Welcome to the Sprint Deck!
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Hi! This deck was created for anyone who wants to facilitate a design sprint as it is described in Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days.
Perhaps you’re not familiar with some exercises, or find it difficult to explain to others, or struggles to remember the steps, or how to time them — that’s fine! Here you’ll find excerpts from the book that can be easily read or used during the Sprint. Remote sprints have a different pace and different needs, but you can perhaps still use this deck as your guiding manual. It includes:
› How To for each exercise
› Automatic timers to replace or support a TimeTimer device, reducing context switching
› Color-coded slides to help you quickly navigate through the days
It was intended to be used in Present mode and works well in most browsers.
Good luck with your Sprint!
Content
From the book Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days by Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky and Braden Kowitz (with information from the book’s website). Copyright © Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky and Braden Kowitz 2016.
Pictures
Unless specified as part of the book, they’re attributed to Unsplash authors Dylan Gillis, Amélie Mourichon, Christina @ wocintechchat.com, Daniel Korpai and UX Indonesia
Slides design, icons and illustrations
The Design Sprint Deck slides design, icons and illustrations by Tassia Pellegrini is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0 — you can distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the slides design, icons and illustrations in any medium or format, for noncommercial purposes only.
5—Day
Design Sprint
Solve big problems and test new ideas in just five days
Welcome and thanks for being here!
We’re about to spend undivided time together to build and test a realistic prototype in just 5 days using the Design Sprint process
Before we continue… �Do you know each other?!
Let’s do a round of quick introductions: please say your name, your role, and which area you work on (or why you’re here)
Tip for the Facilitator and the Decider: explain a bit more about your responsibilities in this workshop
Okay, what is a Design Sprint?
A Design Sprint is a 5-day step-by-step process for answering crucial questions through prototyping and testing ideas with customers
Principles and techniques outlined by Jake Knapp (with John Zeratsky and Braden Kowitz) in their book Sprint
The week
Creating a path for the sprint week
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
Coming up with solutions
Forming a
solid plan
Creating a realistic prototype
Learning with customers
This is how it looks like on Monday
We’ll start by agreeing on a long-term goal. Then we’ll make a map of the challenge, ask the experts and
pick a target
CREATING A PATH FOR THE WEEK
Photo by Dylan Gillis on Unsplash
This is how it looks like on Tuesday
COMING UP WITH SOLUTIONS
We’ll review existing ideas to remix and improve. Then we’ll sketch, using a four-step process that helps our critical thinking become concrete
Photo by Amélie Mourichon on Unsplash
This is how it looks like on Wednesday
FORMING A SOLID PLAN
We’ll critique solutions to get the ones that can help us achieve our long-term goal. Then we’ll create a storyboard (a step-by-step plan for our prototype)
Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash
This is how it looks like on Thursday
CREATING A REALISTIC PROTOTYPE
We’ll adopt a “fake it” philosophy to turn the storyboard into a prototype in just seven hours
Photo by Daniel Korpai on Unsplash
This is how it looks like on Friday
LEARNING WITH CUSTOMERS
We’ll interview customers and learn by watching them use our prototype. At the end of the day, we’ll know how far we have to go and what to do next
Photo by UX Indonesia on Unsplash
At the end of this sprint, we’ll know what to do next
We’ll end this week with clarity about the challenge we’re tackling and with
tested solutions
Before we start, let’s agree on some principles and rules
Our commitments for this week
We won’t be distracted by laptops, phones or tablets (unless it’s a break - you can step out of the room/call anytime)
NO DISTRACTIONS
We’ll respect the time frame and breaks. It will feel tight and fast but we’ll trust the process
TIMEBOX
We are committed to be helpful and engaged, and we’ll be flexible as needed
ENGAGEMENT
We’ll develop ideas individually but share them in a coordinated manner
WORK ALONE TOGETHER
Let’s do this!
Today is Day 1
Today is all about creating a path for the sprint week
Today is Day 1
Morning�
› Long-term goal
› Map the challenge
�
Afternoon�
› Ask the experts
› Pick a target
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
Morning�
› Inspiration: review of ideas to remix and improve
�Afternoon�
› Sketching using the 4-part process
Morning�
› Critique each solution and decide
��Afternoon�
› Storyboard
Morning�
› Divide and conquer and start creating
�Afternoon�
› Stitch it together and do a trial run
Morning�
› Interview customers
��Afternoon�
› More interviews
› Next steps!
Long-term goal and sprint questions
Starting at the end: the long-term goal
The long-term goal will help us:
› look ahead
› create shared clarity about our direction
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
Why are we doing this project? Where do we want to be in six months, a year, or even five years from now?
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
Discussing the long-term goal
This discussion could take anywhere from 30 seconds to 30 minutes (sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it isn’t — and that’s okay, but do have a discussion and �an agreement).
And don’t worry about overreaching: the Sprint process will help us find a good place to start and make real progress toward even the biggest goal.
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
How to write the long-term goal
Write down relevant discussion points and/or statements in post-its while discussing. Then, before the time is over, converge: ��Take a post-it (or write it down in a visible, non-erasable area of the whiteboard, wall or flipchart) and write one sentence about how the ideal world looks like in your chosen timeframe (six months, 2 years, 5 years?).
In x time….
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
In X time, our ideal world looks like...
(be optimistic)
MAXIMUM OF 30 MINUTES
Why are we doing this project? Where do we want to be in six months, a year, or even five years from now?
Write down relevant discussion points and/or statements in post-its while sharing your thoughts. Don’t forget to converge into one sentence before time is over.
Our long term goal is...
The long-term goal will stay there throughout the sprint as a beacon to keep everyone moving in the same direction. Stick or write it in a visible area.
In x time….
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
Now, a reality check: the sprint questions
It’s time to get a bit pessimistic. Imagine you’ve gone forward in time one year, and our project was a disaster. What caused it to fail? How did our goal go wrong?
