Design Sprint Myths: 3 Common Misconceptions

We know Design Sprints are a hot topic these days, but not everyone knows how to use them. It’s time to debunk some design sprint myths and misconceptions! Design sprints are a design methodology that’s quickly becoming the norm in design and development. However, there are some common misconceptions about Design Sprints floating around - three of which we’re going to debunk here!

Misconception #1: Design Sprints are about building MVPs faster

Even tho Design Sprints speed things up considerably, you will not have a finished product within one week. Design Sprints are about design, research and prototyping - they’re not a development process.

In a Design Sprint, you work on ideas and concepts. You might link the name “Design Sprint” to an agile development / SCRUM sprint. At BTNG we communicate Design Sprints as a great tool to create a safe space to rapidly try out different things without the fear of failure.

With the findings of a Design Sprint, you’ll gain valuable insights into the potential of ideas and concepts. The feedback on our high-fidelity prototypes would have otherwise taken you months to obtain.

Accept uncertainty. Try things out and learn during the process! You will discover if your initial assumptions were correct or not. With these new insights iterate and improve!

Misconception #2: You need to fully understand the problem

Ever heard of a “Wicked Problem”? The Wikipedia definition is as follows:

In planning and policy, a wicked problem is a problem that is difficult or impossible to solve because of incomplete, contradictory and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognize.

So unless you’re solving a math problem, our real-world problems are often very hard to solve. This makes it even more important that you design an experiment (a Design Sprint) to help figure out the solution.

Accept uncertainty. Try things out and learn during the process! You will discover if your initial assumptions were correct or not. With these new insights iterate and improve!

Misconception #3: Most people lack the skills or creativity to come up with good ideas

We all have problem-solving skills. It’s a basic human trait. Some might have practiced it more, but we are all able to come up with creating new ideas or finding the solution to a challenge. Creativity is not a superpower. You do not need to be an artist, composer or designer in order to design something new.

Our BTNG Designers and Facilitators have over 15-years of experience to help your team generate ideas and present them in a uniform way.

Alternatively, if there are some people on your team who feel like they don’t have much creativity - then invite them for an initial brainstorming session prior to running a Design Sprint. This will help to get everyone on board and excited for the Design Sprint, while also giving people a chance to feel more creative.

Design sprints are still pretty amazing

Design Sprints are not about finding an idea that will solve all your problems - it’s about exploring ideas in order to generate new insights. Some of our clients still have challenges with generating enough new ideas. Ideas that are outside of their comfort zone. Would you like to learn more about how we help organizations generate new ideas and validate solutions?

Schedule a free call and we’ll tell you all about our Design Sprints which is a part of our Design Thinking Approach. Or check out our FREE Community to learn more about Design Sprints and more!

For the complete design systems guide, see The Ultimate Guide to Design Systems.

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What to read next

The three myths in this article are the most common reasons design sprints get dismissed before they’re properly tried.

• Design Sprints: Most Asked Questions - the follow-up questions people have after the myths are cleared
• Design Sprints: What Are They - how a sprint actually works and when to run one