Mastering the Design Sprint Template for Notion

Author: Virtual Inspiration @vinsp

Last updated: 5th July 2023

<aside> 💡 Alright, so you're sitting there with a project in your hands and a powerful tool like Notion at your disposal, but where do you begin? When inspiration hits, it's time to harness its energy, organize your thoughts, and spring into action. And that's where the Design Sprint Template steps in. But hey, it's not just about using the tool—it's about mastering it. Like a seasoned chef with a kitchen full of ingredients, we're here to help you cook up a storm of productivity. From understanding the basic functionalities to making the most out of advanced features, we're laying down everything you need to turn those big ideas into achievable goals. Let's dive in and make the most of your design sprints.

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<aside> <img src="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/91b940cd-edc3-41a1-a540-cb47d0abac81/empty.png" alt="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/91b940cd-edc3-41a1-a540-cb47d0abac81/empty.png" width="40px" /> Things You Should Know

• The Design Sprint Template is a robust tool designed to streamline your project planning and execution process in Notion.
• Design Sprint is a time-constrained, user-centered design process developed by Google Ventures. It's a unique five-day method where each day is dedicated to achieving a particular goal, from understanding the problem to user testing a prototype.
• Accommodating a wide range of workflow styles, Notion is a valuable asset for teams and individuals. It boasts powerful features, including but not limited to Kanban boards, tables, lists, toggle lists, and galleries, all of which can be customized and utilized according to your unique needs.
• Being a cloud-based platform, Notion allows you to access your workspace from any device at any location. In addition to its inherent capabilities, it also offers support for integration with other popular apps, thus establishing itself as a central hub for all your work-related requirements. </aside>

<aside> 1️⃣ Duplicate the Design Sprint Template into your Notion workspace

• Open the Design Sprint Template link: This will redirect you to the template in Notion.
• Duplicate the template: On the top right corner of your screen, you'll see a 'Duplicate' button. Click on it, and the template will be copied to your Notion workspace.

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<aside> 2️⃣ Familiarize Yourself with the Template and the Example of a Design Sprint Project

• Explore the Structure: Take a tour around the template, paying close attention to the different sections and elements it offers. You may also notice specific areas dedicated to team roles, project goals, timeframes, and more.
• Understand the Flow: Note how the template guides you through a design sprint. Each phase is purposefully sequenced to facilitate systematic brainstorming, decision-making, prototyping, and validation.
• Dive into the Example Project: The template includes an example project. This is a goldmine of practical understanding. Take a close look at how the template was applied in this project: observe the task distribution, how ideas were documented and refined, and how outcomes were recorded. This will give you a real-world understanding of how to utilize the template in your projects.
• Learn the Notion-specific Features: Notice how Notion's features are utilized within the template. You might see Kanban boards for tracking progress, databases for cataloging ideas, toggle lists for organizing information, and more. If you're unfamiliar with any features, take a moment to look them up in Notion's help center or explore them hands-on.
• Make mental notes (or, even better, Notion notes) on anything you'd like to modify or areas where you have questions. You're building the foundation for an efficient, tailored design sprint process. </aside>

<aside> 3️⃣ Understand the Design Sprint Process

Design Sprint is a time-constrained, user-centered design process that aims to answer critical business questions through design, prototyping, and user testing. The process is usually led by a facilitator who guides a cross-functional team of participants through each stage of the sprint. The team can include stakeholders, designers, developers, and subject matter experts. Design Sprint is a great way to quickly validate ideas and prototypes, identify potential issues, and refine the final product before investing time and money into its development.

The process is typically completed in five days, with each day devoted to a specific goal:

• Day 1: Understand - Mapping out the problem and defining the goals of the sprint
• Day 2: Ideate - Brainstorming and sketching solutions
• Day 3: Decide - Deciding on the best solution and creating a storyboard
• Day 4: Prototype - Building a realistic prototype of the solution
• Day 5: Test - User testing the prototype and collecting feedback </aside>

<aside> 4️⃣ Set Up the Goal, Timeline, and Assign Facilitator

After familiarizing yourself with the Design Sprint process, the next step is to lay down the practical framework for your sprint. Remember to keep all of this information updated and accessible in your Notion workspace so that everyone involved in the sprint can easily refer to it at any time. Having these details clearly defined from the start will help your sprint run more smoothly and effectively.

• Define the Goal: Start by identifying the specific goal for your Design Sprint. This should be a clear, concise statement that outlines the problem you are trying to solve and the expected outcome.
• Establish the Timeline: Next, determine the timeline for your sprint. A traditional Design Sprint spans five days, with each day dedicated to a specific phase of the process. Be sure to clearly outline the start and end dates and times for your sprint in your workspace, and designate specific time blocks for each phase.
• Assign the Facilitator: Lastly, assign a facilitator for your sprint. This should be someone who can guide the team through the sprint process, keep everyone focused and on track, and ensure that all voices are heard. The facilitator's role and responsibilities should be clearly documented and communicated to the entire team. </aside>

<aside> 5️⃣ Day 1: Understand

The first day of your design sprint is dedicated to understanding the problem. It's crucial to define your challenge clearly, understand your target audience, and map out the user's journey.

