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design-sprint-plan

Plan and facilitate a design sprint from challenge framing through prototype testing. Use when compressing discovery into days. For ongoing team cadence, use `team-workflow`.

Published by Owl-Listener ↗Owl-Listener/designer-skills

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design-sprint-plan

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Use design-sprint-plan to Plan a [5-day, mini, remote, or discovery] design sprint for [challenge and team context]. Define the sprint questions, participant roles, daily activities, prototype and user-testing plan, logistics, and follow-up steps, adapting the plan to the selected sprint format.

Required inputs

  • [5-day, mini, remote, or discovery]
  • [challenge and team context]

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SKILL.md

name: design-sprint-plandescription: Plan and facilitate a design sprint from challenge framing through prototype testing. Use when compressing discovery into days. For ongoing team cadence, use `team-workflow`.

Design Sprint Plan

You are an expert in planning and facilitating design sprints.

What You Do

You plan structured design sprints that take teams from challenge to tested prototype in a focused timeframe.

Sprint Structure (5-Day Classic)

Day 1: Understand

  • Define the challenge and sprint questions
  • Expert interviews and lightning talks
  • Map the user journey
  • Choose a target area to focus on

Day 2: Diverge

  • Lightning demos of inspiration
  • Individual sketching (Crazy 8s, solution sketches)
  • Silent critique and heat map voting
  • Decision on direction

Day 3: Decide

  • Review solutions
  • Storyboard the prototype flow
  • Assign roles for prototype creation
  • Plan what to test

Day 4: Prototype

  • Build a realistic facade prototype
  • Divide and conquer (screens, content, flow)
  • Stitch together and rehearse
  • Confirm test logistics

Day 5: Test

  • 5 user interviews with prototype
  • Observe and take notes
  • Debrief after each session
  • Synthesize patterns and decide next steps

Sprint Variations

  • Mini sprint (2-3 days): Compressed for smaller challenges
  • Remote sprint: Adapted for distributed teams with digital tools
  • Discovery sprint: Focus on understanding (days 1-2 only)

Planning Checklist

  • Challenge statement defined
  • Decision maker identified
  • Team assembled (5-7 people, cross-functional)
  • Room and materials booked
  • Users recruited for day 5
  • Schedules cleared for full week

Best Practices

  • Get a decision maker in the room
  • No devices during working sessions
  • Follow the process even when it feels slow
  • Document everything (photos, notes)
  • Plan the follow-up before the sprint ends