Design sprint: your business problem solving process
Design Sprints: Your Business Problem Solving Process
There is a lot of chatter in the digital world about the elusive design sprint. It seems that every digital company has started to implement the power of the design sprint and itâs easy to see why.
A Design Sprint is a five-step process developed to solve problems in a highly effective way.
I think itâs easy to look past a design sprint for most business owners. The name itself sounds like it only applies to designers, we think that itâs not for the eCommerce store owner or the service business down the street. But here is the truth, the design sprint process is a problem-solving solution for any business.
Let me show you how. The five-part process is as follows:
Understand: understand the problem you need to be solved
Ideate: come up with as many solution ideas as possible
Decide: decide on one to three that you want to follow
Prototype: come up with a feasible, usable example of your solution
Test: share with potential users/customers and get their opinions
The design process has been used countless times by major companies and you have access to its power for yours. Letâs go over some key points for each step of the process that can apply to any company, business, brand, or service.
Understand: Understanding the Problem you need to be Solved
Itâs time to come to the clearest possible understanding of your problem so you know how it affects your business and your customers.
Research the problem
Gather as much information as possible
Call on the help of experts
Get different perspectives
Make it about the user
Ideate: Come up with as many Solutions as Possible
Once you have a clear understanding of your problem itâs time to start brainstorming!
Come up with as many ideas as possible
Thereâs never a bad idea!
Build upon ideas, make a thought map
Think about the users perspective
Involve multiple people with different backgrounds if possible
Decide: Decide on One to Three Ideas that you want to Pursue
Take your beautiful list of solution ideas and start narrowing it down.
Which ideas have the most potential?
What solutions aligned with your brand mission and identity?
Which ideas feel most clearly attainable?
Ask your employees/colleagues for their opinions
Find a solution that has âlegsâ (one that can be built on and experimented with)
Prototype: Come up with a Feasible, Usable Example of your Solution
The point here in the prototyping stage is to create a solution you can test with actual users. You know your industry and what you can test.
Create an MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
Develop a testing process
Blueprint more complicated products that may need more
Make sure your testers will understand your solutions
Test: Share Prototype with Potential Users/Customers and Get their Feedback
The sprintâs home stretch is testing the prototype. This is the time to get ideas from users and make your final tweaks
Observe your testers using your product, take notes
Interview testers to capture their experience
Look for prototype problems âbetween the linesâ
Learn how to respond to critique, what advice to keep and what to forget
As you can see, the process can easily apply to your business and service. Everyone faces problems and the Design Sprint can provide you with a clear process for developing solutions that will work.
As a UI/UX and Web Designer at Zion Design Co, I use design sprints to produce great products with limited risk. I have seen design sprints work wonders in products, companies, and businesses.
Design sprint: your business problem solving process was originally published in Bootcamp on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.