Design sprints are a structured, time-constrained approach to solving design and product development challenges. They were popularized by Jake Knapp and the team at Google Ventures (GV) and have since been adopted by many organizations and design teams.
In a design sprint, a cross-functional team collaborates intensively over a short period, typically five days, to tackle a specific problem or project. The process usually includes the following key phases:
- Understand: The team begins by understanding the problem, discussing goals, and gathering information from stakeholders.
- Diverge: Team members brainstorm and generate a wide range of ideas individually, encouraging creative thinking.
- Converge: The team reviews and discusses the ideas, then selects the most promising ones to pursue further.
- Prototype: A rapid, low-fidelity prototype is created to visualize and test the selected solution.
- Test: The prototype is tested with real users or stakeholders to gather feedback and validate assumptions.
Design sprints are known for their efficiency and ability to rapidly iterate and validate ideas. They are particularly useful for tackling complex problems, launching new products or features, and overcoming design challenges.