Finally, the time has come to check if the idea we had at the beginning of the Design Sprint week will be validated by users or not.
If you missed the content about the 4th day, access it here:
How about? Time for the last day?
And if you want to know more about the theoretical part of Design Sprint as a whole, read our article:
The fifth day of Design Sprint: testing
Finally we arrived at Fifth and last day of Design Sprint, when we will finally test the prototype and the idea that was chosen over the week.
It is on this day, therefore, that we will put to the test all the work carried out during DS week.
That way, It's a time when we must let go of our attachment and vanity, open our heads and listen to all the feedback, critiques, and suggestions. In addition, of course, to the compliments and applause.
Because we are in a process of validating and understanding a hypothesis, it is essential that we are also ready for yours Not confirmation.
However, it's important to remember that The negative is also a result and a response to the DS process.
With that in mind, let's list the main steps to conduct this test day.
What are the main steps to take the test?
First of all, it is essential to point out that the Design Sprint test is different from a usability test in a product launch process.
Not DS, Time is too short. Therefore, it becomes almost impossible to carry out a usability test of your prototype, taking into account the user's time and the way in which it interacts.
In fact, The fifth-day test is a test of understanding, of perception, to assess whether the idea/hypotheses created are valid or not.
With that in mind, we can list two main important steps that must be remembered for this step:
- Understand how the test will be operationalized: whether there will be recruitment of users, whether the research will be carried out on the street, what resources will be used in addition to the prototype, what will be the itinerary, etc. This step must be considered, in fact, since the first day of the DS. There are no conditions to think about the operational part of the test on the same day. Therefore, this planning is crucial so that the time of the fifth day is exclusive for the test itself, and not for operational arrangements;
- Be clear about the purpose of the test: as said, time is a crucial element of Design Sprint as a whole. Thus, it is necessary to be clear about the purpose of the test, what is actually being tested. It is impossible, given the time, to test all the usability elements of the product. Therefore, it is essential to define this objective so that the test complies with the determined.
What's more, the test may not validate an attribute or element, but even so, it can Confirm a path, a direction to where the product should go.
Reading Tip: Better Understand How to Prepare and Conduct a Usability Test
Who takes the Design Sprint test?
Although there are specialists in Research, the test part also requires the collaboration of the entire Design Sprint team, as well as in all other stages.
Team collaboration can take place in three moments:
- When preparing for the test: the team can help think about questions for the user, possible flows and journeys, and the test script. The multidisciplinary nature of the team is also important at this time. Different views help in better construction and preparation of the test;
- In the test itself: tests can generally be divided into two responsibilities: the mediator and the observer. The mediator must be someone more familiar and experienced, but the observer may be a member of the team. He will do the annotations needed during the test for each user;
- In the summary of the test: in the final part of the test there is the consolidation of all results. The group meets and discusses completing the test. Collaboration is important because, as observers, each person can find different arguments and justifications for the test result. In this way, collaboration is essential to collect all of these insights.
Collaboration is also important because of Design Sprint's short time. Everyone on the team needs to help with the process. In addition to optimizing time, it brings new insights and visions from other team members.
The insight of the test mediator
The figure of the mediator is crucial to conduct the test with the users.
Overall, for Design Sprint, the mediator must be a more experienced UX Researcher because there are certain precautions that need to be taken when conducting the test:
- Clarity of the objective: this requirement is indisputable and essential. Without this, the mediator You may take a wrong path, bringing little relevant results.
- Get rid of any influence: at the time of conducting the test, the mediator must Shield from any influence that you may suffer, be it some distraction or some cognitive bias;
- Neutrality: in the same sense of not being influenced, the mediator must also Do not influence or distract the user. This care can happen even in the way you dress. There are cases where it is preferable to avoid clothes that attract too much attention from the user;
- Make the user feel at ease: remind the user that they are not the reason for the test, but the product. Still, it is important to emphasize that there is no right or wrong answer and that you know how to answer questions without influencing you.
With this care in sight, it is clear why the mediator is someone more experienced in the Design Sprint process.
In addition to these precautions, It is important to remember that a person is unique and the mediator must know how to deal with different situations and cases.
Reading Tip: What Is Empathy and Why Is It Important in UX Design?
The synthesis of the test and the Design Sprint
Beauty. We have already carried out the tests, made all the relevant notes, observed the flows and user journey.
And now?
Now comes the summary part of the test. That is to say, it is the tabulation of the results to identify the patterns that occurred in the test.
For this reason, the participation of everyone on the team is important. Each member, who has participated in the test, will score in Post-its the results of your observations.
However, it must be understood that the annotation of the results is not limited to just a word like “good”, “fast”, etc. It is important to include complete sentences about the understanding of each observer in each test with the user.
In addition, each Post-it notes amounts to an output/ understanding/ perception. The idea is not to put everything in one post it.
That way, with everything separated, it is possible categorizing each result and create Clusters to understand the patterns and discuss the final result.
Additionally, in the synthesis phase, it is interesting Draw a parallel with all the learning generated throughout the Design Sprint week. With this, it is possible to trace everything that was done, linking all the stages and also keeping the team motivated.
Many times the DS idea may not be validated, but that doesn't mean that all the work was thrown in the trash. Quite the contrary.
In DS, non-validation is also a result to be interpreted as positive. After all, imagine if the idea didn't go through the Design Sprint process and was implemented. The loss would be much greater.
Frequently asked questions about the test day
The fourth day of Design Sprint brings many doubts, after all, it needs to be well conducted for the results obtained to be valid and relevant.
In this way, we answer some questions that may arise during the process.
1) Can I perform the test with the company's own employees?
It is not advisable carry out the tests with the company's employees. Because, even recruiting people from areas farther away from the product, there are plenty Business bias. And that can influence the tests and the results.
Unless there are any unforeseen events on the day of the test, but avoid applying the survey to employees whenever possible.
2) Can I test with close friends or family?
If possible, it is Better not. Like the previous question, friends and relatives may have some bias that influences the result.
In this case, the bias will not be business bias, but the individual bias. Perhaps a relative or friend is uncomfortable answering the test sincerely because of their closeness to you.
One solution to this problem is to test with a Your relative's friend, or a friend of your friend, whom you don't know.
3) How can you, as a mediator, maintain a neutral behavior at the time of the test?
A tip is Don't disconnect with what's being said and analyzed. Staying focused on the itinerary can also help you.
That way, your concentration helps you maintain neutrality and not be influenced by the conversation or by any external factor.
4) How do I calculate the margin of error for a DS test?
Maybe the question isn't right about margin of error.
Look, The margin of error has a lot to do with quantity. In the case of DS, the number of users for the test is very small. It doesn't make much sense to calculate a percentage of 5 or 7 people.
What can be done here is to establish a level of confidence in the results, building a Reliability rule.
Additionally, you can cross-reference the collected results with the research done in the previous DS days. That way, you can estimate a degree of reliability that can bring you more security.
End of the Design Sprint day and week
We reached the end of the test day and also the Design Sprint weekend.
With this series of contents, we hope that you have been able to have a more practical idea about the entire Design Sprint process.
