The Design Sprint has revolutionized the way we approach innovation and problem solving. This article will take you to the heart of this creative methodology, it will explain why it has become essential for digital companies and why training in Design Sprint has become a “must” in the profession.
The “Design Sprint”? Everyone speaks...
Yes, we are taking up the title of Thierry Ardisson's cult show to characterize the essential aspect of this methodology revealed in the mid-2010s and which has become extremely popular in the digital professions... Why such a reputation? Why such an aura? Quite simply because this design method has proven itself by being at the origin of some of the greatest successes of the web economy…
Miracle method? No. There is never a miracle method, just as there is no providential man... It would be an insult to the founding principles of UX to believe in the genius of a single person. The Design Sprint is the method that allows brilliant ideas to emerge through an experience of creative collaboration... A surgical, effective, proven method...
In this article we will present to you the principles and strengths of the method and we will explain to you why it is essential, for all those who want to advance their business, its products and its services, to train in organization and animation of a Design Sprint.
Julien HOLTZ
UX coach
Your need: our solution!
| Acquire the skills required to lead a Design Sprint
Training
You want to boost the creativity of your company: come and learn how to organize and lead a Design Sprint at the UX-Republic Training Center!
| Entrust the organization of your Design Sprint to UX Republic
Design Sprint Offer
You need to organize a Design Sprint but you don't have the capacity or the skills: rely on the know-how of UX-Republic!
| What is a Design Sprint?
The Design Sprint is a method of innovation
A design sprint is an innovation method designed and developed by Jake Knapp between 2010 and 2016 when he was at Google Venture and whose principles and approach he summarized in a book entitled “Sprint” and become a real bestseller among designers…
Knapp developed this method – we can speak of a real “protocol” – because he realized that the best ideas, those which change paradigms, never emerged from collegial meetings where everyone speak but no one listens... Come on, let's dare to pronounce the word: the Design Sprint method is “the anti-brainstorming par excellence”...
Knapp also realized that without a deadline, without a deadline, nothing was moving forward : we let things drag on, we let others and their requests fill our agenda... Instead, the legendary American designer decided to take the bull by the horns!
An approach proven and improved for six years
For six years, at the heart of the startup incubator founded by the Mountain View firm, Jake Knapp therefore built a protocol that he confronted with the reality of the strategic ambitions of a few young entrepreneurs as well as with the R&D of the services of Google…
A Design Sprint is five days to respond to a strategic problem, in a commando operation, by bringing together creative energies, ignoring reality, current constraints and everyday tasks...
Five days to, in turn: understand the problem to be solved (day 1), give each participant time to propose their solution (day 2), debate and converge together towards a common project (day 3), a project which we will validate the main principles with some user tests (day 5)... Day 4 is used to prepare the equipment to be tested (prototyping)...
| What are the benefits of a Design Sprint for a company?
Organizing a Design Sprint is not a trivial act for a company... Whatever its size, whatever its organization and its business processes... Mainly because it requires mobilizing employees for an entire week: time that they do not will not have to manage the daily life of their missions…
Yes, but…
We can say that the effort and investment is worth it! Because a Design Sprint brings lots of things that are extremely beneficial to the company. Here are some examples…
Design Sprint: an empirical method
A Design Sprint primarily allows you to test daring ideas to resolve a strategic problem through empirical method : throughout this experience of collective creation, the actors of the Design Sprint are asked to “think outside the box” (“ Getting out of the box » in English), we ask them above all to accept the idea of being wrong... In empiricism, learning through experimentation is key ! And with a Design Sprint, we know after 5 days if we are right or wrong!
Design Sprint: being able to dare without reservation
In addition, the members of this “design commando” can “let loose” and work in a completely uninhibited way because a Design Sprint means zero risk (except for having invested 5 days of work for all participants) : the analysis process gradually turns into creative reflection and results in a prototype that is confronted with users representative of the target... Everything is therefore virtual and artificial... Until the company decides to truly launch the production of the product (or service). In the meantime, a Design Sprint is used to “develop” and “test” your ideas.
