1st Design Sprint — Reflections
These are Reflections on my first Design Sprint and what might help other Designers (tips) when preparing for a Sprint.

Experiencing my first Design Sprint was a great way to learn about my skills in the heat of the moment. Surprisingly, where I felt pressure was when I had to communicate to the rest of the Team about my own research, findings, brainstorming ideas, solution sketches, and all the activities involved in the process of the structured timeline and activities. The pressure was coming from within myself and I can clearly remember wanting to describe and communicate to the Team more effectively about the ideas and sketches but was overdoing it, leading to confused looks on the Team member’s faces I could have avoided.
TIP#1: Prioritize!
Sketch/Write the bare essentials that communicate clearly the useful idea/concept. Plainly describe how it can be useful.
How? Prepare before the Sprint by practicing describing a sketch/idea in structured 1 to 3 minute time slots. Reflect on whether that really was the bare essential to getting the idea across to another. Incorporating this habit into your daily routine will be very helpful.
Where I felt most pressure was during our storyboarding time after the Decider had chosen which rough storyboards to go with from the Team. I felt myself wanting to please the Team with the black marker in my hand in front of the big whiteboard. I was clearly not suited for the role because I didn’t understand the flow of the rough storyboard chosen by the Decider (vague goal as well), yet assigned to draw. I kept asking those whose rough storyboards were selected to describe to me what happens here and what happens there. I was trying to get answers and trying too hard to listen to any critique or suggestions about this or that inside the hypothetical APP without my creative contribution. My mind was scattered and I’d lose sight of a simple breadcrumb or navigation button UI. What I thought was a better skill of mine to spot out patterns in things and to draw them out, I could not deliver here due to my inexperience. It was wasting everyone’s time.
TIP#2: Prepare!
How? Understand the many User Flows of your particular Sprint’s prototype platform (an APP in this case study). Understand it to the level you can sketch them out, not described in words. I felt this was the most critical part for contribution as Designer in a Sprint so prepare well here.
It is important to clearly understand the objective of the prototype. Zooming out from the detailed sketching inside the prototype to an understanding of the Sprint Goal will help in designing the flow at the entire scale.
TIP#3: Zoom In and Zoom Out deliberately!
How? Have a rough number of screens set to design (in our case, we wanted 16 screens, though we eventually made more than 20 to communicate the idea in the prototype) and use this number to figure out how much time to allot for each screen. Keep yourself disciplined on this time and let it make decisions for you. In other words, you don’t have much time so fretting about it will have you lose focus. Keep the big picture in mind while doing the detailed by understanding how much time to allot for each screen. Write them out on one big whiteboard to physically represent the Zooming Out. This will be very valuable so you can maintain your inner compass.
With a direction chosen, the Prototyping phase was a joy. I ended up pulling an all-niter with Mimi (UX Designer), but we were feeling comfortable in the familiar process again in front of the computer. It was my first time deeply using Sketch and InVision but I was able to rely on my learning curve from having used the Adobe programs for years. It was my first time getting to know the Noun Project for choosing icons. Without JB’s (Lead Director/Designer) help who directed us this way to use these tools and to make the satisfactory logo in the short time, I would have taken much more time.
It all started making sense to me why these tools are made in the first place. They are made to save us time. Prior to the Sprint, I had always been a “take-pride-in-building-from-scratch” mentality, but there’s just no time for it in a Sprint environment because it really doesn’t matter if you can build it from scratch or not. It really opened up my mind about Rapid-Prototyping and the value it can bring for people.
Tip#4: Partner up close and afar!
Sit next to your partner side-by-side and build the prototype together to make decisions there, while an experienced overseer helps from afar by sending you materials to use in the prototype. Have Tic-Tacs or Gum because you’ll start to stink in the process and can still be so-fresh-and-so-clean next to each other and when the afar Designer comes by to check in on the day’s work-in-progress.
As I write and reflect on the experience, my eyes are filling up with tears. They are tears of perseverance through the emotional ride I had experienced on this rollercoaster of a week. The cold-sores in my mouth and on my tongue which was grinding against my teeth every time I spoke from Monday, having my bicycle stolen on Tuesday and not having the time to report it to the police because I wanted to focus on the Sprint, the sleep-deprived days from Wednesday and Thursday turning into sore-throats and cold-sweats, all were terrible, but such a joy to reflect on because on Friday, you get to see the work payoff in front of the selected users in User Testing.
The whole process is a joy because only through this kind of rigorous framework of building and testing did I really get to know much more about myself as a Designer and as a human being at this moment in my life. What I am most happy about is the meaningful relationships I have built with the Team. They are your friends and heroes through the process not just during the Sprint but extended into daily life. You learn so much about each other’s critical thinking, reasoning, and intuition. We are all here to help one another, to laugh with each other and to be critical for one another. As Designers who dream and work hard to design our own lives, I believe we understand the value of collaboration so spread this to your Team which involves your Clients. In a Sprint, you understand everyone’s strengths at the heat of the moment.
Tip#5: So Act like it!
Be honest about what went well, what helped in the process, and what could be better with your Teammates and communicate it without being shy. Exercise being open-minded about spreading the Love in an objective way! You won’t regret it moving forward in business with the Clients and with the Teammates you live and work with on this planet.
Tip#6: Find an awesome Lead Designer/Director
like JB (I tag him here even if he would humbly decline). This type of person who exercises being wholesome and absolutely detailed for the sake of creativity will help you and the Team to realize that designing is fun, like how it’s supposed to be. Having a Designer who lives to inspire oneself and see the importance of empowering those around him/her by spreading the joy of the growing process is so motivating in what could become a dreadful Sprint Week if the Lead was a jackass. Lead’s matter. Similarly, don’t be a jackass yourself: Everyone’s attitude matters in the building process.
To all who read this understanding that Design is about opportunity, challenges, and building relationships to friendships, and eventually to what we leave behind. May your Design Sprint do the same, if not better, for you and your Team. May it help everyone involved to understand that we all have choices in the process of discovery.
Tip#6: Helpful Prototyping Zone Out Music
I had this song on repeat especially on Wednesday and Thursday. Different strokes for different folks but why not try some Tibetan Morning Buddhist Chants → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4PkLg_2clI
Personal Thank Yous to Everyone Involved — JB / Aki / Yu / Mimi / Toshi (Client) / User Interviewees / Brandon.