More info on Design Sprints: https://www.boardofinnovation.com/design-sprint/ Board of Innovation makes corporates innovate like startups, mixing proven methods from Design Thinking and Lean Startup. www.boardonnovation.com

1. A.
B.
C.
Design sprints
10 questions to prove that you
can run a design sprint today.

2. Board of Innovation
makes corporates innovate
like startups, mixing proven
methods from Design Thinking
and Lean Startup.
www.boardofinnovation.com
Feel free to share, tweak, fix,
remix any part of this work,
as long as it is for non-
commercial purposes and you
credit Board of Innovation.
If you don’t, bad karma on you.
Some of the clients we are
proud to work with:
say hi

3. If you’re looking for a complete guide to design sprints

4. A.
B.
C.
...your’re looking in the wrong place.

5. ...your’re looking in the wrong place.
(Try out these links instead)
DESIGN SPRINTS:
THE WEBINAR
DESIGN SPRINTS:
THE APPROACH OF
GOOGLE VENTURE
DESIGN SPRINTS:
A READY-TO-PRINT
DAY-BY-DAY AGENDA

6. Print this page!
Grab a coffee, print this slide, grab a pen.
While doing the test, write down your answers on this
form. You’ll get your results at the end of the test.
A. B. C.
A. B. C.
A. B. C.
A. B. C.
A. B. C.
A. B. C.
A. B. C.
A. B. C.
A. B. C.
A. B. C.
Cross your
answers here

7. Let’s start.

8. A.
B.
C.
Question 1 / 10
How broad does the
scope of the design
sprint need to be?
there shouldn’t be any defined scope,
to let creativity flow freely
the scope should be kept as broad as possible, ideally
covering all the company’s services or products
the design sprint should target a specific challenge
/ pain point of the customers

9. A.
B.
C.
Question 2 / 10
How can you convince
your manager to give
design sprints a chance?
send her/him this quiz, plus 7 other relevant links
about design sprint
show her/him that other organizations are already
using design sprints
promise her/him a 1-hour ride on your Tesla

10. A.
B.
C.
3 is the magic number
if 7 Dwarfs are enough for Snow White, then 7 is good
enough for a design sprint
the more the people, the more the ideas,
the better the outputs
Question 3 / 10
How many people
should you involve in the
design sprint from your
organization?

11. A.
B.
C.
Question 4 / 10
Should decision makers
be included in a design
sprint?
yes: they make sure the design sprint doesn’t go
out of scope
no: they are the voice of the status quo and they risk to
kill creativity
it depends whether they’re constructive or
negative people

12. A.
B.
C.
Question 5 / 10
How should the team
look like?
just like the Seven Dwarfs:
all men, short and bearded
ideally the team should be a group of colleagues
who already work together in the company
the team should include people from different
departments (and who are happy to attend)

13. A.
B.
C.
Question 6 / 10
Is it trickier to organize a
design sprint if you are a
B2C or a B2B organization?
B2C: your final customers have to be invited for
the user testing phase, and they’re usually not
willing to cooperate
B2C: there is a bigger risk of a brand image damage
B2B: involving Businesses rather than Customers
implies a higher level of complexity

14. A.
B.
C.
Question 7 / 10
If you are a B2B, how
would you make sure that
your clients can attend the
design sprint?
I’d book their time well in advance
I’d send them reminders every 3 days
I would’t invite them at all - I don’t want them
to have a direct insight into my organization’s
innovation plan

15. A.
B.
C.
Question 8 / 10
Can facilitators take part in
the process, or should they
only focus on facilitating the
process?
Yes, they should take active part in the process,
just like any other team member
No, facilitators are meant to assist the
conversation as external observators - they
shouldn’t intervene in the actual ideation phases
Yes, they should take part in the process, only to ensure
that the conversation stays relevant and insightful

16. A.
B.
C.
a zebra, post-its
a zebra, post-its, blackboards, moving tables
post-its, blackboards, no tables
Question 9 / 10
What is indispensable
in a design sprint room?

17. A.
B.
C. Somewhere else
In the auditorium of my company office, or somewhere
familiar to the attendants and with plenty of space and
post-it-friendly walls
In the cafeteria of my company office, where food and
beverages are easily accessible
Question 10 / 10
Where should you host your
design sprint?

18. A.
B.
C.
Let’s see the correct answers.

19. A.
B.
C.
there shouldn’t be any defined scope,
to let creativity flow freely
the scope should be kept as broad as possible, ideally
covering all the company’s services or products
the design sprint should target a specific challenge
/ pain point of the customers
Question 1 / 10
How broad does the
scope of the design
sprint need to be?

20. A.
B.
C.
A design sprint targets a specific product or
service challenge, so you need to know what you’re
planning to solve and create upfront. If this is not
the case, your design challenge might be too broad
and therefore needs to be scoped first. Using the
Empathy and Define phase of Design Thinking
could help you with this exercise, prior to running a
design sprint.
Extra Tip
Be specific with
the problem you
want to solve.
there shouldn’t be any defined scope,
to let creativity flow freely
the scope should be kept as broad as possible, ideally
covering all the company’s services or products
the design sprint should target a specific challenge
/ pain point of the customers
Question 1 / 10
How broad does the
scope of the design
sprint need to be?

