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In the series "La casa de papel", the character of the Professor gathers a diverse group of people with different talents to rob the Mint and print 2,400 million euros. To achieve this, they devise various strategies and then attack the building, becoming millionaires at the end of the operation. We can draw an analogy with the Design Sprint methodology: people from different sectors/skills are brought together and work together under the guidance of a facilitator to achieve the proposed objective. But unlike the five long months it took the Professor to prepare his team, the Design Sprint lasts approximately five days.
In the following article we will not explain how to rob a bank but we will give you the reasons why you should start using Design Sprint and the benefits it can bring you.
Before we begin, a bit of theory
Netflix, producer of "La casa de Papel", carries out Design Sprints for the development of its products. Others such as Slack, Airbnb and LEGO also use them. But what exactly is a Design Sprint? In his book "sprint", Knapp defines it as follows: "The sprint is a five-day process for answering crucial questions through prototyping and testing ideas with customers".
In a few words, we could say that Design Sprint is a methodology that achieves the resolution of problems in a short time through design, prototyping and testing with real users. In other words, it is a user-centered design methodology. The team works under the same vision and work scheme, which saves time. At the end of the process, you get a high fidelity product tested by your target audience.
A clarification before moving on has to do with what we mean when we talk about product in a Design Sprint. Although the methodology can be used to design any type of product, in this article the focus will be on Design Sprint for the design of digital products (apps, websites, platforms, etc.) since this is where we are most used to apply the methodology.
Reasons for a Design Sprint
1. Save time:
The word Sprint refers to running at maximum speed and that is precisely what this methodology seeks. In five full days of work, the team manages to make ideas and projects tangible and tested by real users.
At Proaxion, we have perfected this aspect by means of a remote variant of the remote variant of the Design Sprint which obtains the same results by dedicating half days, not full days of work. In addition, being remote, they enable the participation of people located in different geographical locations.
2. Making the most of resources
The Design Sprint brings together personnel from different areas and sectors to work under the same guidelines. This diversity ensures that all aspects and points of view are considered. It also enables a rich exchange between individuals who do not usually work in the same area.
This fosters two-way conversations, ensures cohesion in making product design decisions, and in the long term, ensures the viability of the project. viability of the project.
3. Learning to develop ideas and prioritize them
Brainstorming is a great tool for idea generation but can detract from the focus of a digital product development project by being too broad. During the Design Sprint, the team must learn to prioritize their ideas and choose which ones to work on. This avoids discussions that delay the completion of the project and maximizes the use of the participants' time.
4. Facilitate early detection of problems
At the end of the Design Sprint, you will get feedback from real users about your digital product, which will prevent you from using money and time to fix problems later. You will achieve greater efficiency in the development stage of your product.
5. Materialize an idea
During the Sprint, we get a realistic and tested prototype for the digital product they decided to work on. The team can see their idea become tangible. This allows to validate ideas with speed and at a low cost, which can be very useful when testing a concept that we are not sure about before allocating resources to its development.
6. Obtain validation
As part of the Design Sprint, tests are conducted with users who are part of our target audience. Through these tests, we get feedback on our idea that we can then use to improve the prototype.
For example, for a health insurance companyProaxion conducted Sprints with the objective of evolving from a mostly face-to-face and telephone customer service model to a digital self-management model through an app and website. At the time of the transition, they had feedback from members, which allowed them to consider their needs within the digital product design process and to validate that most of the users valued the possibility of self-management.
7. Ensuring a good investment
During the Design Sprint we gain a better understanding of our users' expectations and validate the feasibility of our idea. This means that when we invest in the development of the digital product, we will do so on a proven project with a much more secure return on investment.
At Proaxion we understand the challenge and effort involved in launching a new digital product. For this reason, we recommend the Design Sprint as a methodology to reduce the risk factor.
Still in doubt?
The Design Sprint is an agile and fast methodology that will allow your entire team to work in an articulated way in the design of a digital product. It also ensures efficiency in the use of resources and brings together the best ideas of all participants. In this way, it reduces risks and allows you to obtain validated digital products that have a good usability.
Now, what's stopping you from trying it?