals. After that, we take the time to choose some of them and draw them in a little more detail, so that others can understand what we've thought and what's possible.

Fortunately, the sprint isn't about who's best at drawing, but about using simple line drawings to develop visual ideas for solutions. Everyone in the room contributes to the sketches, even those who immediately think "I can't draw." At Halogen, we provide all the practical supplies, such as paper, markers, and more snacks.

Towards the end of the day, we hang up all the ideas and celebrate our creativity!

Day 3 – we choose a proposed solution

We start day three by familiarising ourselves with all the ideas hanging around the room. We use small, round sticky notes to vote on our favorites, and choose one or two solutions to move on to the next step. If we can't agree, the product owner has the final say.

The ideas that are not chosen are not wasted time, and many of them can turn into new and exciting projects after the sprint is over. For the rest of the week, energy is needed to deliver on the idea we have chosen.

To understand the potential and details of the sketch, we collaboratively draw a storyboard that shows how a customer can interact with the solution over time. A comic strip with five to fifteen panels shows how we envisioned the new solution and what the flow of the experience is. The day ends with a breather – we're more than halfway there!

Day 4 – we create a prototype

The fourth day is dedicated to creating a simple, yet detailed prototype of the solution. We divide the work among ourselves and assemble websites, texts, buttons, and flowcharts into a comprehensive first version of the solution.

Sometimes we distribute the work among the entire team, while other times it's smartest if the designers handle most of the job. Time flies, and it's important not to get too detailed in the work. The prototype should be good enough for users to genuinely test it, but simple enough to be produced within one workday.

Day 5 – we test and conclude

On the last day, we start by inviting users to test the solution we have created. The entire team observes and reflects on what users do, say, and think, and after four to five user interviews, we summarise the results.

Perhaps they love the solution and want a full version in the app next week? Perhaps the solution helps us discover the next problem that stops the flow? Perhaps we've slightly missed what users truly want, or perhaps we need to conduct larger investigations to know how the new solution will affect the service or product?

No matter how it ends, a design sprint provides tangible data on what users think about a solution to an important problem. This is extremely valuable for the companies we collaborate with.