Hi, let me introduce myself!

I am an ambivert to the most basic definition of the meaning. This means I am equal parts extrovert and introvert all at the same time. This has been quite difficult in different positions I have held over my life. 

This gets put to the test on a daily basis, there is a constant battle of me wanting to say something but not feeling like there is a place for me to say it. Most of the time I feel like I have come up with great ideas but with people talking all around me I just assume that my idea will be overlooked or dismissed. 

I don’t know if it’s my personality or my upbringing but I have always struggled in groups to actively feel helpful. I fall into a category of wanting to take a leadership role while also finding that overwhelming at times. This leads me to just going along with others to keep the peace.

When coming up with and growing ideas there needs to be a balance of structure and openness when approaching this. This is how the design sprint was formed… at least to me it was.

What’s a Design Sprint?

A design sprint is a structured, five-day process used to quickly test ideas, create prototypes, and collect user feedback before launching a product or feature. It’s a workshop designed to solve specific problems or validate new concepts. 

This is an open concept think tank to practically sprint through ideas and see what fits the best. It’s better to have 100 ideas that can be tested and brought together to form a great final product. The team can, ‘short cut the endless-debate cycle and compress months of time into a single week.’ 

This is with a great deal of help by a proctor. This is someone that helps facilitate ideas and makes sure everyone’s voice can be heard. 

Why is it so useful?

Design Sprints are about bringing people together for a short period of time to focus solely on a specific problem.

Design sprints are a great way to align a group of people towards a common goal who have different interests in mind.

Design sprints can be a useful tool for creating a safe space for people to share ideas, think outside the box, and fail fast without consequences. For people like me!

A Brand or Product

When building a brand or product this can be very helpful. It allows a greater flow of ideas and really accelerates the process.

EXAMPLE: 

Blue Bottle Coffee

Blue Bottle Coffee is a perfect example of how a design sprint can provide extremely successful results.

Backstory

W. James Freeman founded Blue Bottle Coffee in the early 2000s, he intended to roast coffee in small batches to sell within 24 hours of roasting, as a home-delivery service. Over time this brand grew and changed a lot, so the founder wanted to make an at home coffee for the Blue Bottle Lovers. This meant building a website and figuring out how to design it. 

The Sprint

In putting together this sprint, Mr. Freeman brought together a group of different minded individuals. He included the programmer for the site, chief operating officer, chief finance officer, communication manager, customer service lead, the company’s executive chairman and a retail expert. 

This was a brilliant idea because each person saw a different side of the business, with all different perspectives a better idea came from it. Allowing for innovation not only within the company but within the coffee industry as a whole.

If you want to know what happens… I recommend reading about it while sipping on some Blue Bottle Coffee!

Knowing who you are within a group of people can be so valuable, whether that be you personality type or your communication style. This is all brought together to build a bigger purpose. Working together to create the best solution to the problem.