Design Sprints - overrated for designers? We were just debating this at the Academy, and John Vetan wrote a whole article on why they might be failing the early adopters: Designers. What do you think? https://www.designsprint.academy/blog/design-sprints-exposed-why-they-are-failing-designers

Today, I am sharing one of the best resources to make your design sprint workshop (and not only) the best you have ever done. If ↳You’re about to run a design sprint with your product team. ↳You’re considering one but still need to get stakeholder approval. ↳You’re a consultant and have to convince your client first. It’s understandable — after all, a design sprint is a big investment. You’re taking 5-10 people away from their day-to-day roles to focus on a major challenge for 4-5 days. It has to deliver great results. And if it doesn’t? Well, that’s on you. No pressure! 😅 So, how can you set your design sprint up for success? Spoiler alert: it’s all about how you start. At Design Sprint Academy, we’ve learned from running a million design sprints (OK, not quite that many, but you get it) that success begins with a solid Design Sprint Brief. Here’s why a great Design Sprint Brief is your best friend: 🎯 Focus — It defines the problem that needs solving, providing clarity for the team. (Because let’s face it, the hardest part of any project is figuring out what you’re actually solving!) 🤔 Context — It captures past attempts, barriers, and challenges. With this, your team avoids previous mistakes and is better prepared for the sprint. 💰 Business Perspective — It outlines clear business objectives, success metrics, and KPIs so your boss or client know what "winning" looks like. 🤷‍♂️ Customer Perspective — It reflects the customer’s point of view — from their goals to their frustrations, giving your team deeper insight into who they’re solving for. How do we use the Design Sprint Brief? ✅ Facilitator Checklist — It’s a confidence boost for facilitators. It shows you’ve done your homework on problem definition, business metrics, and customer insights. ✅ Stakeholder Buy-in — A well-written brief can be your secret weapon to getting sign-off. Show the stakeholders or clients exactly what your sprint will achieve in a few days, and you’ll get them on board. ✅ Team Onboarding — Share it with your sprint team before the workshop. They’ll hit the ground running, fully informed and ready to dive in.

Do you feel like your 🧠 brain turns to mush during a long workshop? Juggling new faces, complex problems, and tons of information can be overwhelming for a facilitator. Here's my new article for memory hacks. What do you think? Any memory hack you would like to add to the list? https://www.designsprint.academy/blog/remember-everything-memory-hacks-for-workshop-facilitators

Hi all I hope you’re fine, really happy to be in the community and can’t wait to share with the members 🙏🏻 I'm a facilitator based in France