Lessons from a Mini Design Sprint
We used the techniques in Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days by Jake Knapp to run a modified, mini sprint- this is what I learned.
For a group project in my graduate class, we were asked to use design thinking to solve a big problem. We were first asked to choose a problem space and then use research to create a problem statement. Our group chose social impact as a problem space and narrowed it down to loneliness as we dove into research.
Originally, our problem statement was, “Millenials feel lonely due to lack of balance.” We tried for weeks to come up with an initial solution, but we all felt uninspired and unsure of our problem.
After advice from some of our mentors, we decided to run a modified, mini design sprint. Kelly and I spent a few days reading Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days by Jake Knapp and exploring the accompanying website. We then spent time figuring out how to best apply what we learned to our team. You see, as students, we didn’t have five days without class and our deadline was fast approaching. The other big difference was that in the book, most examples were established companies or loose product ideas-and we had almost nothing to help focus our sprint.
Loneliness felt too heavy and big, so we talked to some professors and mentors. We realized that loneliness was a symptom and not a disease. We needed more direct insights and a deeper understanding to narrow down our problem enough to understand the source of loneliness in a specific instance. This would allow us to find a realistically sized chunk to solve for. After reading an article about burnout and loneliness from the Harvard Business Review, we decided to focus on the workplace and burn out.
The other UX student on my team, Kelly Phillips, and I conducted some user interviews and dove into more research. The insights we gathered helped to paint the picture we had needed for months. We started asking ourselves more specific questions like“How might we create psychological safety in the workplace that allows people to be vulnerable and make actual genuine connections?” and “How might we satisfy the need for deep, human connection at work while maintaining professional boundaries?”
Eventually, our group rewrote our problem statement.
Even when a person is professionally fulfilled, burnout can hinder work balance and diminish drive/motivation.
When it came to planning the Sprint, we adapted the steps explained in the book to work for our situation. We knew our end goal was different- we only needed a potential solution to pitch in class on Monday. We wouldn’t be tied to this solution and we didn't need to prototype or test it until after that class. Kelly and I asked our group to dedicate 5 hours on a Saturday to accomplish this goal. I spent all day Friday making a deck outlining our timeline and process, making decisions about essential steps and how to fit what we needed into just five hours. I drew diagrams of how to set up the room and made a spreadsheet to tweak the schedule.
We woke up early on Saturday to set up at the studio we use for class. I was flustered when I realized the main area of the studio had already been booked for another event. We had another room to use, but it changed our plans and required some adaptation. This is where the first lesson came into play. Running a sprint will never be perfect. You need to be able to adapt quickly and accept what life throws at you.
The location change didn’t affect the outcome at all. When we set up in the other room, we began feeling optimistic, but nervous. The rest of our team is focused on brand design, and this would be the first time Kelly and I taught UX processes to anybody.
When the group arrived, everyone was nervous and stressed. However, Kelly and I were prepared. We did a simple activity to get the creative juices flowing: we all took two minutes to draw a funny story from that week. This alleviated the tension and created a sense of vulnerability in the room. This was lesson number two, make it fun. It was important to make people feel like it was ok to be wrong and trust the process.
We chose a sprint goal and decided that Kelly would be our decider and I would facilitate with the help of my boyfriend to keep time. We started by reviewing what we knew. This is where we talked about key insights from research and interviews.
We then made a map, which we had to adapt because we weren't entirely sure what we were making. We used sticky notes to sample in different possibilities. Of course, I should note the contributions of one very important team member, Eddison, here.
We chose “retreat” as our target, being loosely defined as either a place or app where people could get out of the office. Then we moved onto a “How might we” style exercise. We spent fifteen minutes individually brainstorming ideas and then organized them as a group. Here, I learned the power of time boxing has two-fold. Sometimes, you need to cut off activity or you will end up moving in circles. But in contrast, sometimes the best ideas come after a few moments without any at all.
I also learned how powerful dot-voting can be, it gives those who are less outspoken a voice and helps visualize it. Later, we used the 4-Step method from the book to work individually and sketch our ideas. The lessons I learned here were why individual brainstorming is powerful and why rapid, messy iteration is important. Individual ideas can be hindered by groupthink, and when the time is taken to develop ideas stronger solutions develop. Taking the time to reflect and take notes on ideas from earlier and then get rough ideas on paper allowed me to cycle through many ideas. Crazy 8’s allowed me to refine those ideas before I finalized them. All of this was done individually without the pressure of combining ideas or making each other happy.
After we voted on an idea, our solution was good but underdeveloped. We kept talking about the idea and revisited our interview insights, which is where I learned my last lesson. Don’t lose sight of your user. We used the information pulled from interviews to further refine and sculpt ou new idea, created a slide deck and all left feeling pretty satisfied.
The end result wasn’t perfect, but we had made more progress in five hours than we had for two months. Moving forward, we will use several of the techniques we learned to further progress of the project and make decisions. I would recommend the book to anybody who feels stuck. It is a quick read and the techniques are adaptable to any situation. And hey, a mini-design sprint just might work for you, too.
As for our solution? You will have to stay tuned to find out…