Design Sprint: rapid results
Another significant advantage of a Design Sprint: its speed ! Imagine that after just five days of work, you manage as a team to propose a co-constructed solution and tested on a problem which is generally considered fundamental for developing your business in an ultra-competitive context…
Design Sprint: maximum information for minimum investment
Directly linked to speed, we can also mention the efficiency of the Design Sprint : because when it is well framed (a good problem), well organized (unstoppable logistics) and well animated (everything to ensure that the team performs = produce intelligence)… 7 people gathered for 5 days will produce more and better than just one person for 35 days…
Design Sprint: the power to break down walls
The power of the collective is therefore one of the major characteristics of the Design Sprint. This problem-solving and innovation methodology has an important advantage: the decompartmentalization of employees. We have no choice, by meeting in a sort of “war room”, we force ourselves to get out of our swimming line. For five days, we must step out of our sometimes autistic comfort to dialogue, co-reflect, debate, co-create…
Design Sprint: everyone has their say… finally!
Jake Knapp wanted to get away from the syndrome of meetings where everyone speaks but no one listens... Where we listen to each other share their idea, convinced that we are the man for the job... Where others are wrong, although 'they say... On the contrary, the Design Sprint gives everyone a voice and above all, it gives everyone time to build their idea so that when it comes time to share it, they don't go "shit!" ". On this subject, and this is one of the singularities of the method, it is important to know that solution proposals that are shared halfway through the Design Sprint are anonymous ! A rule that will save you from judgment biases linked to interpersonal considerations or hierarchy problems…
Design Sprint: the pleasure of working together
Finally, one of the results of a Design Sprint is found in “HR benefits” because this type of experience lived by the participants anchors real memorable memories in the employees' journey... All those who have experienced it or have animated will tell you: “ In a Design Sprint, you work while having fun and you get results! »… We are talking about a reference moment in a career…
For all these reasons, we can only encourage you to consider organizing a Design Sprint within your company!
| Do you still doubt? Here are some telling figures…
Design Sprint: saving time and money
A company that relies on a Design Sprint will have 4 times more likely to succeed in your project compared to a traditional approach. Source imdigital
A company that incorporates a Design Sprint into its project roadmap puts 7 times less time to produce the same value as if it develops a classic framing and ideation approach… Source AJ&Smart
With a Design Sprint, even if we “overinvest” slightly in the initialization phase, the project ends up being half as expensive and allows reduce development costs by 75%. Source AJ&Smart
Investing in Design means boosting your business
Among the many companies that have used the Design Sprint to innovate, Slack tackled the onboarding of new users . Quantified result: an improvement in UX of 7%!
Generally speaking, studies from very renowned institutes demonstrate the impact and importance of being “Design oriented” in the success of a company… First example: according to a report published by the Design Management Institute in 2015, companies that prioritize design significantly outperformed their competitors, with a cumulative advantage of 211%. Second example: according to a study conducted by McKinsey , companies that prioritize design saw 32% higher revenue growth and 56% higher overall shareholder returns.
| What skills are needed to lead a Design Sprint?
Organizing and leading a Design Sprint is quite a challenge and requires a certain number of qualities and skills that we will list here.
A good Sprint Master must be able to adapt in all circumstances
You must first be able to dominate your subject and not drown yourself in a glass of water: because the first thing to know how to do to lead a Design Sprint is to be able to put yourself up to the level of intellectual challenge that the team will have to face... The job of Sprint Master is aimed at rather experienced profiles, comfortable in team co-creation activities and conflict management... People who have "miles on the clock » and who will be able to use their experience and maturity to know how to anticipate, act or react in all circumstances…
A good Sprint Master is the craftsman of the “best compromise”
A good Sprint Master knows how to take a step back on the progress of the reflection and the content of the value proposition. He must maintain the framework and challenge ideas. Its focus is to obtain the best compromise between the desirability of the product/service for the user, the technical feasibility and the economic viability of the project…
A good Sprint Master must be (very) curious
Then, you have to be curious, have a hardworking temperament and love to learn because, although leading a Design Sprint does not require you to be an expert on the product or service in question, you must nevertheless be aware of the realities and issues, constraints and opportunities… Typically, a Sprint Master will spend two weeks immersing themselves in the subject and meeting with users and experts before executing the Design Sprint.