Just like the goal, these questions guide the solutions and decisions throughout the sprint.
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
Listing the sprint questions
You’ll list sprint questions on different post-its (or whiteboard, �wall, flip-chart). Here are some prompts to think about �assumptions and questions:�
› What questions do we want to answer in this sprint?
› To meet our long-term goal, what has to be true?
› Imagine we travel to the future and our project has failed. What caused that?
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
Rephrasing assumptions and obstacles into questions
Turning potential problems into questions makes them easier to track and creates a subtle shift from uncertainty to curiosity.
Long-term goal: Reach new customers
Question: To reach new customers, what has to be true?
Answer: They have to trust our expertise
�› How can we rephrase the answer as a question?
Example: “Will customers trust our expertise?”
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
AROUND 5 MINUTES
Write sprint questions
› What questions do we want to answer in this sprint?
› To meet our long-term goal, what has to be true?
�› Imagine we travel to the future and our project has failed. What caused that?
Our sprint questions are...
You might end up with only one or two sprint questions. That’s fine. You might come up with a dozen or more. Also, just fine. Stick or write them in a visible area close to the long-term goal.
Can we...
How will we...
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
Little break :)
Map the challenge
Drafting a simplified customer narrative
No matter how complicated the business challenge, it can be mapped with a few words and a few arrows. This simplified narrative will help us identify possible problem areas and opportunities.
It also doesn’t have to be perfect: you might want to update and correct your map throughout the day as you discuss the problem.
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
How to draw the map
List relevant people, stakeholders, users or actors on the left
Write the final objective/end of the journey on the right�
Add high level journey stages (change them as you learn) on the top
Until time is up, fill what’s in between. Keep it simple!
1
2
4
Discover
Learn
Use
3
1
2
3
4
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
Here’s an example
Patient
Doctor
Coordinator
Begin Therapy
Make
Appointment
Search for Matching Trials
Appointment: discuss trial
Enroll
This will be a simple diagram from 5 to 15 steps
PAGE 63
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
Drawing the map
30 TO 60 MINUTES MAX.
List relevant people, stakeholders, users or actors on the left
Write the final objective/end of the journey on the right�
Add high level journey stages (change them as you learn) on the top
Until time is up, fill what’s in between. Keep it simple!
1
2
4
Discover
Learn
Use
3
1
2
3
4
We reached an important milestone!
We now have a rough draft of our long-term goal, sprint questions and a map. Good job!
As we go, we’ll add more questions, make updates to our map, and if needed, adjust the phrasing of our long-term goal. And we’ll take notes as a team, to add more depth to the map.
Now let’s take a break and recharge for the afternoon.
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
Lunch Break
Asking the experts
Assembling one cohesive picture from everyone’s expertise
Nobody knows everything, not even the CEO. Instead, the information is distributed asymmetrically across the team and across the company.
In the sprint, we’ve got to gather it and make sense of it, and asking the experts (people in the team, people around the company or external folks with relevant expertise) is the fastest way to do that.
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
Ask experts to fill in areas where they have extra expertise
Ask them to retell us what they think we already know. And most important, ask the expert to tell us where we’ve got it wrong.
Can they find anything in our map that is incomplete? Would they add any sprint questions to our list? What opportunities do they see?
Ask lots of “why?” and “tell me more about that”.
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
While the interview is happening, everyone will take notes in an standardized format called How Might We
This will allow us to create a pool of organized and prioritized notes from the entire team shortly after the interviews.
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
What are How Might We notes
How already assumes a solution exists — we just need to uncover it.
Might means this is a process that is free of judgment. This is the time we can imagine everything.
We means we’ll get to this solution together. It’s a team sport!
HMW...
Represent the risk/cover/price more clearly?
HMW...
Help developers discover available services immediately?
HMW...
Sunset old features without friction to its users?
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
Avoid being too specific or too broad
This one is too broad. It doesn’t help us focus on the problems or pain points our customers are facing
This HMW statement is too specific because it already provides an answer
HMW...
Add a hamburger menu?
HMW...
Rewrite and redesign the portal?
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
Strive for balance
This is a sweet spot between being too specific or too broad, and we can generate many (focussed) solutions from it
HMW...
Help people realize they can buy coffee online?
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
How to write HMW notes
1. Put the letters “HMW” at the top left corner �of your sticky note
2. Wait.
3. When you hear something interesting, convert it into a HMW question (quietly)
4. Write the question on your sticky note
5. Peel off the note and set it aside. Keep writing questions until the interview is over
Help users perform multiple cancellations by themselves quickly
HMW
Help users perform multiple cancellations by themselves quickly
HMW
Help users perform multiple cancellations by themselves quickly
HMW
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
Expert interview #1
AROUND 30 MIN
Interviewers: rewrite problems you heard as How Might We statements (as many as you can)
Expert interview #x
AROUND 30 MIN
Interviewers: rewrite problems you heard as How Might We statements (as many as you can)
Little break :)
Organizing our notes
After all the interviews, we generated a pile of notes (somewhere in between thirty to a hundred). Unfortunately, it’s not possible to make good use of that many notes!
So it’s time share, organize and prioritize the How Might We notes we gathered.
HMW...
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
First, put up the HMW notes without any organization
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
Then, call out patterns, categories and themes you see
Marketing!
Communication!
Onboarding!
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
Move post-its as the categories emerge at the top
Tip: It’s normal to end up with a “Misc” theme of notes that don’t fit anywhere else — those misfit notes end up being some of the best ones!
Onboarding
Marketing
Comms
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
AROUND 5 MINUTES
Share and organize the HMWs
› First, Put up the HMW notes without any organization
› Then, call out patterns, categories and themes you see
�› Move post-its as the categories emerge at the top
Prioritizing notes
To prioritize notes, we’ll use dote voting. At the end of the voting, we’ll have clusters of dots on a few How Might We notes, and the whole pile will be prioritized.
