As the adoption of the design sprint has grown in popularity since its initial introduction in 2010, so too have the methods with which it can be conducted.
Consisting of five phases (map out, sketch, decide, prototype and test), the design sprint aims to be a quicker, more efficient way of introducing new products or improving current features over a week-long period. Various teams hope to end the process with a successful failure, a flawed win or a resounding victory.
However, every organization differs – and so do its products.
At mental healthcare platform Lyra Health, for example, planning out expectations ahead of schedule and strictly defining what each daily agenda entails helps leadership decide exactly who to include in the process for the most effective end results. It also allows participants to step into the client’s shoes.
“Context setting is especially important as we ask experts to share their knowledge,” Elina Lin, lead product designer at Lyra, said. “Storytelling builds empathy.”
Built In San Francisco sat down with Lin for additional insight into Lyra Health’s design sprint process and the surprisingly beneficial ideas that have come about as a result.
What does a typical design sprint look like for your team and who is involved?
At Lyra Health, we’re solving problems across both client and provider platforms. Any change in the product can affect multiple internal and external parties. Within a design sprint, collaboration between teams such as clinical, provider, product, engineering, data science, and others is critical. By entering a multidisciplinary and creative space, we exponentially improve the product while addressing a broad spectrum of the Lyra ecosystem that would have been challenging to solve alone.
Based on our goals, sprints follow a structured agenda and are timeboxed five to seven days.
An example of a design sprint week at Lyra
- Day 1: Define
- Day 2: Design
- Day 3: Decide
- Day 4-5: Prototype
- Day 6-7: Test and Synthesis
Each day contains a mixture of activities and includes context setting, expert interviews, individual reflections, small group discussions, and a sprinkle of icebreakers and bio-breaks. An interesting agenda keeps creative ideas flowing for sketching blue-sky ideas. At the tail end of the sprint, we decide on solutions to prototype and test with real users so that we can consider them into Lyra’s platforms.
What is the key to a successful sprint, and why?
Like going on a trip, creative flow occurs with planning, which occurs no later than two weeks before the sprint. By defining specific goals, we know who to invite, what activities to timebox, and how to make it meaningful for everyone involved. Getting on the same page about how a design sprint will be beneficial and what will make it successful allows us to be outcomes-driven with flexibility for innovation.
During the sprint, storytelling builds empathy. At Lyra, context setting is especially important as we ask experts to share their knowledge. Whether it’s a deep dive on clinical effectiveness or provider care, bringing life into our client and provider archetypes allows participants to step into their shoes. Between discussions, fun activities spark the creative mindset. While topics surrounding mental health can feel heavy, icebreakers are invitations for everyone to feel comfortable to approach problems in a positive light.
After the sprint, these cross-functional groups are established as key partners to continue the conversation and provide design feedback, discuss user research insights, and share interesting ideas.
Surprises like these show how design sprints are a powerful and effective tool for innovation.”
What’s the coolest or most impactful idea or design that has come out of a design sprint?
When we zeroed in on member engagement, our roadmap was directly affected. What surprised us was not only the diversity of novel ideas generated but also unexpected patterns that emerged to improve member guidance and progress at various touch points. Though this wasn’t something we had set out to solve, it was brought up by the group’s majority after hearing user stories and walking through important areas with our clinical experts. We then tested several of these concepts in a prototype and gathered firsthand accounts from existing members that trended positively. This was especially exciting as it gave us agency to build these features into our platform and helped us dedicate a bigger portion of our design roadmap to consider building larger, end-to-end solutions.
Surprises like these show how design sprints are a powerful and effective tool for innovation. One of my favorite things as a designer is bringing non-design partners along in the creative process to solve complex problems and build together.
