Design Sprint

What is a Design Sprint?

Design Sprint is a fast design method developed by Google Ventures that helps solve big problems and test ideas in just 5 days. It is a highly focused process that combines design, creative thinking, prototyping, and testing with real users – aimed at reducing risk and saving time in product development.

Unlike traditional design processes that can take weeks to months, the Design Sprint enables rapid solution development, testing, and feedback, even when only initial ideas are available.

How does a Design Sprint work?

A Design Sprint typically lasts 5 days, with the following steps:

1. Understand (Monday): The entire team understands the problem, business goals, users, and project context.

2. Ideate (Tuesday): Brainstorm and select the best ideas.

3. Decide (Wednesday): Detail the sketches and choose the optimal design direction for prototyping.

4. Prototype (Thursday): Create a quick interactive prototype – enough to test, not necessarily complete.

5. Test (Friday): Test the prototype with real users to gather feedback.

Example

Suppose you are working on a mental health care app. Instead of debating about the features of journaling or meditation, the team decides to do a Design Sprint. Over 5 days, you and the team create a prototype for the “Morning Journaling” feature and test it with 5 users. The result: 4 out of 5 users find it useful and easy to use. From this, the team has data to develop further.

Why is Design Sprint important for UX/UI?

• Save time: No need to wait months to find out if an idea is feasible.

• Eliminate guesswork: Gather data from real users right from the start.

• Align team thinking: Design, product, and business all clearly understand the problem and solution direction.

• Accelerate innovation: A good idea can become a potential solution in just a few days.