Help users perform multiple cancellations by themselves quickly
HMW
Help users perform multiple cancellations by themselves quickly
HMW
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
Voting on HMW notes
1. Give 2 large dot stickers to each person
2. Give 4 large dot stickers to the Decider
3. Ask everyone to review the goal �and sprint questions
4. Ask everyone to choose the HMWs they think are the most useful — in silence
5. It’s ok to vote for your own note or to vote twice for the same note
Onboarding
Marketing
Comms
Misc
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
AROUND 10 MINUTES
Voting on How Might We notes
1. Give 2 large dot stickers to each person
2. Give 4 large dot stickers to the Decider
3. Ask everyone to review the long-term goal and sprint questions
4. Ask everyone to choose the HMWs they think are the most useful — in silence
5. It’s ok to vote for your own note or to vote twice for the same note
Now, let’s place the most voted HMWs in our map
When the voting is over, take the How Might We notes with multiple votes, remove them from the wall, and find a place to stick them in your map.
Most votes will probably correspond with a specific step in the story. Don’t discuss too much, and, in doubt, place the HMWs further left.
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
AROUND 5 MINUTES
Placing the HMWs on the map
Take the How Might We notes with multiple votes, remove them from the wall, and find a place to stick them in your map.
Most votes will probably correspond with a specific step in the story. Don’t discuss too much, and, in doubt, place the HMWs further left on the map.
Little break :)
Picking a target
The most important job of the day: choose one specific target
After a look back over our long-term goal, our sprint questions, our map, and the notes we took this afternoon, it’s time to choose one specific target for the rest of our sprint’s efforts.
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
The Decider makes the call
The Decider needs to choose one target customer and one target event on the map.
If the Decider wants help, then ask everyone on the team to choose the customer and the event each of them believes are most important — write down those choices on a piece of paper.
Once everyone has privately made a selection, register the votes on the map with a marker. After the votes have been tallied, discuss any big differences of opinion.
Customer
Customer
Event
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
AROUND 10 MINUTES
Choosing a target
The Decider (alone or with the team) decides on a target customer and on a target event.
› Focus on the HMWs
› Don’t discuss too long
› If in doubt, go further left
› The Decider makes the final call
Taking a look back at our �sprint questions
Once we’ve selected a target, it’s important to take a look back at our sprint questions.
Usually, it’s not possible to answer all those questions in one sprint, but one or more should line up with the target.
How are we going so far?
How will we...
Can we...
Day 01 — creating a path for the sprint week
Wow, what a day!
We’ve identified a long-term goal and the questions to answer along the way
We’ve made a map and selected the target for the rest of our sprint
Everyone on the team will have the same information, and everyone will understand the week’s objective
See you �tomorrow
Today is Day 2
Today is all about coming up with solutions
Today is Day 2
Morning�
› Long-term goal
› Map the challenge
�
Afternoon�
› Ask the experts
› Pick a target
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
Morning�
› Inspiration: review of ideas to remix and improve
�Afternoon�
› Sketching using the 4-part process
Morning�
› Critique each solution and decide
��Afternoon�
› Storyboard
Morning�
› Divide and conquer and start creating
�Afternoon�
› Stitch it together and do a trial run
Morning�
› Interview customers
��Afternoon�
› More interviews
› Next steps!
Inspiration: review of ideas to remix and improve
Finding inspiring solutions
Lightning demos are an informal way to generate a list of products or services to review for �inspiring solutions.
Think outside your industry/field, and also consider inspiration from within the company.
Everything you review should contain something good you can learn from. After a few minutes of thinking, everyone should narrow down to their top 1 or 2 products/services they would like to share.
Day 02 — coming up with solutions
Relate those solutions to the long-term goal and questions
Go back to the map and target to help you narrow down what kind of inspiration you’re looking for. What products or services do you think offer solutions to a similar issue this sprint is tackling?
How does this relate to the long-term goal and sprint questions? This will make creating our own solutions later own more easily.
Day 02 — coming up with solutions
Get screenshots, URLs and notes as you browse
Go ahead and use the internet! Find an inspiring example in any industry or field (take pictures, screenshots, save URLs).
Write down the product name, the big idea behind the example you chose and small supporting points (often related to our long-term goal and sprint questions).
NETLIFY
BIG IDEA: “it just works in a push of a button” workflow
Day 02 — coming up with solutions
AROUND 20 MINUTES
Finding inspiring solutions
Go ahead and use the internet! Find an inspiring example in any industry or field (take pictures, screenshots, �save URLs).
Write down the product name, the big idea behind the example you chose and small supporting points (often related to our sprint questions).
Presenting what we found
One at a time, the person who suggested each product gives a tour, showing the whole team what’s so cool about it.
Use any device to show to the group what product you found and give them a tour.
Each person gets 3 minutes.
NETLIFY
BIG IDEA: “it just works in a push of a button” workflow
Day 02 — coming up with solutions
Collecting big ideas as we go
The facilitator (or a volunteer) can complement the notes from each team member with simple doodles and/or annotations in the whiteboard (or as a bunch of post-its).
Those notes and doodles are just to jog our memory later in the day, so they don’t have to be fancy or detailed.
NETLIFY
BIG IDEA: “it just works in a push of a button” workflow
GOOGLE SHEETS
BIG IDEA: inline commenting (for each cell)
BASECAMP
BIG IDEA: “stacked pages” as a navigation metaphor
Day 02 — coming up with solutions
Who’s going to present first? Get ready and �count to 3, 2, 1...
Day 02 — coming up with solutions
AROUND 3 MINUTES PER PERSON
Go! Presenting inspiring solutions #1
Give a tour of your suggested product/service, showing the whole team what’s so cool about it.
