5 Reasons Why To Be Excited With Design Sprints đź“ť
Design Sprints are the next big thing when it comes to product development. It’s proved that they shorten the time it takes to develop an idea and have excellent benefits.
Implementing Design Sprints isn’t easy. At first, they can seem very daunting!
Following one of our core values of sharing with the community. Today, we bring you five reasons why you should run a Design Sprint!
But first — What is a Design Sprint anyway?
Design Sprints, an invention of Google Ventures’ design team, are a 5-phase exercises intended to improve the chances of making something people want. Sprints are useful starting points when kicking off a new product or workflow, as well as solving problems with an existing product. They typically last 5 days but can be done them in less time.
Probably the fastest explanation of what a DS is. Now — let’s get into it:
đź”® Innovation is my Middle Name!
We all want to innovate, right?
We know that innovation is the key to staying on top of the game.
And, you guessed it — Design Sprints get your team’s entrepreneurial side pumping! Sometimes, teams get “afraid” of innovating. It is uncomfortable! By running a DS, it forced the team into a state of innovation, and this aura stays with them.
Oh, and once someone participates in a Design Sprint, they get in an excellent position to organize one themselves if they want to.
đź’ˇ Getting Focused
A Design Sprint is excellent to align everyone with a common goal. At the beginning of a DS, all the participants are briefed and get on the same page.
This point is essential, as it focuses everyone on the project for the coming 5 days. Making sure that everyone is converged ensures a quick and efficient Sprint thanks to the overall improvement in communication.
Also, the team will leave the Sprint feeling like a real team again! ❤
⏱ Lightning Fast Feedback
We all know how essential user feedback is. The users, the people who will use the product daily, are the ones that know what needs to be improved.
Not collecting user feedback can be catastrophic. Design Sprints can fix that. A DS, lets you test with your users at the end of the Sprint, giving you immediate feedback. Conclusion: you just saved money and time!
🙏 Just like Meditation. But Better.
While making a Design Sprint, the team is super focused on the task at hand.
They’ll spend 5 days in a room surrounded by the same people, all the time while thinking together to come up with solutions for a project. Even better, they’ll have guidelines to follow, as they’ll be working on the specific tasks of the Sprint.
Plus, what do you get when you have no computers + no phones? Let’s do the math…
Oh, yeah, that’s right — No distractions!
🚫 It’s like a scam, but with all the benefits and none of the risks.
Less risk and increased speed? Is this a scam?!
Well, it isn’t. Let me explain:
With Design Sprints, you’ll always make less risky decisions. Since you are designing a prototype and giving it to your users for testing immediately, you’ll know faster than ever if you are good to go or you need to make improvements.
Additionally, this speeds up your project as now you won’t need to stop your work every time you do user testing, and they give you negative feedback. You have a clear path ahead of you, and you can move forward without interruptions!
Moreover, finally, let’s not forget that your team will leave the Sprint with a lot more guidance on where to go.
And with that, we’ve come to an end! Design Sprints are excellent to get some progress going on projects and can be used in startups and big corporations alike. They are already revolutionizing how products are being developed all around the world!
If you want to know more about Design Sprints, you can check out our two other articles:
Once again, thank you for reading!
Ricardo is the CEO of PICUS. Obsessed with becoming “Design Sprint Go-to-Guy” in Portugal. He organizes meetups at his hometown, occasional speaker, and overall a tech enthusiast. Follow him on LinkedIn or Instagram!
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