Design Sprint Phases
For the past four weeks I have been introducing the different phases of a design sprint and we are almost to the end. If you are new here I urge you to go read Phase 1 Blog and Phase 2 Blog and Phase 3 Blog , all about the first three days of a design sprint.
A quick recap:
In Phase 1 of a design sprint is all about getting the team aligned by understanding the problem they are trying to solve, the users, and the overall goals. It’s mapping the user journey, gathering expert insights, and choosing the one area to focus on for the rest of the sprint.
In Phase 2, the team shifts from understanding the problem to generating ideas and sketching them out creating storyboards. It’s all about exploring different ideas individually, then narrowing down the most promising ones to move forward with.
In Phase 3, is where the teams decision phase, where the group selects the best idea to prototype. After reviewing and voting on the sketches, the group discusses the strongest concepts and the decision-maker chooses the final direction. The team then creates a prototype which outlines how the product will work, which becomes the blueprint for the product getting ready for phase 4 where the team tests the product on real world users.
Phase 4 of a Design Sprint is the Testing Phase, where the team evaluates their product by putting the prototype in front of real users.
The goal is to gather honest feedback and see if the idea actually solves the problem.
Where to start?
Time to recruit participants for the user testing. But how does your team do that?
- First off, know your Target Audience
When choosing a user to test your product you want it to be the type of person that you have in mind when creating the product. This will be your best way to get feedback on how to improve for your target market.
- Decide how many participant you need
A design sprint goes fast and the team can’t test a hundred people but they don’t overly need about 5-8 participants within your target audience to help receive feedback on aspects that could have been missing or need fixing.
- Set up a strategy for recruitment!
What might that look like?
- The team needs to set up lines for recruitment whether that be through a testing site, social media, email list, in a community chat room or even in person. Think about how this team can reach the right people in a timely manner.
A thing to think about:
If you are doing this last minute or your target audience is very niche the team might have to consider an incentive for the testers to use the product itself.
- Consent Form and Recruitment Timeline
This I mesh together because in an easy google form the team can set up a consent form and a section on when the user can meet within the timeframe needed to run the user testing. Kill two birds with one stone. I think this is better because the more messages sent out to testers the fewer responses the team will receive.
- Last thing is a nicely worded message to entice the users to want to participate.
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NOW WITH ALL THAT PREP ITS TIME!
All that’s left is to recruit people, screen them, make sure they fill out the consent form, get them scheduled for the user testing, and confirm all the details with them prior to the scheduled meeting.
Next is the prep before the actual test occurs.
This part is called the Research Lab!
1. Plan the User Testing Sessions:
Planning this is all about the details, like the location of the meeting, the time of day, how long it will run for, what kind of tools/software and other things the team might need throughout. This also meets making sure the team has enough time in between to get all the findings down on the page and really sit with the information they just received. This is also just a good way to regroup and fix any bugs that need fixing.
2. Define Testing Objectives and Tasks:
This is where the team breaks down what they want to get out of this test. The users need direction; they can’t just do anything with the product all the time. This is where the team would figure out the aspects that need to be tested and write a few user scenarios for them to try out. This is a good way to see how someone who is not the creator would flow through a product or service.
3. Create Testing Materials:
Prepare materials like a welcome script, and questions that should be asked, closing conversations, and maybe even an exit survey. Exit surveys can be helpful to see what the user thinks once they are not in the user testing process.
4. Set Up the Testing Environment:
The testing environment should be as distraction free as possible. People can get distracted easily and this can lead to outside factors that will not yield the best results.
5. Conduct a Pre-Test Briefing:
Before the testing starts, let the participant know the purpose of the product, how the testing might run, give instructions on anything that’s necessary, and feed any prior questions that might come up.
6. Facilitate the User Testing Sessions:
Now it’s time to meet the users and have the moderator run through the test scenarios with the user while someone else of the time takes notes for a better debrief later.
7. Capture Insights and Observations:
This means don’t just take notes on what they are saying, write for things you are observing as well. A human face has a lot to say if you look closely enough.
8. Debrief and Analyze:
Last thing is to take all of the information given, bring it back to the group, and try to understand everything that needs to be changed or altered or kept the same!
Come back next week for the final phase of the design sprint where the team really gets to reflect on the findings of the product and create a final report.
Levy It All To Me 