Chapter 3. How to Approach Design Sprints

How to Approach Design Sprints

You might be wondering if a design sprint will be good for your particular project. Having been in the product design trenches just like you, we know that there are huge benefits to this process, but it’s not for everyone and not for every project. We’ve seen firsthand on hundreds of projects that this focused effort will help you make significant progress in your project in a very short period of time. We also know it has limitations, and we’ll talk about that toward the end of this chapter. Let’s face it: you will not build Facebook in one design sprint, but you might build a great prototype for a key use case of a social network. However, there may be ideas about products and product features that need vetting before resources can be assigned to help them move forward. Design sprints can also help to create minimum viable products (MVPs). Other projects, such as marketing campaigns, finance initiatives, or even training and support initiatives, could benefit from a design sprint before expending too many resources on a project.

What’s the Best Application of Design Sprints?

Design sprints can be used in a variety of ways to develop your product. We’ll walk you through a few different ways we have used them or have seen others use them.

A wide variety of projects and people

Brian Colcord, Director, UX and Product Design, at the ...

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