Focus on:
› What’s the big idea?�› How does it relate to our long-term goal and/or sprint questions?
AROUND 3 MINUTES PER PERSON
Go! Presenting inspiring solutions #x
Give a tour of your suggested product/service, showing the whole team what’s so cool about it.
Focus on:
› What’s the big idea?�› How does it relate to our long-term goal and/or sprint questions?
How was it?
By the end of the lightning demos, we should have a whiteboard full of 10 to 20 ideas. That’s enough to make sure we’ve captured each person’s best inspiration.
Day 02 — coming up with solutions
Little break :)
Divide or swarm
Should we divide the problem? Let’s review our map and have a quick team discussion.
If we have a super-focused and small target, then it’s fine to skip assignments and everyone can focus on the same area.
If there are several pieces to cover, then each team member should write down their name next to the part of the map they’re most interested in.
Vanessa
Elisa
Alex
George
Alina
Day 02 — coming up with solutions
AROUND 30 MINUTES
Divide or swarm
Should we divide the problem? Let’s review our map and discuss.
If we have a small target, then it’s fine to for everyone to focus on the same area. If there are several pieces to cover, then each team member should write down their name next to the part of the map they’re most interested in.
How was it?
Once each person knows his or her assignment, we ensure there will be at least a couple of solutions for each important part (in case there are many).
Now it’s time to get some lunch!
Day 02 — coming up with solutions
Lunch Break
Creating solutions with the four-step sketch
Wait, did someone �say sketch?!
Please don’t let words like “sketching” or “drawing” scare you. This is not an art competition — actually, ugly is okay.
And we will do it in a way that will help everyone bust the intimidating blank sheet of paper �in just 4 steps.
Day 02 — coming up with solutions
We will follow specific steps to help everyone focus and make progress
Day 02 — coming up with solutions
How each part works
1. Take notes
Here, we’re not creating anything new. We’re just gathering what we learned and warming up
2. Generate ideas
Each person will jot down rough ideas, doodle, diagrams, etc — anything that give form to your thoughts
3. Expand these ideas
Each person takes their strongest ideas and rapidly sketches 8 variations �in just eight minutes
4. Sketch a solution
This is each person’s best idea, in detail, as an opinionated hypothesis for how to solve the challenge at hand
Day 02 — coming up with solutions
Taking notes
Step 1:
Taking notes
This first step is super easy. We will walk around the room, look at the whiteboards, and take notes. They’re a way to refresh our memories before we commit to a solution.
1. Copy down the long-term goal
2. Look at the map and its target, the HMW questions, the sprint questions, and the notes from the Lightning Demos
3. Write down anything that looks useful
4. Don’t worry about coming up with ideas or being neat. This won’t be shared with others
Day 02 — coming up with solutions
AROUND 20 MINUTES
Taking notes
1. Copy down the long-term goal
2. Look at the map, the HMW questions, the sprint questions, and the notes from the lightning demos
3. Write down anything that looks useful
4. Don’t worry about coming up with ideas or being neat. This won’t be shared with others
Little break :)
Ideas and doodling
Step 2:
Ideas and doodling
In this step, each person will jot down rough ideas, filling a sheet of paper with doodles, sample headlines, diagrams, stick figures doing stuff — anything that gives form to your thoughts.
It doesn’t matter if the ideas are messy or incomplete — they won’t be shared with the whole team. This is your scratch pad!
Day 02 — coming up with solutions
AROUND 20 MINUTES
Ideas and doodling
In this step, each person will jot down rough ideas, filling a sheet of paper with doodles, sample headlines, diagrams, stick figures doing stuff — anything that gives form �to your thoughts.
It doesn’t matter if the ideas are messy or incomplete — they won’t be shared with the whole team. This is your scratch pad!
Little break :)
The crazy 8s
Step 3: Crazy 8s
This is a fast-paced exercise. Each person gets their strongest ideas and rapidly sketches eight variations in eight minutes. The exercise works best when you sketch several variations of the same idea.
1. Take a favorite piece from your ideas sheet and ask yourself: what would be another good way to do this?
2. Keep going until you can’t find any more variations, then look at your ideas sheet and choose a new idea and start riffing on it
Tip: this is also a great writing exercise, if your idea contains words or marketing headlines you can use the Crazy 8s to improve the phrasing
Day 02 — coming up with solutions
Get a blank sheet of paper and fold it in half 3 times, so you have 8 panels
Day 02 — coming up with solutions
PAGE 113
Day 02 — coming up with solutions
Before we start...
Make sure you folded your blank sheet of paper and have the 8 panels
Make sure you chose a favorite piece from your ideas sheet. Circle it and ask yourself: what would be another good way to do this?
Let’s go! 3, 2, 1...
Day 02 — coming up with solutions
8 MINUTES IN TOTAL
Crazy 8s
You have 1 minute per panel, change when you hear “switch!” from the facilitator
1. Take a favorite piece from your ideas sheet and ask yourself: what would be another good way to do this?
2. Keep going until you can’t find any more variations, then look at your ideas sheet and choose a new idea and start riffing on it
Tip: this is also a great writing exercise, if your idea contains words or marketing headlines you can use the Crazy 8s to improve the phrasing
Very short break
Solution sketch
Step 4: Solution Sketch
Each person in the team is responsible for creating one solution sketch. Each sketch is an opinionated hypothesis for how to solve the challenge at hand, in detail — and these will be looked at and judged by the rest of the team tomorrow.
Each sketch will be a 3-panel storyboard drawn on sticky notes, showing what our customers see as they interact with our product or service.
Day 02 — coming up with solutions
Rules for how to do it
Self-explanatory
Tomorrow everyone will post their sketch on the wall for everyone to see. It needs to explain itself without its author’s help
Keep it anonymous
Don’t put your name on your sketch, and make sure it is not identifiable in any other form! The anonymity will make it much easier to critique and choose the best ideas
Ugly is okay!
