10 things you did not know, you needed to succeed and delight customers in a Design Sprint
1) Super sticky full adhesive post-it notes
Forget the normal and standard 3M post-its notes, and NEVER use "white-label" and "copy look alike" sticky notes. They are 100% going to fall down from the wall and whiteboard during the Design Sprint, and it is going to be a mess.
Use always the original 3M (I am not being sponsored here!) and specially use 3M super sticky and / or super sticky full adhesive post-it notes. They will stick and will remain on the wall.
2) V-SIGN PEN from Pilot
Forget Sharpies when writing on post-it notes: they smell, they bleed and they are permanent markers: Ooops.... somebody wrote on the whiteboard or wall with them!!
Use V-sign Pen from Pilot instead. They are thick enough (2.0mm tip gives a 0.6mm line), do not have the above mentioned drawbacks and are a sensorial and tactile pleasure to use. You are going to fall in love with them :-)
3) Music playlist and Bluetooth speakers
Specially in day 2 (Sketch), 3 (Decide) and 4 (Prototype) are lots of individual and collective exercises where a relaxing or upbeat (Crazy 8s!) music on the background may help and enhance the process and the team.
Have always a predefined music playlist in Spotify or iTunes with the right kind of music for the Design Sprint, or better create a new open playlist just for the Design Sprint and invite the Design Sprint members long before the Sprint so they can add the music they like. Bring with you some Bluetooth speakers along to play it.
Some playlists ready to use:
Spotify) AJ&Smart:
Spotify) Voltage Control:
4) Post-it Super Sticky Easel Pad
Worst case scenario in a Design Sprint: you run off whiteboards where to place stuff or whatever it was on the whiteboard needs to be erased or moved around? Then the post-it super sticky easel pad in your best friend!
It is a large self-stick flip chart size paper that resists marker bleed-through and resticks all the way through the Design Sprint, specially handy for Design Sprint goals, questions, agendas, common rules, parking places... It holds up to 2X longer to most surfaces and can be repositioned without surface damage. No tape or tacks needed unlike standard flip chart paper. Priceless!
5) A online whiteboard
Regardless wether you are running a remote Design Sprint with people around the globe or not, I truly recommend a online whiteboard in every Design Sprint.
If you Sprint is remote, the value is evident, but in a non-remote Design Sprint those online whiteboard are an essential and easy way to document each day and right right away, everything that has been done and the outcomes for the day and the Design Sprint totally.
I have experienced it to be one of the best and most powerful deliverables that the customer can keep, show to the rest of the organization and re-use further down on the process.
Mural and Miro are two main big players in this area, and some even already have templates ready to use from the shelf.
6) A common online storage space
It is critical that before the Design Sprint you create and structure a common online storage space that you share with both relevant Design Sprint stakeholders and the Design Sprint team.
The purpose is to gather and share all relevant documents to be used both before, during and after the Design Sprint such us "Sprint brief", insight data, pictures taken, the material needed to create the prototype (logos, illustrations, pictures, copy...), videos created and the Design Sprint summary.
7) A common online instant messaging platform
I recommend to create a common communication channel in your company preferred messaging platform. That will speed up the process to reach and communicate with all your Design Team participants before and during the Sprint: if people is late, short summary of the day and next day agenda, if there are some changes in the schedule, reminders, give them some love and motivation...
8) A standing alone digital photo camera
It is useful and practical to have one standing alone digital photo camera to be used during the Design Sprint for both the facilitators and the team together to document the prosess, artifacts and outcomes, and to capture the mood and the vibe in the room.
I do not recommend to use smartphones, because they are individually owned and it is actually FORBIDDEN to use devices during the Sprint. Taking HD videos is highly recommended: testimonials before an after, capturing the process, flow and energy...
Remember to upload daily all taken pictures and videos, into their right folder in the online storage space and into the online whiteboard!
It is a MUST to take a group pictures at the very end of the Design Sprint to be shared and remember ;-)
9) Two facilitators
Use always two facilitators in each Design Sprint (it is a VERY cognitive demanding job): one being the "lead facilitator" taking responsibility for leading the activities, exercises and outcome of the day, and another being responsible for documenting, taking notes and pictures, keeping the schedule, getting process and conversations back on track when needed and taking care of the daily logistics (breaks, coffee, snack, supplies...).
The two facilitators could and should change roles during the Design Sprint.
10) An extra 1/2 day
Forget about trying to summarise the entire Design Sprint and define next steps at the end of the last day. After user testing and a very long and demanding week together, everybody is going to be mentally exhausted, wanting to go home and not really capable of being fully rational and analytical about the next steps.
Better give the team a weekend break and spend an extra 1/2 day on Monday to walk through and recap what you did together, and with some perspective and also together with some other strategical stakeholders, that might have not been involved during the Design Sprint, analyse the results and agree on the next steps.
Do you have some other thoughts and items that should be included in this list? Please add them in the "Comment" field under 👇
Good sprinting and godspeed!!
Wonder how and where to start implementing Design Sprints in your company? Let's have a coffee and share some interesting thoughts and ideas together (co-creation!).
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Love these tips Jose! Thank you! In particular the super sticky pads and butchers paper, having a team communication app going for updates, agenda changes etc. and asking participants to choose songs!
BONUS!!
- Always start the day with a check-in (what’s on your mind, what do you remember from yesterday, what was the biggest take away / insight from yesterday….) and end the day with a check-out (summary of the day, the plan for tomorrow…)
- Start the sprint day at 10:00, so the participants have time from 8:00 or 9:00 to 10:00, to check out and answer important emails and phones. Then they are all in 💯 in the sprint flow
- At the end of the design sprint, give the "Sprint" book signed by you the facilitator with a personal encouraging note as a surprise gift to all design sprint participants, and take a happy picture together. That's a wrap in a high note! 😎