Did you know TNW Conference has a track fully dedicated to exploring new design trends this year?
Check out the full Sprint programhere.
A Sprintin designer jargonis a time-constrained, five-phase process that usesdesign thinkingto reduce risk when designing a new product.
It can help companies make better strategic decisions and innovate more quickly.
It’s free, every week, in your inbox.
A Sprint is run with a group of people and takes place over several days with many moving parts.
Its not for the faint-hearted, but if everything goes to plan, it can prove highly rewarding.
Note: Familiarity is assumed with the four-day version of the Design Sprint.
If not, like readThe Design Sprint 2.0: What is it and what does it look like?
It was a disaster.
I didnt know how to prepare, people were disengaged, and there were issues with collaboration and communication.
It was part of my DNA.
I had to find a way to combine the two.
Eventually, I found the right blend of tools and techniques to make remote Design Sprints work.
Here are my key takeaways.
The key to running successful remote Design Sprints: Break it up!
The biggest challenge when running remote Sprints is the Sprint structure itself.
The team goes through various exercises for a whole day, filling up whiteboards and amassing sticky notes.
The prototyping team comes on Wednesday, and then user tests are run to validate ideas on Thursday.
Monday and Tuesday are the most intense days and require the most effort to organize and facilitate the Sprint.
After many iterations (and truthfully, a few mistakes), a winning solution was developed.
Note that we didnt label the days Monday, Tuesday, etc.
This exercise will help choose the right people for the Sprint as well as prepare the session more effectively.
A team of five to seven people is ideal.
The Sprints goal is to get the right people to focus on a specific problem and generate solutions.
The above team is an ideal mix; the roles can be adjusted depending on needs.
Schedule the Sprint
Its best to schedule participants within a nine-hour window across timezones.
Pro tip:UseWorld Time Buddyto review timezones and check overlaps.
Create a Design Sprint brief
Once the team is set, create a brief usingthistemplate.
Its the core document intended to align all participants on what to expect from the upcoming Design Sprint.
Frame the problem
Problem-framing is a crucial component of Design Sprint preparation.
It involves doing enough research around the problem to be solved.
This process will help set the stage and get everyone aligned before the Design Sprint starts.
They need to understand the challenge and what is expected of them.
In this way, distracting conversations are minimized, especially midway through the silent tasks.
Built-in tools that make life easier
Mirowas chosen for various reasons.
Grab the Miro template here.