Your sketch doesn’t have to be fancy, but it does have to be detailed, thoughtful, and complete. Be as neat as you can but don’t worry on making it “pretty”
Words matter
Pay extra close attention to the writing in your sketch. Don’t use “lorem ipsum” or placeholders. Make your text real, even for the small details like menus
Give it a catchy title
Since your name won’t be on your sketch, give it a title. These will help the team keep track of the different solutions as we’re reviewing and choosing
Tip: if post-its seem too small, use 3 letter-sized paper sheets in landscape mode stead, glued to each other. As long as everyone is using the same method and is kept anonymized, it will work too
1
2
3
5
4
1
5
3
4
Day 02 — coming up with solutions
PAGE 108
Before we start...
Make sure you have:
Blank sheets of paper at hand (but remember you’ll deliver only one solution sketch per person)
A stack of rectangular post-its (make sure everyone is using the same format)
Choose your favorite pen(s) — you can use different colors or highlighters to add emphasis if you want
Refer to your notes, ideas and Crazy 8s!
The group will have 1 hour to complete this exercise. When you finish, stack it on a pile facing down. Remember to keep it anonymous!
Day 02 — coming up with solutions
AROUND 1 HOUR
Solution Sketch - half 1
Each sketch is an opinionated hypothesis for how to solve the challenge at hand, in detail
1. Make it self-explanatory
2. Keep it anonymous
3. Ugly is okay!
4. Words matter
5. Give it a catchy title
6. Finished? Stack it on a pile facing down
LAST 30 MINUTES!
Solution Sketch - half 2 (last 30 minutes)
Each sketch is an opinionated hypothesis for how to solve the challenge at hand, in detail
1. Make it self-explanatory
2. Keep it anonymous
3. Ugly is okay!
4. Words matter
5. Give it a catchy title
6. Finished? Stack it on a pile facing down
How was it?
Today was a busy day and a lot got done. We have now many solutions what will be discussed and voted tomorrow.
How is everyone feeling?
Day 02 — coming up with solutions
We’re halfway there
We got inspired by how different products and services tackle similar challenges as ours
We generated many ideas and consolidated them in solutions that target our long-term goal
With this, we’re ready for discussing and deciding which solution will be tested on Friday with �our customers
See you �tomorrow
Today is Day 3
Today is all about forming a solid plan for our prototype
Today is Day 3
Morning�
› Long-term goal
› Map the challenge
�
Afternoon�
› Ask the experts
› Pick a target
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
Morning�
› Inspiration: review of ideas to remix and improve
�Afternoon�
› Sketching using the 4-part process
Morning�
› Critique each solution and decide
��Afternoon�
› Storyboard
Morning�
› Divide and conquer and start creating
�Afternoon�
› Stitch it together and do a trial run
Morning�
› Interview customers
��Afternoon�
› More interviews
› Next steps!
5 steps for decision making
We can’t prototype and test all solutions...
So we will spend the first half of the day critiquing each solution and then decide which ones have the best chance of achieving our long-term goal.
Day 03 — forming a solid plan
How to do it in 5 steps
Art Museum
Use masking tape to stick the sketches on wall, spacing them out in one long row, just like in a museum
Heat map
This step ensures each person will make the most of their first, uninformed look at each solution sketch, by voting and annotating
Speed critique
The team will discuss each solution sketch and make note of standout ideas. The conversation will have a structure and time limit
Straw poll
This is a non binding vote used to gauge the team’s opinion. It’s a quick way for the whole team to express their views on the solutions
Supervote
The supervote is the ultimate decision. Each decider (if there’s more than one) will get special votes, and whatever they vote for is what the team will prototype
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Day 03 — forming a solid plan
Step 1: Art Museum
The first step is simple: use masking tape to stick the sketches on a wall. Space them out in one long row, just like paintings in a museum.
Day 03 — forming a solid plan
Step 2: Heat Map
Each person will review the sketches silently and put 1 to 3 small dot stickers beside every part they like (copy, feature, concept, etc). Everyone can also add questions and concerns below each sketch.
(Questions or concerns)
is this Feasible?
How will customers learn about this feature?
This might be too complex for some of our customers
Day 03 — forming a solid plan
Before we start...
Make sure everyone has a bunch of small dot stickers (20 to 30 per person)
Have extra post-its handy in case anyone has questions or concerns about any sketch — they can be added below
Remember: don’t talk! Look at each sketch silently. Then put dot stickers besides the parts you like (if any). Put 2 or 3 dots on the most exciting ideas!
Do that for each solution sketch
There are no limits or rules for these dots. If people want to put dots on their own sketch, they should. If people run out of dots, they can get more. This step is not a vote yet, this is to help the group express their opinions about each solution
Day 03 — forming a solid plan
Heat Map
AROUND 20 MIN
Tip: If you want to put dots on your own sketch, you should. If you run out of dots, you can get more
Step 3: Speed Critique
As a group, we will discuss the highlights of each solution (3 minutes per sketch, capturing standout ideas and objections. This is how it works:
Animated video
One-step signup
Smart & Predictable dashboard
How will customers learn about this feature?
Day 03 — forming a solid plan
Before we start...
Someone besides the Facilitator has to be the Scribe
Make sure the Scribe has their post-it and pens ready
We shouldn’t try to come up with new ideas on the spot — just write down what stands out about each solution
Remember that what we’re trying to accomplish in this critique is to create a record of promising ideas. The team doesn’t need to debate whether something should be included in the prototype (that will come later)
Ready? 3, 2, 1...
Day 03 — forming a solid plan
AROUND 3 MINUTES PER SKETCH
Go! Speed critique #1
AROUND 3 MINUTES PER SKETCH
Go! Speed critique #x
How was it?
