The classic Design Sprint follows a structured recipe that guides a team from a vague challenge to a validated solution:
The Design Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems in Just Five Days
: Dig into the design problem. You map out the challenge and pick a specific, manageable target to focus on for the week. Design Sprint
: Instead of group brainstorming, team members work individually to sketch competing solutions on paper.
A Design Sprint is an intensive, five-day process used by teams to answer critical business questions through design, prototyping, and testing ideas with customers. Originally developed by Jake Knapp at Google Ventures (GV), this methodology is a "greatest hits" of business strategy, innovation, and design thinking. The classic Design Sprint follows a structured recipe
: The team critiques the sketches and makes difficult decisions, choosing the best ideas to turn into a testable hypothesis.
: You show your prototype to five real users in one-on-one interviews. By the end of the day, you’ll know exactly how far you need to go and what to do next. Core Principles for Success A Design Sprint is an intensive, five-day process
: Everything is captured on whiteboards or sticky notes, replacing short-term memory and keeping the team aligned.