A good Sprint Master must be obsessed with “design value”
Third requirement, an absolute obsession: the quality of the team's value production... Going to excess, we could say that a digital professional who would like to be a Sprint Master must at all costs be " obsessed with design »… We are not talking here about aesthetics, graphics but rather the ability of products and services to correspond to the needs and uses of their users… To do this, the Sprint Master must be a “preventer from going in circles », always to stimulate, challenge, synthesize, question ideas... Never let the creative juices wane... He must put the team in the best conditions to generate constructive ideas...
A good Sprint Master must be at the service of his team
The work context plays a big part in the success of a Design Sprint: the configuration of the room, the equipment and consumables, the organization of snacks and lunches, control of time (duration of workshops) and setting ( respecting instructions, remaining within the scope of the problem) etc… All the energy that a Sprint Master will save by not making a decision during the workshops (because that is not his role), he will devote to put the team in the best conditions...
There is the material aspect but we also have to think about “ human factor »: for a Sprint Master it is about knowing how to bring together talents and personalities who perhaps have never worked together… A good Sprint Master is a “fine psychologist” !
It all starts with recruiting participants and experts to interview. Everything then crystallizes during the Design Sprint around the exchange of ideas... A Sprint Master must take care of the team, at the heart of its daily life, to maintain its cohesion and efficiency... You must know how to demonstrate great adaptation, being pragmatic, not having both feet in the same shoe... Being a Sprint Master means being a Super Nanny In summary !
| Acquire the skills required to lead a Design Sprint
| What do you learn when you train in Design Sprint with UX-Republic?
Our training presents the fundamental principles of Design Sprint
Le UX-Republic Training Center is a true center of excellence which trains in the most recognized and popular design methods in the profession. As such, Design Sprint training is among the most requested training courses.
Our training will teach you how to succeed at each stage of your Design Sprint
At the end of the two days of training, you will master the Design Sprint method On the fingertips (because you will have practiced it). You will be able to share the philosophy as well as the principles, you will have in mind all the tasks to be accomplished between the moment when the beginning of a problem emerges, the framing, the business preparation, the logistical preparation... and then to the very end of the adventure… the restitution of the results of the user tests.
You will know each workshop in detail :
- their principle: modalities, instructions
- their role in the process: what they bring to collective intelligence and value production
- inputs: what must be done before
- outputs: what must be produced and in what form
- the risks of failure and the solutions or practical advice
Just discovering and mastering each of these workshops is in itself a particularly significant increase in skills for any designer because you will discover that you can also use them outside the Design Sprint context.
Our training will be an opportunity to share experiences on the Design Sprint
Thanks to feedback from your trainer, expert in Design Sprint and member of a community of design and innovation enthusiasts, you will have good advice on the preparation phase (business appropriation, appropriation of strategic issues, logistical tasks to be carried out, recruitment issues, etc…)
Our Design Sprint training will be your “first time”
Furthermore, because we never learn better than by doing, the UX-Republic Training Center has designed its training courses as real experiments. So, by living Design Sprint training over two days, even if the subject is fictitious, you will have the impression of having experienced a first Design Sprint ! As a participant in this accelerated Design Sprint, you will have the opportunity to combine theoretical learning and practical application through a common thread project... You will feel completely capable of organizing your Design Sprint!
Our training will be an opportunity to take a step back from the Design Sprint method
Finally, the last attraction of this formation and not least: your trainer will help you take a step back from this methodology. Indeed, it is not indicated in every situation... It does not necessarily have to be followed to the letter: with us you will learn to be pragmatic and to adapt to the context of your company... The availability of employees, the content of the approach, integration into a larger project, etc. A set of questions that we will discuss together during the training.
I have only one more recommendation to make: sign up for Design Sprint training !
Julien HOLTZ
UX coach
Your need: our solution!
| Acquire the skills required to lead a Design Sprint
Training
You want to boost the creativity of your company: come and learn how to organize and lead a Design Sprint at the UX-Republic Training Center!
| Entrust the organization of your Design Sprint to UX Republic
Design Sprint Offer
You need to organize a Design Sprint but you don't have the capacity or the skills: rely on the know-how of UX-Republic!
| Get advice from an expert in design methods
Coaching service
It may not be a Design Sprint that you need: take stock with a coach from UX-Republic! It will help you see more clearly about your resource strategy!
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