design-sprint

What this skill does

# Design Sprint Framework

A five-day process for answering critical business questions through design, prototyping, and testing ideas with customers. Developed at Google Ventures and used by Google, Slack, Airbnb, and hundreds of startups.

## Core Principle

**Great solutions require both deep work and fast iteration.** The Design Sprint compresses months of debate, design, and testing into a single week, creating focus and urgency that eliminates endless discussion.

**The foundation:** Traditional product development wastes months building the wrong thing. Design Sprints de-risk product decisions by testing with real users before writing production code.

## Scoring

**Goal: 10/10.** When planning or executing a Design Sprint, rate it 0-10 based on adherence to the principles below. A 10/10 means proper structure, time-boxing, prototyping, and user testing; lower scores indicate skipping steps or insufficient testing. Always provide the current score and specific improvements needed to reach 10/10.

## The 5-Day Sprint Process

```
Monday → Tuesday → Wednesday → Thursday → Friday
  Map      Sketch     Decide      Prototype    Test
```

**Prerequisites:**

- **Big challenge:** Important problem worth a week's focus
- **Right team:** Decision maker + 4-7 people with diverse expertise
- **Time commitment:** 5 full days (10am-5pm), no interruptions
- **Space:** Dedicated room with whiteboards

**Sprint Master:** One person facilitates, keeps time, manages energy.

## Monday: Map

**Goal:** Understand the problem and choose a target for the week.

### Morning: Start at the End

**Exercise: Long-term goal**

- Write the sprint question: "What do we want to be true in 2 years?"
- Example: "Customers use our product daily" or "We've captured 20% market share"

**Exercise: Sprint questions**

- List obstacles and unknowns as questions
- Example: "Will customers trust us with payment info?" or "Can first-time users figure out the interface?"

**Format:** Write on whiteboard, entire team contributes

### Afternoon: Map the Challenge

**Exercise: Map the customer journey**

1. List actors (different types of customers/users)
2. Draw the journey from start to finish (left to right on whiteboard)
3. Keep it simple: 5-15 steps max
4. Example: "Hears about product → Visits site → Signs up → First use → Becomes regular user"

**Exercise: Ask the Experts**

- Interview team members with specialized knowledge
- CEO, designer, engineer, customer support, sales
- Take detailed notes on whiteboard
- Capture "How Might We" notes (HMW)

**Exercise: How Might We (HMW) notes**

- Rephrase problems as opportunities
- "Customers don't understand pricing" → HMW make pricing immediately clear?
- Write each HMW on a sticky note
- Vote on best HMWs, organize on map

### End of Day: Pick a Target

**Exercise: Choose the target**

- Which part of the map (customer journey) will you focus on?
- Where's the biggest risk or opportunity?
- Example: "We'll focus on the first 10 minutes after signup"

**Decider:** The person with authority makes the final call.

**Monday output:**

- Long-term goal
- Sprint questions
- Customer journey map
- Expert insights
- HMW notes organized
- Target customer and moment

See: [references/monday.md](references/monday.md) for detailed Monday exercises and facilitation.

## Tuesday: Sketch

**Goal:** Generate solutions. Each person sketches a detailed solution.

### Morning: Lightning Demos

**Exercise: Find inspiration**

- Look at competitors and analogous products
- 3-minute demos: "Here's what I found, here's why it's interesting"
- Capture good ideas on whiteboard
- Don't limit to your industry—borrow from anywhere

**Exercise: Divide or swarm**

- Divide: If map has multiple parts, different people tackle different sections
- Swarm: If one critical problem, everyone tackles the same thing
- Most sprints = swarm

### Afternoon: The Four-Step Sketch

**Goal:** Everyone individually sketches a detailed solution (not as a group!)

**Step 1: Notes (20 minutes)**

- Walk around room, review map, HMWs, inspiration
- Take notes silently

**Step 2: Ideas (20 minutes)**

- Rough doodles, mind maps, stick figures
- Quantity over quality
- Still working alone

**Step 3: Crazy 8s (8 minutes)**

- Fold paper into 8 sections
- Sketch 8 variations in 8 minutes (1 minute each)
- Forces you past first idea
- Can be 8 variations on one idea or 8 different ideas

**Step 4: Solution Sketch (30-90 minutes)**

- 3-panel storyboard showing customer experience
- Step 1 → Step 2 → Step 3 (beginning, middle, end)
- Make it self-explanatory (someone should understand without you explaining)
- Use text, arrows, simple drawings
- Give it a catchy title
- **Anonymous:** Don't put your name on it

**Critical:** No group brainstorming. Individual work produces better, more diverse ideas.

**Tuesday output:**

- Each person has a detailed solution sketch
- Sketches are anonymous and self-explanatory

See: [references/tuesday.md](references/tuesday.md) for sketching templates and examples.

## Wednesday: Decide

**Goal:** Critique solutions and choose the best one to prototype and test.

### Morning: Sticky Decision

**Exercise: Art museum**

- Tape solution sketches to wall
- Give everyone dot stickers
- Silently review sketches (no talking!)
- Put dots next to interesting parts

**Exercise: Heat map review**

- Discuss each sketch for 3 minutes
- Facilitator narrates: "Here they see X, then click Y..."
- Sketcher stays silent (don't reveal yourself yet)
- Team calls out interesting parts
- Scribe captures standout ideas on whiteboard

**Exercise: Straw poll**

- Each person votes for one solution (put one large dot)
- Explain your vote in 1 sentence
- This is non-binding, just to see preferences

**Decider:** Person with authority gets three large dots (supervote). Their decision wins.

### Afternoon: Rumble or All-in-One

**If multiple winners:**

- **Rumble:** Competing prototypes (test different approaches)
- **All-in-One:** Combine best ideas into one prototype

**Most sprints:** All-in-one (simpler to prototype and test)

**Exercise: Storyboard**

- Draw 10-15 panel storyboard (comic book style)
- Each panel = one screen or step
- Opening scene: How customer discovers you
- Middle: Your solution in action
- Ending: Successful outcome
- Include just enough detail for Friday's prototype

**Storyboard rules:**

- Keep it simple
- Use stick figures
- Words and arrows okay
- Get specific about UI
- 10-15 panels max

**Wednesday output:**

- Winning solution(s) chosen
- Detailed storyboard ready to prototype

See: [references/wednesday.md](references/wednesday.md) for decision exercises and storyboard templates.

## Thursday: Prototype

**Goal:** Build a realistic facade. You need something to test on Friday.

**Prototype mindset:**

- Fake it
- Prototype only what you'll test
- Goldilocks quality: not too high, not too low (realistic enough to get honest reactions)
- One day only

**Prototype fidelity:**

- **Too low:** Sketches, wireframes (customers can't react realistically)
- **Too high:** Working code, pixel-perfect design (wastes time)
- **Just right:** Looks real, doesn't work real (facades, click-through, video)

### Assign Roles

**Makers** (2+ people):

- Designer, writer, asset collector (images, icons)
- Build the prototype

**Stitcher** (1 person):

- Combines pieces into final prototype
- Usually in Keynote, Figma, or prototyping tool

**Writer** (1 person):

- Writes all copy
- Headlines, button labels, descriptions

**Collector** (1-2 people):

- Gathers assets (photos, icons, competitor screenshots)
- Provides raw materials

**Interviewer** (1 person):

- Writes interview script for Friday
- Practices interviewing

**Sprint Master:**

- Helps where needed
- Keeps energy up

### Build the Prototype

**Tools:**

- **Web/App:** Figma, Keynote, PowerPoint (linked slides)
- **Physical Product:** Video walkthrough, 3D-printed mockup
- **Service:** Role-play video,