design-sprint

Design Sprint

Test big ideas in just 5 days. Apply Google Ventures' proven methodology to go from problem to validated prototype without months of development.

When to Use This Skill

• New product concepts that need validation before building
• Big feature decisions with significant investment required
• Stuck teams needing to break through analysis paralysis
• Startup pivots when direction is uncertain
• High-risk bets where failure is expensive
• Cross-functional alignment when teams disagree on direction

Methodology Foundation

| Aspect | Details | |--------|---------| | Source | Jake Knapp - Sprint (2016), developed at Google Ventures | | Core Principle | "5 days to go from problem to tested solution. Prototype and test with real users instead of debating and building." | | Validation | Used in 150+ startups by GV, adopted by teams at Google, Slack, Uber, IDEO | | Why This Matters | Months of work compressed into a week. Learn in 5 days what would take months to discover after launch. |

What Claude Does vs What You Decide

| Claude Does | You Decide | |-------------|------------| | Structures video workflow | Final creative vision | | Suggests shot compositions | Equipment selection | | Creates storyboard templates | Brand aesthetics | | Generates script frameworks | Final approval | | Identifies technical requirements | Budget allocation |

What This Skill Does

1. Structures a 5-day process - Monday to Friday, full schedule
2. Facilitates divergent thinking - Generate many ideas
3. Enables rapid prototyping - Realistic but fake
4. Validates with real users - Test on Friday
5. Aligns teams quickly - Shared understanding and decision
6. Reduces risk - Learn before you build

How to Use

Plan a Design Sprint

I want to run a design sprint to solve [challenge].
Help me plan the 5-day schedule and prepare materials.
Team: [who's involved]

Run a Specific Sprint Day

We're on [Day] of our design sprint.
Guide me through today's activities for [challenge].

Adapt for Remote/Compressed Sprint

I need to run a design sprint remotely [or: in 3 days instead of 5].
Help me adapt the methodology.

Instructions

Step 1: Understand the Sprint Overview

## The 5-Day Sprint

### Why 5 Days?

**Day 1 (Monday): Map**
Understand the problem and pick a target

**Day 2 (Tuesday): Sketch**
Generate solutions individually

**Day 3 (Wednesday): Decide**
Choose the best solution

**Day 4 (Thursday): Prototype**
Build a realistic facade

**Day 5 (Friday): Test**
Get real user feedback

### The Philosophy

**Before sprints:**
- Debate ideas for weeks
- Build something over months
- Launch and hope
- Discover problems late

**With sprints:**
- 1 day to understand
- 2 days to generate and decide
- 1 day to prototype
- 1 day to validate
- Learn before building

### What You Need

**Team (7 or fewer):**
- Decider (authority to make calls)
- Facilitator (runs the sprint)
- Product person
- Designer
- Engineer
- Domain expert
- Customer-facing person

**Space:**
- Dedicated room for 5 days
- Whiteboards or wall space
- Post-its, markers, dot stickers

**Prep:**
- 5 user interviews scheduled for Friday
- Sprint challenge defined
- Long-term goal agreed

Step 2: Day-by-Day Activities

## Monday: Map

### Goal
Understand the problem. Pick where to focus.

### Schedule

**10:00 - Long-term goal**
"Where do we want to be in 6 months / 2 years?"
Write on whiteboard. Get Decider agreement.

**10:30 - Sprint questions**
"What could go wrong? What do we need to learn?"
Turn fears into questions.
"Will users understand our value prop?"
"Can we convert free users to paid?"

**11:00 - Make a map**
Customer journey map:

[Actor] → [Action 1] → [Action 2] → [Goal] ↓ ↓ [Touchpoint] [Touchpoint]

Simple is better. Show how customers interact.

**1:00 - Ask the experts**
Interview team members and stakeholders.
20 minutes each. "How Might We" notes.

**How Might We (HMW):**
Turn problems into opportunities.
Problem: "Users don't understand pricing"
HMW: "How might we make pricing instantly clear?"

