Design Sprint: Loops

2016 · University Project · Google Ventures Design Sprint · Platform Design

Overview

A case study documenting a Google Ventures Design Sprint conducted in a university setting over five days, focusing on creating and testing a high-fidelity prototype for DIY project documentation.

The Challenge

Create a convenient platform for recording and sharing DIY project instructions within five days using the SPRINT methodology.

From the project brief: "Create a platform — the best open access self-study knowledge platform for any kind of project or topic."

Audience

Makers—anyone interested in creating or remaking DIY project instructions.

Team

12 students plus facilitator Professor Karsten Nebe. I was responsible for copywriting, prototype structure, and documentation.

Key insight: "We all learn. All the time. How do we learn? By research, trial and error. Quite often by reproducing/imitating."

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MONDAY — Setting Goals & Problem Identification

Activities:

• Introduction to sprint methodology
• Created success and failure factors list
• Developed stakeholder map showing relationships
• Conducted four expert interviews
• Generated "How-Might-We" questions
• Categorized three core focus areas:
  • Sharing an idea
  • Documenting ideas & projects
  • Remaking projects

Lessons Learned:

• Early user involvement critical
• Map design was overly complex
• Need clearer scenario illustrations for stakeholders

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TUESDAY — Solution Sketching

Activities:

• Lightning demos (3-minute presentations of existing solutions)
• Simplified the stakeholder map
• Four-step sketching process per participant:
  1. Notes
  2. Ideas
  3. Crazy 8's
  4. Solution sketch

Crazy 8's Method: "Fold a sheet of paper to create eight frames. Sketch a variation in each frame. Spend one minute per sketch."

Outcomes: Multiple solution sketches exploring interaction, navigation, workflow, and terminology.

Lessons Learned:

• Crazy 8's methodology effective and engaging
• Synthesis of diverse ideas valuable

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WEDNESDAY — Decision & Concept Development

Activities:

• "Art Museum" presentation of all solution sketches
• Heat map voting on features
• Speed critique sessions (3 minutes per sketch)
• Straw poll voting with facilitator super-votes
• Split into two prototype threads:
  • Everybody Can: focused on easy documentation workflow
  • The Power of Us: emphasized community aspects
• Created combined storyboard
• Conducted paper airplane documentation exercise to establish detail requirements

Critical Moment: Team simulation where one member documented folding a paper airplane, then another used only those instructions to replicate it successfully, clarifying necessary documentation detail level.

Challenges Identified:

• Large group (13 people) difficult to manage
• Abstract theme names unclear
• Scope expansion problematic
• Scope management proved challenging with team size

Lessons Learned:

• Maintaining focus on primary goals essential
• Separating community and core features created distraction
• Clear scope agreements needed upfront

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THURSDAY — High-Fidelity Prototyping

Task Distribution:

• Makers (layout & design)
• Stitchers (assembly/implementation)
• Writer (copywriting)
• Asset collectors (UI kit, color scheme, logo)
• Interviewers (test preparation)

Deliverables:

• Platform named "Loops" (referencing potential for project variations)
• Logo design
• Marketing advertisement for test introduction
• Interactive prototype
• Usability lab setup
• Test script and agenda

Key Decisions:

• United previously separate storyboards
• Selected UI kit and color palette
• Created marketing collateral

Lesson Learned: Prototype freeze critical—unapproved changes caused confusion.

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FRIDAY — User Testing & Analysis

Test Methodology:

• Interview and observation rooms
• Magazine advertisement as context setting
• Think-aloud protocol
• One-way mirror observation
• Video recording of interactions
• Live note-taking on whiteboard
• Observation notes sorting and prioritization
• Voting to identify strengths and improvement areas

Test Participants: Five users engaged with prototype

Key Findings (Top 3 Priorities):

1. Eliminate documentation friction (identified as root problem)
2. Simplify re-creation process (through detailed requirements, instructions, supplier integration)
3. Build community engagement (via rewards, gamification, licensing systems)

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Retrospective

Critical Reflection: Scope proved too ambitious. Overemphasis on community features diverted resources from core innovation: simplifying the documentation process itself. Five users insufficient for testing community aspects across one day.

Methodological Note: Challenge framing inadvertently restricted solution space by presupposing platform-based solution, potentially excluding relevant hardware components or alternative approaches.

Participant Experience: This sprint methodology compared favorably with traditional semester-long projects, with significantly higher engagement and satisfaction among team members.