Sprint Sketching for Problem Solving
To create solid ideas that can be explained, critiqued, and built on, the next step of the sprint is all about sketching.
Why Sketch?
Sketching, taking ideas from the brain and putting them on paper, is the best way to create and share possible solutions. Laying ideas out visually turns abstract thoughts into tangible concepts and allows the team to evaluate and judge which hold the most potential.
SPRINT: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days by Jake Knapp with Braden Kowitz and John Zeratsky says, “When your team evaluates these sketches on Wednesday to decide which are best, and when you test your prototype on Friday, it will be the quality of the solutions that matters, not the artistry of the drawings from which they came” (Knapp, Jake, et al. 106).
Artists Not Needed
Sprint team members come from a variety of fields, many of which might not involve a lot of drawing. However, when it comes to sprint sketching, looks are irrelevant to the value of the solution.
According to Sam Hutchings’ article Idea Sketching - Sketch Series - The Design Sprint Unpacked, “Anything that gives form to a person’s thoughts should be considered a sketch, removing barriers and opening up sketching to anyone” (Hutchings).
As long as the idea is clear and understandable, anything can be a good sketch.
Simple stick figure storyboard, credit The Familiar Insights
The Four Step Sketch
Like it sounds, the Four Step Sketch is a four step process for creating sketches. It is set up to guide sprint members through ideation and variation to a final solution.
Four Step Sketch, credit Jake Knapp
Gather Notes (20 min)
The first step of the process is collecting the notes that had been created earlier in the sprint.
The team will walk around the room viewing all of the whiteboards and walls. Each person should write down the long-term goal, then look over the map and How Might We questions. This will help refresh their memory and keep them focused on what they are trying to solve. At the end, everyone should look over their notes and circle the strongest ones.
Sketch Ideas (20 min)
Step 2 is the first round of actual sketches. Team members will come up with ideas from their notes and create rough sketches using pen and paper. These won’t be shared, so they can be messy and explore a variety of thoughts.
These “sketches” aren’t limited to drawings either. Different styles may fit different ideas: storyboards guide people through an interaction, wireframes show possible layouts for apps or websites, and sample headlines suggest various phrasings (Hutchings).
After 20 minutes of sketching, the sprint members will once again review and circle the ideas they like.
Variations: Crazy 8s (8 min)
Folding Crazy 8s paper, credit Jake Knapp
Next is an exercise called Crazy 8s. Here, the sprinters will fold a piece of paper into 8 boxes and create 8 variations of their ideas with 1 minute per box. They will take one idea and fill as many boxes as they can then switch to the next. This condensed timeframe means there is no time for doubt; as SPRINT says, “Crazy 8s forces you to push past your first reasonable solutions and make them better, or at least consider alternatives” (Knapp, Jake, et al. 112).
Final Sketch (30+ min)
The last step is taking the best Crazy 8s idea and turning it into a detailed final sketch. These will be shared, voted, and decided on by the team as they move the best idea on to the next stage.
Sources:
Hutchings, Sam. “Idea Sketching - Sketch Week - The Design Sprint Unpacked” The Familiar Insights, 2 Feb. 2021, www.thefamiliar.tech/blog/2021-02-02-idea-sketching-sketch-series-the-design-sprint-unpacked.
Knapp, Jake, et al. SPRINT: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days Bantam Press, 2016.