• Write a Problem Statement: Start by succinctly articulating the problem you aim to solve. A well-crafted problem statement should define the issue, explain why it needs to be solved, and what impact its resolution could have. Ensure this is documented in your Notion workspace and accessible to all team members.
• Define Your Audience: Next, delve into the characteristics of your target audience. This should cover demographics (like age, location, occupation), psychographics (values, interests, lifestyle), and behavioral characteristics. Understanding who you're designing for is key to developing a solution that meets their needs.
• Develop a User Persona: Based on your audience overview, create a user persona that represents your typical user. This persona should include details about their background, preferences, needs, motivations, and behaviors. A vivid user persona will help your team maintain a user-centric approach throughout the sprint.
• Map Out the User Journey: Now, outline the steps your user persona would take from encountering the problem to finding a solution. This journey map should include all touchpoints, actions, thoughts, and emotions experienced by the user. This exercise will help you identify pain points and opportunities for improvement in the user's experience.
• Identify Key Questions: Lastly, outline the key questions you want to answer during your design sprint. These questions should align with your goal and revolve around your problem statement, user persona, and journey map. They will guide your research, ideation, decision-making, and testing processes. </aside>

<aside> 6️⃣ Day 2: Ideate

The second day of your design sprint is all about idea generation. This stage invites creativity and encourages every team member to bring their unique perspectives and insights to the table.

• To keep a laser focus on the problem and user persona, the snapshot of Day 1's outcomes is automatically populated on the respective page in your Notion template. This ensures that all ideas and sketches align with the defined problem and target user, keeping your creativity user-centric and goal-oriented.

• Brainstorming: Start the day with a brainstorming session. You can use many techniques, such as mind mapping, round-robin, or rapid ideation. The goal here is to generate as many ideas as possible, no matter how outlandish they seem. Remember, this is not the time for judgment or evaluation; it's about quantity and diversity of ideas.

• Crazy Eights: After the brainstorming, transition into the Crazy Eights exercise. Each team member is given eight minutes to sketch out eight unique solutions to the problem. This fast-paced exercise encourages quick thinking and stimulates a wide range of solutions.
• Solution Sketching: Now, take the time to evaluate the ideas generated. As a team, select the top three ideas that seem the most promising. Then, create detailed solution sketches for each one. These sketches should be as detailed as possible, illustrating each proposed solution's flow, interactions, and key features.

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<aside> 7️⃣ Day 3: Decide

On the third day of your Design Sprint, it's time to converge on the most promising ideas and create a concrete plan for your prototype. This stage involves storyboarding your solution and voting on the best ideas to move forward with.

• Storyboarding: Begin by creating a detailed storyboard that visualizes the user journey, using the ideas decided on. Your storyboard should illustrate each step your user persona would take when interacting with your solution, highlighting key interactions and transitions. Use the Kanban board feature in Notion to create a visual, easy-to-follow storyboard. This tool allows you to create a sequence of "cards" representing each step in the user journey, which you can easily rearrange as needed.
• Identify Potential Issues: As you're creating your storyboard, note any potential design or user experience issues that might arise. Storyboarding is a powerful tool for identifying these challenges before development begins. Take the time to discuss these issues as a team and explore possible solutions or adjustments.
• Vote on Ideas: Once your storyboard is complete, it's time to decide on the ideas to move forward with. Each team member should vote on the ideas they believe are most promising and most effectively address the problem at hand.

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<aside> 8️⃣ Day 4: Prototype

The fourth day of your Design Sprint is dedicated to creating a tangible representation of your chosen solution. This involves building a prototype and planning user tests for the final day of the sprint.

• Develop a Prototype: Begin by developing a prototype that illustrates the final concept. This can be done using design tools like Sketch or Figma. The prototype's goal is to represent the user experience and key interactions as closely as possible. Remember, it doesn't need to be a fully functioning product; it's a simulation of the final solution.
• Share Prototype: Once your prototype is complete, share screenshots or an embedded project with the entire team. This will give everyone a clear understanding of how the solution should look and function.
• Plan User Tests: While your dev team is building the prototype, start planning for the user tests. Decide who among your target audience will test the prototype and how you'll recruit them. Consider demographics, psychographics, and behaviors that align with your user persona.

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<aside> 9️⃣ Day 5: Test, Recap, and Next Steps

The final day of your Design Sprint is focused on user testing, analyzing feedback, and outlining the next steps. This phase is crucial as it validates your solution and provides insights for refinement.

• User Testing: Begin the day by conducting user tests with your target audience. Each participant should interact with your prototype while you observe their behavior and responses. Ensure to capture their thoughts, challenges, and overall experience. If you're using an online survey tool, you can input this feedback directly into your Notion workspace for easy access and analysis.
• Summarize Observations: After tests are conducted, gather your team to discuss and summarize the observations. Document these insights in your Notion workspace, focusing on key trends, recurring issues, and standout comments. This collective summary will help you understand the user experience more comprehensively.
• Discuss Potential Improvements: Based on the feedback and observations, discuss potential improvements or changes to your solution. Highlight areas where users struggled, and brainstorm possible solutions to these challenges. Also, identify features or elements that users particularly appreciate, and consider how you might enhance these even further.
• Outline Next Steps: Finally, outline the next steps for your project. This could involve refining the prototype, conducting additional user tests, moving into development, or starting another Design Sprint. Whatever the next steps may be, ensure they are clearly defined and assigned to appropriate team members. </aside>

Our Design Sprint template for Notion is a powerful tool for teams looking to tackle complex challenges and create innovative solutions. With a structured and collaborative approach, teams can ideate, prototype, and test their ideas in a matter of days, instead of weeks or months. Whether you're launching a new product, exploring a new market, or looking to solve a complex problem, our template can help you achieve your goals and create a better future for your business and your customers.

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