We are in the final stretch of our week of Sprint design.
We've already gone through the first three days, and now we're moving on to the fourth and penultimate day! If you haven't read about the 3rd day, check out the article below:
And if you want to know more about the theoretical part of Design Sprint as a whole, read our article:
Fourth day of Design Sprint: prototyping
Design Sprint week is coming to an end and now things start to leave the field of ideas and take shape.
All ideas, votes, choices, and discussions converged to a solution that now has to be Tangibilized and tested.
So now is the time to return efforts to the construction of something simple, testable and that represents the idealized solution.
Why is building a prototype so important?
The idea of building a prototype is to achieve Get the ideas down on paper and transform them Post-its into something real.
But in addition, within Design Sprint, building the prototype is fundamental to test the idea and verify if it is valid or not.
Therefore, Don't underestimate this stage. It is the result of all the effort invested in the previous days and stages.
However, remember that time is a scarce resource within the Design Sprint process. In this way, Measure your energies and your commitment to this task. Work on a simple prototype that can be efficiently tested the next day.
What types of prototypes can be used?
We recommend that in a Design Sprint process the following should preferably be used low quality and fidelity prototypes, such as sketches and wireframes, for example.
They are easy to build, easy to change, and require less time to design.
However, each case is a case. And the needs of each Design Sprint must be evaluated to decide which type of prototype to build.
In addition, a prototype is not limited only to drawings and Storyboards. There are other types of prototypes that can work very well, such as:
- Performance: set up a small theater that simulates user journey;
- Lego: create a prototype with LEGO, or even a flow of service;
- Papel: create prototypes with folds and collages.
Anyway, there's no right way to build a prototype. It depends a lot on the context, the solution, creativity, and time.
Reading Tip: Do you know what Service Design is?
So I don't need expertise to prototype?
It's not quite like that.
It's true that you don't have to build a complex, high-fidelity prototype, and that you can do this using only drawings on paper.
But the truth is that Do you need to have expertise to prototype, regardless of the degree of complexity of your prototype.
If you have chosen, for example, to prototype with sketches, you have to know the limitations of this method, the product, and the business. It's no use designing a prototype with certain attributes, which cannot be feasible in tests, or which still violate some kind of business rule.
In addition, having expertise also means being comfortable with the tools used. As time is a decisive factor in Design Sprint, the prototyping phase doesn't give you space to try new tools, or to learn how to use one.
Therefore, at this stage, expertise is important, yes, for the prototype to be created with efficiency, business-oriented and worry-free learning with tools.
A multidisciplinary team is essential
At first, we might think that the prototype creation stage is an exclusive phase for designers and developers.
However, this It's not a truth.
As seen, it is important to have the Business vision to build a viable prototype that meets the objectives and needs of Stakeholder.
Therefore, having other visions in the Design Sprint prototyping phase is essential. Even because, it is not necessary to know how to use programs and software. If the prototype is an action from the user's journey, any professional can contribute.
In addition, Design Sprint itself, as a whole, requires people from different areas, to build a solution so collaborative. It should not be different for this step.
So don't get caught up in the thought that the prototyping phase should be done only by designers. Different views bring a more efficient solution.
What are the most common mistakes on the 4th day of Design Sprint?
Although it's a day without much theory or methodology, it's important to note that there are some fairly common errors on prototyping day.
Keep an eye out for them:
- Try to build the perfect prototype/product: the purpose of the DS is validate an idea and not build a complete and perfect product. Remember the concept of MVP — minimum viable product;
- Use the day to learn how to use tools and programs: at this stage there is no room for learning. Time is short and you need focus and efficiency;
- Assume that the prototype will be validated or not: the validation time will be the next day, after the tests with the users. At the time of prototyping, we must avoid drawing conclusions about whether the product is validated or not.
- View prototyping as an artistic process: the prototype and the DS process are aimed at meet the needs of a business. Therefore, it is necessary not to confuse a business-oriented process with an artistic project with no business purpose.
Reading Tip: OKR - Define, Track, and Achieve Your Goals
Important Tips to Consider
In addition to the errors above, the following is a list of tips important ones that can help you Stay focused and efficient on prototyping day.
Prototype won't necessarily become the final product
Don't get attached both to the prototype that will be built during this stage.
It will not necessarily become the final version of the product and, at this stage, we don't even know if the idea will actually be validated or not.
Thus, understand that this process is intended to validate an idea and that everything that was created can be disposed.
The idea of DS is to validate an idea and not launch a product from scratch
Another important tip is to keep in mind the real purpose of Design Sprint.
The purpose of this week is to validate an idea, a part of a whole.
The idea is not to create a product from scratch. Even because, this is a much larger and more complex project that does not fit into a DS process.
So don't try to create a new product, instead, try to validate an attribute, idea, or characteristic of a product that already exists.
Stay focused on the day's goal
A day, or a few hours, to create a prototype is a very short period of time. Therefore, there's no room for distractions.
For this, it is important for the DS facilitator to notice when the team is getting out of focus and bring it back to reality.
It's not a voting day!
Time is short and the prototype must be one.
Perhaps there will be a desire to create several prototypes and hold a vote at the end of the day. But in fact, The entire choice and decision must have been made by now.
Time is too short to create several prototypes and to carry out a final vote. That's not the focus of the day!
Prepare and advance activities for the next day
The day after the prototype is created is when it will be tested and validated or not.
So get ready for this day:
- Get the right understanding of functionalities of the prototype;
- How the test will be done and ushered;
- What you need to have in hands;
- Who will participate in the test and who will take the notations;
- Pass on the hypotheses that will be tested.
This planning will help a lot on the test day, because you will save time, you will be able to map out some difficulties and you will go ahead to solve them.
End of the fourth day of Design Sprint
We have reached the end of the penultimate day of Design Sprint and are about to test our prototype with users.
With this article, we hope that you have in hand tips and concepts to be able to conduct the prototyping day in the best possible way.
It seems like a simple day, where the objective “is just to build”, but the truth is that this is a stage that requires a lot of attention and care.
Check out the last day of Design Sprint in the article below:
