Design Sprint Framework

A five-day process for answering critical business questions through design, prototyping, and testing ideas with customers. Developed at Google Ventures and used by Google, Slack, Airbnb, and hundreds of startups.

Core Principle

Great solutions require both deep work and fast iteration. The Design Sprint compresses months of debate, design, and testing into one week, replacing endless discussion with focus and urgency. It de-risks product decisions by testing with real users before any production code is written.

Scoring

Goal: 10/10. Rate any sprint plan or execution 0-10 against the principles below: proper structure, time-boxing, prototyping, and user testing. Lower scores mean skipped steps or insufficient testing. Report the current score and the improvements needed to reach 10/10.

The 5-Day Sprint Process

Monday → Tuesday → Wednesday → Thursday → Friday
  Map      Sketch     Decide      Prototype    Test