MVP Design Sprint Overview
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A typical MVP design sprint is a five-day process consisting of a two-day workshop and a few days to design, build, and test the prototype. This article is the first in a series where we share a breakdown of how we run our MVP (Maximum Value Product) Design Sprints. We have based our process on Jake Knapp’s Sprint, utilizing most of the techniques he created. Here we will give an overview of our process and how we use it to bring our client’s ideas to life.
(Keep an eye out for upcoming articles in which I will take you through the steps and exercises in more detail. Not sure if a Sprint would help your business? Read this article first)
Identifying the Challenges & Creating Solutions
We spend the first two days of our MVP design sprints in person with the client. Participants include major stakeholders of the team: for example, the CEO, COO, head of design, marketing, and the product owner. We also include representatives from specific business lines. For example, if we’re ideating a product for the customer support team, we’d include someone from customer support.
Regardless of who we include, we want the people representing the business to play a role in designing the end product.
Before the sprint begins, I’ll interview members of their team to get an idea of individual perspectives and insights; typically, this consists of anyone that understands the overall business and specifically anyone responsible for solving the problem at hand.
To kick things off, we review expectations and guidelines, so everyone is on the same page. Jake Knapp was sure to include principles to abide by in the process & they make the time more productive than a typical brainstorming session. One that is particularly useful is “Working Together Alone.” This allows everyone to put their head down and think about the question being asked without feeling pressured to contribute or speak up at the moment. I know I am not the only person who gets nervous & overthinks in these situations but personally, I appreciate this tactic.
Working “Together Alone,” we workshop the major challenges and goals of the business. We want to understand how the business is operating today, where the client needs to business to grow & the hurdles between those two spaces…
