How to prepare for an amazing virtual design sprint session
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen a lot of well written articles, carefully crafted videos and in-depth masterclass offerings on how to do remote work like a champ. In fact, most professionals now have a working version of their own ‘remote office’ in place, thanks to work-from-home mandates and other related policies that have only accelerated the practice.
When it comes to doing virtual design sprints, a lot of these recommendations with remote work and collaboration work very well. The tricky thing is navigating the design sprint methodology in an online environment. That can be extremely daunting for someone who’s never tried it before, but hopefully the Global Virtual Design Sprint this October can help a few people with that. 😁
For those that are coming to the GVDS, I’ve been working on a short list of recommendations for new participants to better prepare for virtual design sprinting. In fact, I’ve been quietly curating this list over the past couple of years… learning from others on how they approach facilitation while working virtually with different international teams.
Feel free to use any of the suggestions mentioned below if you find them useful or interesting. 👍
The Environment
Getting closer to nature
“You’ll do your best work when you have a lot of exposure to natural light and the outdoors.” I first heard this from another practitioner in a Q&A session over a year ago, and I’ve remembered it ever since. Whether it’s working on the back patio in the early morning hours or having my main work desk near a media room window, I make a point to be near nature both on and off camera.
That also means being near some actual indoor plants, if it’s a possibility for you. Even a simple set of nice smelling flowers from your garden or a leafy houseplant nearby helps set a nice tone for the day.
Btw, Margriet Buseman from Orange Minds Design Sprints has one of the most amazing indoor setups I’ve seen recently. It’s a canopy of green that’s completely hidden from view from the camera. I bet there’s a Macaw somewhere in there.
Embracing pets and kids
For pet owners in the age of a pandemic, distractions like a cat crawling across your keyboard or a dog nudging you for some attention are going to happen.
Same goes with small children. My own eight year old son has made enough cameos during my summer sessions for other practitioners to start calling him by name.
Whatever your situation, it’s a good idea to let everyone know of people and/or pets that may come into the picture on your end.
And if they do? Just just roll with it.
Chances are your teammates will spend time quickly checking their email or messages while you field a question about multiplying fractions or refilling a water bowl.
Keeping hydrated
Most people are fine with keeping a closed container within reach to enjoy their favorite tea, coffee or chilled water of choice during a work session. Others bring portable coolers next to their workstation for continuous beverage consumption (for those sometimes ‘difficult’ sessions to get through).
Either way, staying hydrated is an absolute must for mood, concentration and sharing with others (if we’re talking adult beverages or exotic teas). Just don’t make your session memorable by spilling that amazing drink all over the keyboard on accident.
Standing up and moving around
I’m a big fan of standing up when I work, as well as moving around and changing where I am during the course of any given workshop. Not everyone has that luxury, but you definitely need to get out of your seat and move around if you’ve been stationary for 45 minutes. Any more than that and you’re not doing your body any favors.
The Hardware
Rebooting your laptop
I usually recommend rebooting any computers you’re going to be using for an upcoming virtual design sprint. It’s one less thing to worry about, and you can always double-check if your software needs updating before you get into your next session.
Worse comes to worse, you’ve discovered any problems and can communicate any show stoppers to the rest of the team in advance.
Getting your paper, pencils, pens and phones
While having a notepad and some writing materials may seem academic for workshop preparation, having your phone within reach is an absolute must. The narrative around portable devices being a distraction is highly misguided. They’re absolutely necessary for checking messages, taking important phone calls, getting notifications from team members and keeping track of time.
Lights, Camera …
While some argue that you’d want a high level of quality with your video stream, it isn’t a requirement for getting work done in a virtual design sprint.
In fact, the camera should be used sparingly when it comes to communicating and collaborating with your teammates. Consider having cameras on during the first 30 minutes of a session, with their use being optional after that.
With lighting, it’s usually only necessary if you’re in a dark area, recording videos for teammates or joining an online-together meeting late at night.
You can use a desk lamp, a plugged in smartphone acting as a flashlight, or an inexpensive, handheld key light. Any of these will give you greater exposure (no pun intended) to your teammates.
The Process
Familiarize yourself with the Design Sprint methodology
Before you dive into your first virtual design sprint, you’ll need to do some research to understand the foundational methodology it’s based on. A good primer is Jake Knapp’s ‘Sprint’ book, which you can buy online or borrow from your local library.
You can also view/read a lot of free content about the process on sites like Medium, YouTube and Sprint Stories. Whatever route you take, start making plans to better understand the process before trying it virtually.
Learn about pretotyping
The Global Virtual Design Sprint will be working with Alberto Savoia’s approach to testing ideas in the market through pretotyping. In contrast to a virtual design sprint, pretotyping tests the desirability of your amazing idea while validating (or invalidating) your assumptions about the market you’re intending to serve. You can read all about it on Alberto’s website, or watch the video below for a full overview.
Read up on no-code prototyping
No-code tools are starting to gain in both popularity and usage with a wider range of users. While traditionally the domain of designers and developers, most of your team members can now use services like Webflow, Scapic, Voiceflow and Thunkable to create a believable interface to test and run experiments with.
Having Fun
Snap Camera
One of the best things about working in an online environment is your ability to change both your surrounding environment and your appearance. With Snap Camera, you can wear a giant emoji on your head, turn into a talking potato, look like your 5 year oled self or have flaming hair. No matter what your choice, or virtual design sprint teams always enjoy using the app for fun.
Curate a team playlist
Having an outlet to share the type of music you’re interested in is always fun to do. In the past, we’ve had a dedicated Slack music channel for participants to share their favorites. For virtual design sprint teams, you can start your own playlist on Spotify with a particular ‘theme’ that others can contribute their songs to.
Attend a networking session
There are a number of new networking sessions available for GVDS participants to meet others from around the world. In the past, we’ve waited until teams were arranged to start the process.
With GVDS5, we’re not only holding networking events every Friday, but asking GVDS Alumni to hold their own when convenient. These events provide the foundation for getting to know other professionals and to enjoy their company.
Do you have your own recommendations for getting ready for a virtual design sprint? If so, I’d love to hear them! 😊 Please take a moment and leave your thoughts below.
Hope you enjoyed the read!
