Design Sprint

Use this when the team needs to go from problem to tested prototype in a compressed timeframe. Produces a facilitation plan for a design sprint (1-5 days depending on scope) with exercises, templates, and decision frameworks for each phase. Based on the GV design sprint methodology, adapted for modern product teams.

Related skills: Use /facilitation-guide for general facilitation techniques. Generate prototypes with /artium-prototype or /client-prototype. Analyze test results with /usability-findings.

Process

Step 1: Gather inputs

Ask the user to provide:

1. Sprint challenge -- what problem are you trying to solve? What's the big question?
2. Duration -- full 5-day sprint, compressed 3-day, or 1-day "lite" version?
3. Participants -- who's in the room? (Roles, count, decision-maker identified?)
4. Target user -- who will test the prototype? (Persona or segment)
5. Constraints -- technical, business, or timeline constraints the team must respect
6. Existing research -- any prior interviews, analytics, or insights to inform the sprint
7. Logistics -- in-person or remote? What tools does the team use? (Miro, FigJam, physical supplies)

Step 2: Generate the sprint plan

Based on duration, produce a detailed facilitation plan:

5-day sprint plan

## Design Sprint Plan -- {{challenge name}}

### Sprint question
(The specific question this sprint will answer)

### Day 1: Understand & Define
**Goal:** Align on the problem and pick a target.

| Time | Exercise | Purpose | Facilitator notes |
|------|----------|---------|------------------|
| 9:00 | Sprint overview & rules | Set expectations | No devices, no HiPPO, vote not debate |
| 9:30 | Lightning talks (15 min each) | Share what we know | Business, tech, user, data perspectives |
| 10:30 | How Might We notes | Capture opportunities | Write HMWs on stickies during talks |
| 11:00 | HMW clustering & voting | Prioritize opportunities | Dot vote, top themes go on map |
| 11:30 | Journey map (current state) | Shared understanding of user flow | Rough, not polished |
| 1:00 | Sprint target selection | Pick the target moment | Decision-maker picks, team commits |
| 2:00 | Expert interviews (if applicable) | Fill knowledge gaps | 15-20 min each |

### Day 2: Sketch
**Goal:** Generate diverse solutions individually.

| Time | Exercise | Purpose | Facilitator notes |
|------|----------|---------|------------------|
| 9:00 | Lightning demos | Inspiration from existing solutions | 3-min demos of comparable products |
| 10:00 | Sketch warm-up: Crazy 8s | Rapid ideation (8 ideas in 8 minutes) | Quantity over quality |
| 10:30 | Solution sketch (detailed) | Each person's best idea, fully rendered | 3-panel storyboard, work alone |
| 1:00 | Continued sketching | Refine solution sketches | Anonymous -- no names on sketches |

### Day 3: Decide
**Goal:** Choose which solution to prototype.

| Time | Exercise | Purpose | Facilitator notes |
|------|----------|---------|------------------|
| 9:00 | Art museum | Silent review of all sketches | Sticky dot questions and highlights |
| 9:30 | Speed critique | 3 min per sketch, facilitator narrates | Sketch author stays silent |
| 10:30 | Straw poll | Everyone votes for favorites | Dot voting, no discussion yet |
| 11:00 | Supervote | Decision-maker picks the winner(s) | Can combine elements from multiple sketches |
| 11:30 | Storyboard | Map the prototype flow screen by screen | 10-15 frames covering the test scenario |

### Day 4: Prototype
**Goal:** Build a realistic-enough prototype to test.

| Time | Exercise | Purpose | Facilitator notes |
|------|----------|---------|------------------|
| 9:00 | Assign roles | Divide work | Makers, writers, asset collectors, stitcher |
| 9:30 | Build | Create prototype screens | Figma, Keynote, HTML -- whatever's fastest |
| 3:00 | Stitch & review | Assemble screens into clickable flow | Test internally, fix gaps |
| 4:00 | Write test script | Prepare interview guide for Day 5 | Tasks, not questions |

### Day 5: Test
**Goal:** Watch 5 users interact with the prototype.

| Time | Exercise | Purpose | Facilitator notes |
|------|----------|---------|------------------|
| 9:00-12:00 | User interviews (5 sessions, 45 min each) | Test the prototype | Interviewer + note-takers in a watch room |
| 1:00 | Debrief | Capture patterns | Each person lists top 3 observations |
| 2:00 | Pattern mapping | Cluster observations by screen/task | Green (worked), red (failed), yellow (unclear) |
| 3:00 | Decision time | What did we learn? What's next? | Go / iterate / pivot |

3-day compressed plan

(Combine Day 1 + 2 into one day, Day 3 morning + Day 4 into one day, Day 5 stays)

1-day lite plan

(Morning: problem + sketch, Afternoon: decide + quick prototype, Next day: test 3 users)

Step 3: Customize for context

Adjust the plan based on:

• Remote teams: Add Miro/FigJam board templates, adjust timing for screen fatigue (more breaks, shorter exercises)
• Existing research: Skip lightning talks if the team already has shared understanding; use the time for deeper sketching
• Technical constraints: Add a "feasibility check" exercise on Day 3 before the supervote
• Large groups (8+): Split into small groups for sketching, reconvene for voting

Step 4: Prepare materials

## Materials Checklist

### Physical (in-person)
- [ ] Large sticky notes (4x6) for solution sketches
- [ ] Small stickies for HMWs
- [ ] Dot stickers (voting)
- [ ] Markers (thick Sharpies -- forces big thinking)
- [ ] Timer
- [ ] Whiteboard or large paper for journey map

### Digital (remote)
- [ ] Miro/FigJam board with exercise templates
- [ ] Video conferencing with breakout rooms
- [ ] Shared timer (visible to all)
- [ ] Prototype tool (Figma, Keynote, or HTML scaffold)

Step 5: Review

Ask the user:

• Does the timeline work for your team's availability?
• Is the decision-maker identified and committed to attending?
• Do you have access to 5 target users for testing?
• Should I generate the Miro/FigJam board templates?

Output location

Present the sprint plan as formatted text in the conversation. For team distribution, export to Notion or create a Miro/FigJam board with exercise templates.