Our Signature Process

The 5-Day Design Sprint

Answer critical business questions through design, prototyping, and testing - in just five days.

Born at Google Ventures, refined by hundreds of companies worldwide, the design sprint is a proven method for solving big problems and testing new ideas without the risk of a full launch.

5 Days
1 Week
Possibilities

What Exactly Is a Design Sprint?

Think of it as a shortcut to learning. Instead of spending months building something, then finding out if customers want it, a sprint lets you test your most critical assumptions in five days.

You'll bring together a small team, clear your calendars, and work intensively for one week. By Friday afternoon, you'll have a realistic prototype and real customer feedback. No guessing. No politics. Just evidence.

Why Companies Love Sprints

Fast Results

Compress months of debate and development into one focused week.

Lower Risk

Test before you invest. Learn what works without building the whole thing.

Team Alignment

Get everyone on the same page, working toward the same goal.

Real Feedback

Stop guessing what customers want. Watch them use your prototype and listen.

Cut Through Complexity

Big problems feel more manageable when you have a clear process.

Bias Toward Action

Move from endless discussion to making real progress that everyone can see.

Your Week, Day by Day

Each day has a clear goal. We'll guide you through every step, keeping things moving and focused.

Monday Map

Understand the Problem and Pick a Target

Monday is about getting everyone on the same page. You'll map out the challenge, hear from experts, and choose exactly what to focus on for the rest of the week.

What You'll Do:

  • Set the stage - Define your long-term goal and the questions you need to answer
  • Map the problem - Create a visual representation of how customers experience your product or service
  • Ask the experts - Interview people in your company who know different pieces of the puzzle
  • Pick a target - Choose which part of the problem to focus on and which customer to target
By End of Day:

You'll have a clear map of the challenge and a focused target for the sprint. No more trying to solve everything at once.

Tuesday Sketch

Put Solutions on Paper

Tuesday is for generating solutions. You'll look for inspiration, remix existing ideas, and sketch your own solutions to the problem you mapped on Monday.

What You'll Do:

  • Find inspiration - Look at how other companies (in any industry) have solved similar problems
  • Sketch individually - Everyone creates detailed solution sketches, working alone to maximize ideas
  • Make it concrete - Draw out your ideas in enough detail that others can understand them
  • Stay anonymous - Keep sketches anonymous to focus on ideas, not politics
By End of Day:

A wall full of detailed solution sketches - practical, well-thought-out ideas for solving your challenge.

Wednesday Decide

Choose the Best Solution and Make a Plan

With all the ideas on the table, Wednesday is decision day. You'll critique solutions, pick the strongest ideas, and weave them into a plan you can test.

What You'll Do:

  • Review solutions - Look at all the sketches as a team and discuss what works
  • Vote on winners - Use structured voting to identify the most promising ideas
  • Make decisions - The decision maker (usually the CEO or lead) picks what to prototype
  • Create a storyboard - Turn your chosen solution into a step-by-step plan for Friday's prototype
By End of Day:

A detailed storyboard that shows exactly what you'll prototype and test. Thursday's work is mapped out and ready to go.

Thursday Prototype

Build a Realistic Prototype

Thursday is about making it real. You'll build a prototype that looks real enough to get honest reactions from customers. It doesn't need to work - it just needs to look like it works.

What You'll Do:

  • Adopt a prototype mindset - You can fake it. You don't need real code or perfect design.
  • Divide and conquer - Split into teams, each tackling different parts of the prototype
  • Stitch it together - Combine everyone's work into one seamless experience
  • Do a trial run - Test your prototype internally to catch obvious problems

What "Realistic" Means

Your prototype needs to be real enough that customers believe they're using the actual product. But you're not building the real thing - you're creating an illusion. Think movie set, not finished building.

By End of Day:

A prototype that looks and feels real, ready to test with actual customers tomorrow. Time to get nervous (in a good way)!

Friday Test

Get Answers from Real Customers

Friday is truth time. You'll show your prototype to actual target customers and watch how they react. Their feedback will tell you if you're on the right track - or if you need to rethink things.

What You'll Do:

  • Conduct interviews - Meet with five target customers, one at a time
  • Watch and learn - Observe how they interact with your prototype
  • Ask questions - Dig deeper to understand their reactions and reasoning
  • Look for patterns - Identify what works, what doesn't, and what surprises you
  • Plan next steps - Decide together what to do next based on what you learned

Why Five Customers?

Research shows that testing with five people reveals about 85% of usability problems. That's enough to spot clear patterns without wasting time. If four out of five people struggle with the same thing, you've got your answer.

By End of Day:

Clear insights about what works and what doesn't. You'll know if your idea has legs - and have a concrete plan for what comes next.

What Happens After the Sprint?

By Friday afternoon, you'll have real data. Here's how teams typically use what they learn:

Clear Success

Customers loved it! Now you can invest confidently in building the real thing, knowing it'll work.

Valuable Learning

Parts worked, parts didn't. You know exactly what to fix before moving forward.

Pivot Needed

The idea didn't land. That's okay - you just saved months of building the wrong thing.

Typical Next Steps

  • Run another sprint to explore a different angle
  • Start building the real product with confidence
  • Do more research on specific questions that came up
  • Share learnings with stakeholders (with video evidence!)

What You Need for a Great Sprint

Five Full Days

Monday through Friday, 10am-5pm. Everyone's calendars cleared. No exceptions, no interruptions.

The Right Team

7 people or fewer. Include a decision maker, and people with different perspectives (design, tech, marketing, etc.)

A Dedicated Space

A room with whiteboards and wall space. Somewhere you can spread out and won't be disturbed.

A Big Challenge

A real problem worth solving. Something important enough to dedicate a week to.

Common Questions

Can we do this remotely?

Yes! While in-person is ideal, remote sprints can work well with the right tools. We've run successful sprints with fully distributed teams.

What if we can't get five days in a row?

Honestly? Don't do a sprint. The power comes from momentum and focus. Spreading it out breaks that. Wait until you can commit the full week.

Do we need to know design or coding?

Not at all. We guide you through everything, and Thursday's prototyping uses tools anyone can learn in minutes. No special skills required.

What if our idea fails the test?

That's actually a win. You just learned in one week what might have taken months and hundreds of thousands to discover. Now you can adjust or try something different.

How much does a sprint cost?

Every sprint is different depending on your needs and complexity. Get in touch and we'll create a custom proposal that makes sense for you.

Ready to Sprint?

Let's talk about your challenge and whether a 5-day design sprint is right for you.

Book a Consultation