By the end of the speed critique, everyone will understand all of the promising ideas and details, and the team will also have a nice tangible record of the discussion on the wall!
Day 03 — forming a solid plan
Step 4: Straw poll
For a few minutes, the team silently will consider where to vote. And then the larger stickers go up. Afterward, each person will give a brief explanation on their vote.
The Decider should listen to these explanations because all decision-making authority is about to the turned �over to them.
(Questions or concerns)
is this Feasible?
How will customers learn about this feature?
Animated video
One-step signup
Smart & Predictable dashboard
Short and invisible onboarding
Balance Always visible
Day 03 — forming a solid plan
Before we start...
Make sure everyone has one vote (represented by a �big dot sticker)
Review the long-term goal and sprint questions
Remember: err on the side of risky ideas with big potential
Each person privately writes down his or her choice. The choice could be the whole sketch or just one idea in a sketch
When time is up, or when everyone is finished, place the votes (dots) on the sketches
Each person briefly explains (1 minute per person) their vote
Day 03 — forming a solid plan
AROUND 10 MINUTES
Straw poll: deliberation
› Review the long-term goal and sprint questions
› Err on the side of risky ideas with big potential
› Each person privately writes down their choice (it could be the whole sketch or just one idea �in a sketch)
› When time is up, or when everyone is finished, place the votes (dots) on the sketches
Place the votes on the sketches!
Time is up, so place your votes in the sketches.
After all the votes (dots) are placed, each person will briefly explain their vote (only spend about one minute per person).
Ready? Go!
Day 03 — forming a solid plan
1 MINUTE PER PERSON
Straw poll: explanation person #1
Each person will briefly explain their vote (only spend about one minute per person).
1 MINUTE PER PERSON
Straw poll: explanation person #x
Each person will briefly explain their vote (only spend about one minute per person).
Step 5: Supervote
The supervote is the ultimate decision. Ideas with supervotes are the foundation for our prototype.
The Decider will get 3 large dot stickers and write their initials on each sticker. We’ll prototype and test the solutions the Decider chooses.
Deciders can choose ideas that were popular in the straw poll, or they can choose to ignore the straw poll altogether. They can spread out their votes, or put them all in one place.
(Questions or concerns)
is this Feasible?
How will customers learn about this feature?
Animated video
One-step signup
Smart & Predictable dashboard
Short and invisible onboarding
Balance Always visible
M
M
M
Day 03 — forming a solid plan
Before the supervote...
Decider: make sure you have 3 large dot stickers and that you wrote your initials �in them
Review the long-term goal and sprint questions again
C
C
C
Day 03 — forming a solid plan
2 MINUTES OR LESS
Straw poll: decider’s supervote
The Decider will get 3 large dot stickers and write their initials on each dot sticker.
Deciders can choose ideas that were popular in the straw poll, or they can choose to ignore the straw poll altogether. They can spread out their votes, or put them all in one place.
How was it?
The sketches with supervotes on them (even if it’s just one) are the winners. Let’s rearrange the sketches on the wall, so that the supervote winners are all together:
Winners
Maybe Laters
M
M
M
Day 03 — forming a solid plan
Little break :)
Rumble or all-in-one?
If we have more than one winning solution, let’s have a short discussion whether to do a Rumble or combine the winners into a single prototype. �
Tip: Typically, this decision about format is easy. If not, ask the Decider to make the call.
Day 03 — forming a solid plan
2 MINUTES OR LESS
Rumble or all-in-one?
If we have more than one winning solution, let’s have a short discussion whether to do a Rumble or combine the winners into a single prototype.
Typically, this decision about format is easy. If not, ask the Decider to make the call.
If all-in-one...
If Rumble...
We’re done for now! Let’s have lunch. Then we’ll combine the winning solutions into one, which will take place in the afternoon during the storyboard exercise.
Then we need a couple of extra minutes to come up with some fake brand names to avoid confusing our customers during the test on Friday.
Day 03 — forming a solid plan
Rumble: creating fake brand names for our prototypes
If we show our customers two prototypes of the same product, we risk confusing them by asking “which version do you prefer? A, or B? A? Or B?”
Instead, we can create some fake brands. Once our prototypes have their own distinct names and look, customers will be able to tell them apart.
Day 03 — forming a solid plan
How to note-and-vote
Everyone gets a piece of paper and a pen
First, everyone takes 3-minutes and quietly writes down fake brand name ideas
Everyone takes 2 minutes to self-edit their own list to their best 2 or 3 ideas
The Facilitator will write each person’s top ideas on the whiteboard/flipchart (we might end-up with 15-20 ideas)
Everyone takes 2 minutes to quietly choose their favorite idea from the whiteboard/flipchart
With the Facilitator going around the room, each person calls out their favorite name in the whiteboard/flipchart. For each “vote”, a dot is drawn next to the chosen idea
Day 03 — forming a solid plan
Lunch Break
Creating a plan for the prototype
If we start prototyping without a plan, we’ll get bogged down by small, unanswered questions. Pieces won’t fit together, and our prototype could fall apart.
So we’re taking the winning sketches and string them together into a storyboard!
Day 03 — forming a solid plan
PAGE 157
How to Storyboard
Draw a grid
Draw a bunch of boxes (e.g: 15) on an empty whiteboard, each about the size of two sheets of paper
Choose an opening scene
How do customers find out our company/product exists? Where are they and what are they doing? Some opening examples: web search, ad on a magazine, app store, article...
Fill out the storyboard
Whenever possible, use the sticky notes from your winning sketches and stick them onto the whiteboard. When there’s a gap (a step in the story not already illustrated by one of the solution sketches) don’t fill in unless it’s critical to testing the idea
If there are gaps...
If there are gaps that need to be filled, try to use something from the “maybe-later” sketches, or from the existing product. Avoid inventing a new solution on the spot!