21. A.
B.
C.
send her/him this quiz, plus 7 other relevant links
about design sprint
show her/him that other organizations are already
using design sprints
promise her/him a 1-hour ride on your Tesla
Question 2 / 10
How can you convince
your manager to give
design sprints a chance?

22. A.
B.
C.
If you struggle to convince your managers to allocate
5 days to the core team, inspire them by sharing
success stories from other companies who have ran
design sprints and came out stronger from it. We’ve
been running several design sprints with our clients,
so if you’re in need of cases, drop us a line.
Extra Tip
Direct experience is
often the best way.
send her/him this quiz, plus 7 other relevant links
about design sprint
show her/him that other organizations are already
using design sprints
promise her/him a 1-hour ride on your Tesla
Question 2 / 10
How can you convince
your manager to give
design sprints a chance?

23. A.
B.
C.
3 is the magic number
the more the people, the more the ideas,
the better the outputs
Question 3 / 10
How many people
should you involve in the
design sprint from your
organization?
if 7 Dwarfs are enough for Snow White, then 7 is good
enough for a design sprint

24. A.
B.
C.
A core characteristic and strength of design sprint
is that in only 5 days you’re able to reach results.
However, in order to make the most of this process,
the core team should also be equally lean. Based on
our experience, the core team should consist of no
more than 7 people for the design sprint.
Stay between 5
and 7 participants.
3 is the magic number
the more the people, the more the ideas,
the better the outputs
Question 3 / 10
How many people
should you involve in the
design sprint from your
organization?
if 7 Dwarfs are enough for Snow White, then 7 is good
enough for a design sprint
Extra Tip

25. A.
B.
C.
yes: they make sure the design sprint doesn’t go
out of scope
no: they are the voice of the status quo and they risk to
kill creativity
it depends whether they’re constructive or
negative people
Question 4 / 10
Should decision makers
be included in a design
sprint?

26. A.
B.
C.
A crucial role to be taken into account when establishing
the team: always have someone who has the mandate
to make decisions. Why? You don’t want to be stuck in
infinite conversations about the overall strategy of your
organization - in these situations, the decision maker can
make them end. This could either be the sponsor of the
design sprint, or someone representing her/him to make
the required decisions in their place.
Extra Tip
Keep the design
sprint relevant.
yes: they make sure the design sprint doesn’t go
out of scope
no: they are the voice of the status quo and they risk to
kill creativity
it depends whether they’re constructive or
negative people
Question 4 / 10
Should decision makers
be included in a design
sprint?

27. A.
B.
C.
just like the Seven Dwarfs:
all men, short and bearded
ideally the team should be a group of colleagues
who already work together in the company
Question 5 / 10
How should the team
look like?
the team should include people from different
departments (and who are happy to attend)

28. A.
B.
C.
The members involved should stretch across various
departments e.g. sales, marketing, R&D and also cross-level
in order to ensure high diversity in both skillset and expertise.
Since running a design sprint requires the team to collaborate
and solve problems in a different way, you have to create
the necessary circumstances to pivot. Mindset and attitude
are infectious, so make sure those on board actually want to
board the ship.
Extra Tip
Create the opportunity to
connect departments that
are usually far away from
each other.
just like the Seven Dwarfs:
all men, short and bearded
ideally the team should be a group of colleagues
who already work together in the company
Question 5 / 10
How should the team
look like?
the team should include people from different
departments (and who are happy to attend)

29. A.
B.
C.
Question 6 / 10
Is it trickier to organize a
design sprint if you are a
B2C or a B2B organization?
B2C: your final customers have to be invited for
the user testing phase, and they’re usually not
willing to cooperate
B2C: there is a bigger risk of a brand image damage
B2B: involving Businesses rather than Customers
implies a higher level of complexity

30. A.
B.
C.
Question 6 / 10
Is it trickier to organize a
design sprint if you are a
B2C or a B2B organization?
B2C: your final customers have to be invited for
the user testing phase, and they’re usually not
willing to cooperate
B2C: there is a bigger risk of a brand image damage
B2B: involving Businesses rather than Customers
implies a higher level of complexity
Design sprints for B2B are trickier, for multiple reasons:
1. It requires your B2B customers to commit resources
for understanding and validating the concepts.
2. As you involve other businesses, you need to allow
more time for planning the design sprint.
3. In a B2B environment, decision power is spread out
so make sure you’re talking to the right people and
decide on who’s feedback you want to receive.
4. You may need to carefully deal with confidentiality,
as you allow your customers to the core of your
innovation strategy.
Extra Tip
If you’re a B2B, allow at least
1 month to organize a design
sprint.

31. A.
B.
C.
I’d book their time well in advance
I’d send them reminders every 3 days
I would’t invite them at all - I don’t want them
to have a direct insight into my organization’s
innovation plan
Question 7 / 10
If you are a B2B, how
would you make sure that
your clients can attend the
design sprint?

