Design sprint for next generation SaaS
With an expanding team around the INFRA Net platform, information gaps were starting to appear around user needs and product vision. It was becoming harder for everyone to target the scope for the new version of INFRA Net.
Sigicom decided to invest in an intensive 5 days design sprint week to get everyone more aligned.
Sigicom expected the design sprint to result in:
- Shared understanding of user needs.
- Team focus and a coherent view on what problems to solve.
- Cross functional innovation around new features.
- User validation of suggested features.
- Well defined and prioritized features.
Clearing a full week for a group of rather busy people was a challenge in its own sense. But having approval from C-level and devoted product managers made it happen.
A design sprint week in brief consists of the following activities:
- Day 1: Mapping out a high level user flow for the service, interviewing experts from different domains within the business area. Setting a problem scope to focus on for the week.
- Day 2: sketching out solutions for the identified problem scope, using design methods like crazy eights and solution sketching.
- Day 3: Reviewing and elaborating on ideas from the team and picking the ones with most potential. Stitching the winning ideas into a storyboard.
- Day 4: Building a click-through prototype, making it just enough polished to be properly tested. Scouting people and preparing user testing.
- Day 5: Running user tests with the newly built prototype. Gathering and sharing insights and deciding what to do next.
Besides all the fun and inspiring moments, the design sprint week generated plenty of innovative ideas. User testing gave valuable insights on what to take further into development, and what to avoid spending more resources on.
Another outcome of the design sprint was a more aligned team, with greater understanding of each other’s disciplinary perspectives. The design sprint week resulted in the team having more consensus around where actual user value could be added to the INFRA Net platform.
‘Working in a design sprint facilitated by One Day accelerated us in building our next SaaS product.
Internally, it built alignment and a visual understanding of the product direction. There was a clear focus on solving customer problems and working in 5-day sprint format provided a structured way to foster a culture of innovation with a clear focus on the user needs.
Equally important we tried our ideas and prototype with users. By working with them we could strengthen our confidence in building a product-market fit. Less risk, more speed and momentum towards our next generation SaaS product. We’ve saved a lot of time and money finding a path and validating it at such an early stage.
I can gladly say that we will adopt this way of working.’
Nedim Piric, Manager Product Management/Head of Product at Sigicom