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Day 03 — forming a solid plan
PAGE 150
Storyboard guidelines
Making the storyboard will likely take up the entire afternoon, so work with what you have. Resist inventing new ideas.
Don’t write together. The storyboard should include rough headlines and important phrases, but don’t try to perfect the writing as a group. Use the writing from the winning sketches or leave it until Thursday.
Include just enough detail. Put enough detail so no one has to ask questions like “What happens next?” or “What goes here?” when they’re prototyping on Thursday. But there’s no need to get too specific or perfect.
The Decider decides. To make it easier, continue to rely on the Decider. We shouldn’t spend the whole afternoon arguing on what should be included.
When in doubt, take risks. The sprint is great for testing risky solutions!
Keep the story 15 min or less. It ensures focus on the most important solutions.
Day 03 — forming a solid plan
WHOLE AFTERNOON
Create the storyboard
Making the storyboard will likely take up the entire afternoon, but it will allow the team to answer small questions and make a plan for the prototype.
Take breaks as needed!
Draw a grid
Draw a bunch of boxes (e.g: 15) on an empty whiteboard, each about the size of two sheets of paper
Choose an opening scene
How do customers find out our company/product exists? Where are they and what are they doing? Some opening examples: web search, ad on a magazine, app store, article...
Fill out the storyboard
Whenever possible, use the sticky notes from your winning sketches and stick them onto the whiteboard. When there’s a gap (a step in the story not already illustrated by one of the solution sketches) don’t fill in unless it’s critical to testing the idea
If there are gaps...
If there are gaps that need to be filled, try to use something from the “maybe-later” sketches, or from the existing product. Avoid inventing a new solution on the spot!
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It’s a wrap — for Wednesday
We critiqued each solution and decided which ones have the best chance on achieving our long-term goal
We used the winning scenes from our sketches and put then together in a storyboard: a step-by-step plan for our prototype
With this, we’re ready for turning this story in a realistic prototype tomorrow
See you �tomorrow
Today is Day 4
Today is all about creating �a prototype
Today is Day 4
Morning�
› Long-term goal
› Map the challenge
�
Afternoon�
› Ask the experts
› Pick a target
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
Morning�
› Inspiration: review of ideas to remix and improve
�Afternoon�
› Sketching using the 4-part process
Morning�
› Critique each solution and decide
��Afternoon�
› Storyboard
Morning�
› Divide and conquer and start creating
�Afternoon�
› Stitch it together and do a trial run
Morning�
› Interview customers
��Afternoon�
› More interviews
› Next steps!
Faking it
We’ve got an idea for a great solution. But instead of taking weeks, months or even years building it, we’re going to make a prototype that appears to be real — but it’s fake!
Meaning... it’s not the real thing but it looks and acts like it is, and that’s more than enough to gather actionable and useful feedback from our customers.
And thanks to all the work done in the previous days, we can use simple tools to make it — fast.
Day 04 — creating a realistic prototype
The prototyping mindset
You can prototype anything
From apps, to physical products, to food packaging and specific experiences, anything can be prototyped
Prototypes are disposable
Don’t prototype anything you’re not willing to throw away. Remember: this solution might not work!
Build just enough to learn, but not more
The prototype is meant to answer questions, so keep it focused. You don’t need a fully functional product — you just need a real-looking façade to which customers can react
The prototype must appear real
To get trustworthy results, you can’t ask customers to use their imaginations. By showing something realistic, their reactions will be genuine
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3
4
Day 04 — creating a realistic prototype
How to prototype
Pick the right tools
If it’s on a screen (website, app, software, etc) use Keynote, Powerpoint or a website building tool like Squarespace or Marvel
If it’s on paper (report, brochure, flyer, etc) use Keynote, Powerpoint or a word processing software like Word or Google Docs
If it’s a service (customer support, client service, medical care, etc) write a script and use your sprint team as actors
If it’s a physical space (store, office, lobby, etc) modify an existing space
If it’s an object (physical product, machinery, etc) modify an existing object, 3D print a prototype, or prototype the marketing using Keynote or Powerpoint and photos or renderings of the object
Day 04 — creating a realistic prototype
How to prototype
Divide and Conquer
Makers (2 or more): they create the individual components (screens, pages, pieces, and so on) of the prototype. These are typically designers or engineers
Stitcher (1): the stitcher is responsible for collecting components from the Makers and combining them in a seamless fashion and making sure everything is consistent and coherent, from beginning to end
Writer (1): this is one of the most important roles, since it will help greatly in the real appearance of the prototype. They write domain relevant, realistic text
Asset collector (1 or more): they scour the web, image libraries and any other conceivable place to find any elements needed for the prototype
Interviewer (1): this person will write the interview script and use the finished prototype to conduct Friday’s customer interviews
Day 04 — creating a realistic prototype
How to prototype
Stitch it together
When you divide work, it’s easy to lose track of the whole. The stitcher will make sure dates, times, names and other fake content are consistent throughout the prototype.
Look for typos and fix any obvious errors. Small mistakes can remind customers that they are looking at a fake product.
Day 04 — creating a realistic prototype
How to prototype
Do a trial run
Trial runs can happen around 3 p.m so the team has time to fix mistakes and patch any holes found.
Double-check against the storyboard to make sure everything made it into the prototype. This is also a great time to review the sprint questions — it’s one last check to make sure the prototype will help the team get the answers.
The interviewer needs to be familiar with the prototype so they can be confident on Friday.
