Performing a Design Sprint: A Walkthrough of the Process
This is a case study on a design sprint I completed using a ‘BiteSizeUX’ prompt.
In December 2020, I took on my first ever sprint challenge. As a complete newbie back then I was initially nervous to complete a project within five days. But throughout the sprint, I learned a lot about not marrying your design and becoming more and more comfortable with ideations. Did I fall in love with agile UX processes afterward?…yes!
Let’s get into the case study…
Project Overview
Improving the experience of Tiny Tales as a tablet application for exploring and reading children’s books.
Problem
Tiny Tales a tablet application wants to help parents find books to read to their children. Parents have indicated the app is both difficult to navigate and time-consuming for finding the ideal stories to read to their children. The problem to solve was How might we create a quick and easy process for selecting and reading a children’s book?
Solution
Creating a new and improved design for Tiny Tales in order to make it easier and less time-consuming for parents to find stories for their children. The solution was designed in five days through research, design, and testing via a Google Ventures Design Sprint.
Project Goals & Constraints
Process Highlights
By working with constraints and time bursts, the Google Ventures Design Sprint involves five days of planning, solving, and testing. For this project, design thinking was based on an integration of my non-linear design process with lean UX processes.
Day 1: Understanding the Problem
Day 1 of the sprint consisted of understanding the research and users, creating questions and goals, and designing a guide.
Project Goal:
‘Tiny Tales’ wants to make it easier for parents to find a great story to read to their children.
The Problem
The tablet app includes children’s picture books and stories published by a multitude of authors. Parents have indicated it is both difficult and time-consuming to find the right stories to read to their children.
Developing the Target User…
The Solution…
My goal for creating the solution was simple: Make it easier and less time-consuming for parents to find books to read to their children.
The constraints alongside the solution included: A tablet design and the pre-established inventory of stories in the Tiny Tales app.
The User Journey to Keep in Mind…
As per a sprint challenge, it was critical to create a user journey or a reference guide to facilitate the remainder of days (especially when designing screens). I included HMW problem statements in the user journey to further help with designing and brainstorming.
Day 2: Sketching
Day 2 of the sprint included lightning demos and creating the four-step sketch: notes, ideas, crazy 8s, and the solution sketch.
Gaining Inspiration Through Lightning Demos…
In order to design effectively and given the brief time of the sprint, I analyzed three tablet applications based on reading/children’s entertainment.
The Four-Step Sketch Process…
1. Notes
Prior to any sketching, I wanted to refocus my attention on the questions and goals I created from day one. I reanalyzed both my map and HMW problem statements to gain a better understanding of how my sketches can help achieve the long-term goal.
2. Ideas
Focusing on my HMW questions and answering them with UI techniques helped me in forming sketches. This also provided me with a multitude of ideas on how I wanted to display my critical screen.
3. Crazy 8s
I created eight variations of my most important screen: the book detail screen. This screen would include all the information the parent would like to view when finding a book. The screen I chose would depict a pop-up card feature displaying all the relevant information regarding the book.
4. Solution Sketch aka ‘Mini Storyboard’
For the solution sketch, I designed low-fidelity screens displayed before and after the critical screen.
The screen before will include categories such as age and genre and a search bar to help with navigating the perfect book.
Next, the critical screen will include a pop-up card displaying relevant information about the selected book.
The last screen will be the active reading screen where the parent starts the book.
Day 3: The Storyboard
Day 3 of the sprint consisted of creating 10–15 screens showcasing the storyboard (sketches) that would help build the prototype.
Creating the Storyboard…
I created a 10-panel storyboard showcasing a user launching the app to completing a book.
Day 4: Time to Prototype
Day 4 of the sprint consisted of designing high-fidelity screens from the sketches used in the storyboard.
When prototyping I used an iPad Mini artboard and implemented a simple color palette I felt best represented a children’s reading application. I designed eight screens this day and focused more on the content and flow rather than the details on the interface.
Day 5: Testing…via Concurrent Think Aloud Testing
The fifth and final day of the sprint consisted of testing the solution with 5 participants.
I conducted moderated usability tests due to gaining rapid feedback.
Prior to each test, every participant was given a single task:
“Find a cultural book for your child who is six years old.” For the tests all participants were individuals were related to young children
The Results…
Although the majority of the feedback received was positive; there were a few critical points made by participants. These points were based on slight adjustments to the overall layout of the screens.
Impacts, Thoughts, and Takeaways
“[The] best ideas seem to come from the tightest constraint.”
If there is one thing I learned throughout the process of this sprint is to take it day-by-day and work in small time bursts. By working through the sprint with this mindset, I was able to expand my creative thinking. Moreover, I found a lot of enjoyment in working through an agile environment as the time constraints motivated me to give it my all!
What I Learned…
- Creating a brief but informative user journey as a guide.
- Viewing the prototype as a disposable to prevent ‘feature creep’.
- The value of qualitative data with the appropriate audience to understand the effectiveness of the product.