**3:30 - Organize HMWs**
Affinity map the HMW notes.
Dot vote on most important.

**4:30 - Pick a target**
Choose ONE part of the map to focus on.
Decider makes the call.

### Monday Output
- Long-term goal on wall
- Sprint questions on wall
- Map on wall
- Target circled on map

## Tuesday: Sketch

### Goal
Generate solutions. Everyone contributes.

### Schedule

**10:00 - Lightning demos**
Show inspiring solutions from other products/industries.
3 minutes each. Capture "Big Ideas" on post-its.

**11:30 - Divide or swarm**
If multiple targets, assign team members to each.
If one target, everyone tackles it.

**1:00 - Four-step sketch (individual work)**

**Step 1: Notes (20 min)**
Walk around room. Take notes on what's there.
Review goals, map, HMWs, demos.

**Step 2: Ideas (20 min)**
Write rough ideas. No polish.
Quantity over quality.

**Step 3: Crazy 8s (8 min)**
Fold paper into 8 sections.
1 minute per section: sketch a variation.
Forces rapid iteration.

**Step 4: Solution sketch (30-90 min)**
Create a 3-panel storyboard.
Self-explanatory (words + pictures).
Anonymous (no names).

**Key rules:**
- Work alone (no groupthink)
- No collaboration yet
- Keep sketches anonymous
- Must be self-explanatory

### Tuesday Output
- Solution sketches from each person
- Posted on wall, face out

## Wednesday: Decide

### Goal
Choose one solution to prototype.

### Schedule

**10:00 - Art museum**
Post all sketches on wall.
Team walks around in silence (no pitching).

**10:30 - Heat map**
Dot vote silently on interesting parts.
No discussion. Cluster votes reveal consensus.

**11:00 - Speed critique**
3 minutes per sketch.
Facilitator narrates. Team discusses.
Capture standout ideas.

**11:45 - Straw poll**
Each person votes for ONE solution.
(Not binding, just gauging sentiment)

**12:00 - Supervote**
Decider gets 3 special votes.
Decider's votes decide what gets prototyped.

**Why Decider decides:**
- Faster than consensus
- One person is accountable
- Avoids design-by-committee

**1:30 - Rumble or All-in-one?**
If votes cluster on one idea: All-in-one prototype
If votes split: Can we combine? Or do we rumble (test both)?

**2:00 - Storyboard**
Draw the prototype frame-by-frame.
What does the user see at each step?

[Frame 1] [Frame 2] [Frame 3] [Frame 4] Opening Key action Result End state scene

15-20 frames typical. Detail matters.

### Wednesday Output
- Winner(s) chosen
- Detailed storyboard ready for prototype

## Thursday: Prototype

### Goal
Build something real enough to test.

### Schedule

**Full day: Build the prototype**

### The Prototype Mindset

**Not building:**
- A real product
- Code
- Anything that works

**Building:**
- A facade
- Realistic enough to get real reactions
- Goldilocks quality (just right)

### Goldilocks Quality

**Too low:** User can't engage, doesn't feel real
**Too high:** Takes too long, you get attached
**Just right:** Real enough to react to, fake enough to be fast

### Division of Labor

**Makers (2+):**
Build the screens/assets

**Stitcher (1):**
Assemble into clickable flow

**Writer (1):**
All the copy and content

**Asset collector (1):**
Stock photos, logos, icons

**Interviewer (1):**
Prep Friday's interview script

### Tools

| Prototype Type | Tools |
|----------------|-------|
| Digital product | Figma, Keynote, InVision |
| Physical product | 3D print, foam, paper |
| Service | Role-play script, fake storefront |
| Marketing | Landing page, fake ads |

### Thursday Tips

- Start with hardest screens first
- Writer writes real copy (not Lorem Ipsum)
- Error states matter
- Have something testable by 3pm
- Do a trial run at 4pm
- Fix issues before Friday

### Thursday Output
- Clickable/usable proto