32. A.
B.
C.
You’ll need to invite some of your clients to come over multiple
times during the design sprint (at least on Monday, Wednesday
and Friday). Make sure you really plan upfront for user testing
as their agendas often get tied up quickly. Also, arrange the
design sprint at a location close to your customer so it’s easier
for them to travel and access the venue. Getting their buy-
in might not be very easy, so help them to see what’s in it for
them: they’ll directly benefit from the innovative solutions
you’ll develop during the design sprint, as their feedback and
aspirations will be taken into account throughout the process.
I’d book their time well in advance
I’d send them reminders every 3 days
I would’t invite them at all - I don’t want them
to have a direct insight into my organization’s
innovation plan
Question 7 / 10
If you are a B2B, how
would you make sure that
your clients can attend the
design sprint?
Extra Tip
Book your clients well in
advance (and show how
they will benefit from it).

33. A.
B.
C.
Yes, they should take active part in the process,
just like any other team member
No, facilitators are meant to assist the
conversation as external observators - they
shouldn’t intervene in the actual ideation phases
Yes, they should take part in the process, only to ensure
that the conversation stays relevant and insightful
Question 8 / 10
Can facilitators take part in
the process, or should they
only focus on facilitating the
process?

34. A.
B.
C.
The role of having a facilitator for the design sprint is to ensure
that the process moves forward, that participants won’t get
stuck in discussions, and that there’s a nice pace (remember,
we only have 5 days). This way team members can focus on
the sessions and generating content. However, at Board of
Innovation we also believe that whoever facilitates the process
should also challenge the team on the generated content. They
should ensure that whatever is created stays relevant for the
problem we’re trying to solve and that the ideas are the most
innovative they can come up with. This can happen by feeding
the team with inspirations we’re sitting on and by questioning
the relevance of the solutions they came up with.
Yes, they should take active part in the process,
just like any other team member
Yes, they should take part in the process, only to ensure
that the conversation stays relevant and insightful
No, facilitators are meant to assist the
conversation as external observators - they
shouldn’t intervene in the actual ideation phases
Extra Tip
Allow facilitators to spice
up the conversation.
Question 8 / 10
Can facilitators take part in
the process, or should they
only focus on facilitating the
process?

35. A.
B.
C.
a zebra, post-its
a zebra, post-its, blackboards, moving tables
post-its, blackboards, no tables
Question 9 / 10
What is indispensable
in a design sprint room?

36. A.
B.
C.
The room should allow you to easily assemble and reset.
This means that the setup is not confined to one layout but
it can be changed and shifted with the process. Having a big
meeting table in the middle of the room is a big no-go, unless
it can be de-assembled into smaller tables. Other than that,
white boards, flip charts, markers, post-its and post-it-friendly
walls are the key essentials to think about. And yes, let an
inflatable zebra (or any other kind of randomness) come
into the workshop room - it will know how to entertain the
participants.
a zebra, post-its
a zebra, post-its, blackboards, moving tables
post-its, blackboards, no tables
Extra Tip
Create a comfortable,
insightful and flexible
space.
Question 9 / 10
What is indispensable
in a design sprint room?

37. A.
B.
C. Somewhere else
In the auditorium of my company office, or somewhere
familiar to the attendants and with plenty of space and
post-it-friendly walls
In the cafeteria of my company office, where food and
beverages are easily accessible
Question 10 / 10
Where should you host your
design sprint?

38. A.
B.
C.
We have good experiences with running design sprints
in a different location than where the client is based.
This helps the team to act outside of an existing box and
to not be distracted by the daily activities. We look for
inspiring, creative venues to spark new ways of thinking.
Our tip
For best results, bring the
participants outside the
box office.
Question 10 / 10
Where should you host your
design sprint?
Somewhere else
In the auditorium of my company office, or somewhere
familiar to the attendants and with plenty of space and
post-it-friendly walls
In the cafeteria of my company office, where food and
beverages are easily accessible

39. A.
B.
C.
How well do you
know design sprints?
0-5 CORRECT ANSWERS
It’s a start.
Browse these resources to
see how design sprints can
your organization.
6-8 CORRECT ANSWERS
Sounds good.
Not bad. Watch our
webinar to discover
additional secrets.
9-10 CORRECT ANSWERS
On fire.
Well done - you have
mastered design sprints.
Drop us a line if you’d like to
exchange a thought with us.

40. Feel free to tweak, fix, remix any part
of this work, as long as it is for non-
commercial purposes and you credit
Board of Innovation.
If you don’t, bad karma on you.
Yinlei Zhang
Human Centered Designer
yinlei.zhang@boardofinnovation.com
Giorgio Orsucci
Innovation Researcher
giorgio.orsucci@boardofinnovation.com
say hi
Board of Innovation makes
corporates innovate like startups,
mixing proven methods from
Design Thinking and Lean Startup.
www.boardofinnovation.com
Did we miss anything? Reach out.