Day 04 — creating a realistic prototype
AROUND 10 MINUTES
Preparing to prototype
Use this time to:
› Decide which tools to use
› Assign and clarify roles (makers, stitcher, asset collectors, writer, interviewer)
› Make agreements (e.g: trial run at 3 p.m)
WHOLE DAY
Create the prototype
Today is all about the prototype creation! Remember to:
› Take breaks as needed
› Check on progress throughout the day to see if all the parts are still coherent
› Do a trial run
You can prototype anything
From apps, to physical products, to food packaging and specific experiences, anything can be prototyped
Prototypes are disposable
Don’t prototype anything you’re not willing to throw away. Remember: this solution might not work
Build just enough to learn, �but not more
The prototype is meant to answer questions, so keep it focused. You don’t need a fully functional product — you just need a real-looking façade to which customers can react
The prototype must �appear real
To get trustworthy results, you can’t ask customers to use their imaginations. By showing something realistic, their reactions will be genuine
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What a day! Almost there...
We created promising solutions, chosen the best, and built a realistic prototype
With the prototype ready, we’re one step closer to interview our customers and learn by watching them react to the prototype
See you �tomorrow
Today is Day 5
Today is all about learning with our customers
Today is Day 5
Morning�
› Long-term goal
› Map the challenge
�
Afternoon�
› Ask the experts
› Pick a target
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
Morning�
› Inspiration: review of ideas to remix and improve
�Afternoon�
› Sketching using the 4-part process
Morning�
› Critique each solution and decide
��Afternoon�
› Storyboard
Morning�
› Divide and conquer and start creating
�Afternoon�
› Stitch it together and do a trial run
Morning�
› Interview customers
��Afternoon�
› More interviews
› Next steps!
Five is the magic number
How many interviews does it take to spot the most important patterns? According to Jakob Nielsen’s studies, 85% of the problems can be observed after just interviewing 5 people.
5 is also very convenient for the Sprint: we can fit five 1-hour interviews into a single day (with time for breaks and a debrief).
Day 05 — learning with customers
The Five-Act Interview
Friendly Welcome
People need to feel comfortable to be open, honest and critical. Give participants a warm welcome and a friendly small talk. Explain how the interview works and remind them that we’re not testing them, we’re testing the product.
Context questions
Start the interview slowly by asking some questions about the customer’s life, interests and activities. These questions help build rapport and help the interviewer understand their reactions and responses.
Introduce the prototype
“Would you be willing to look at some prototypes?” is a great way to start. Remind the customer that some things may not work quite right yet, but you’ll be there to explain. Ask the customer to think aloud while they use the prototype.
Tasks and nudges
Asking target customers to do realistic tasks during an interview is the best way to simulate the real-world experience. Ask questions to help them think aloud in a non-intimidating way.
Quick debrief
To wrap up the interview, ask some debrief questions, like “how would you describe this product to a friend?” or “how does this product compare to what you do now?”
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See page 212 for �interviewing tips
Day 05 — learning with customers
PAGE 203
Watch together, learn together
Watch the interviews together. It’s much faster because everyone is absorbing the results at once. Your conclusions will be better as a group, since you have everyone’s brains working together.
And at the end of the day, the team can make an informed decision about what to do next.
Day 05 — learning with customers
Take notes as a group
Draw a grid. Before the first interview begins, draw a grid on a large whiteboard in the sprint room. Create 5 columns — one for each person being interviewed — and a few rows for each prototype or section of a prototype and/or sprint question that we’re trying to answer.
Use colored markers, colored post-its or a notation e.g: + - ~ to differentiate positive, neutral and negative notes. Everyone should get a pile of coloured sticky notes, markers or agree on a way to differentiate the notes during the interviews. Everyone should write down quotes, observations or their interpretation of what happened.
During the interviews, be quiet. Take a break after each interview.
Put the notes in the grid. At the end of each interview, collect the notes and stick them to the whiteboard. Put them into the correct row and column.
Day 05 — learning with customers
Put notes on the board after �each interview
Tish
Gene
Holly
Luke
Flynn
Marketing page
Sign up
First experience
Neutral observation
Negative observation
Positive observation
Successfully setup new account
“not really a good match for my company”
Would sign up if had extra cash around
+
-
~
Day 05 — learning with customers
PAGE 197
WHOLE DAY
Interview customers, take notes
› Everyone should write down quotes, observations or their interpretation of what happened
› Be quiet during the interviews
› At the end of each interview, collect the notes and stick them to the whiteboard
Neutral observation
Negative observation
Positive observation
Successfully setup new account
“not really a good match for my company”
Would sign up if had extra cash around
+
-
~
One last thing....
Debriefing after all interviews
5 to 10 minutes looking for patterns. The team should gather near the whiteboard, close enough to read the notes. Each person should get a notepad or blank sheet to write down patterns they see.
Share the patterns. Each person should read their patterns aloud, while the facilitator writes them down somewhere visible. These patterns should be marked as positive, negative or neutral.
Review the sprint questions. They will help the team decide which patterns are most important, and also point to possible next steps.
Figure out the next steps. The team can have a short discussion and then the Decider decides how to follow up.
Day 05 — learning with customers
We made it!
Instead of jumping right into solutions, we took time to map out the problem and agree on an �initial target
Instead of getting all the details right before testing solutions (while investing piles of money and time), we adopted the prototyping mindset
Instead of guessing and hoping we’re on the right track, we learned quickly from our customers through honest reactions
The best part of a sprint is that you can’t lose.
If you test your prototype with customers, you’ll win the best prize of it all — the chance to learn, in just five days, whether you’re on the right track with your ideas.
— Sprint, p.g 223
Thank you
See you next sprint!
Credits
Content
From the book Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days by Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky and Braden Kowitz (with information from the book’s website). Copyright © Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky and Braden Kowitz 2016. All rights reserved.
Pictures
Unless specified as part of the book, they’re attributed to Unsplash authors Dylan Gillis, Amélie Mourichon, Christina @ wocintechchat.com, Daniel Korpai and UX Indonesia
Slides design, icons and illustrations
The Design Sprint Deck slides design, icons and illustrations by Tassia Pellegrini is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0 (view a copy of this license) — you can distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the slides design, icons and illustrations in any medium or format, for noncommercial purposes only.