How to implement a 2-hour design sprint to solve complex problems – with Teresa Cain
Chad McAllister, PhD
Product management professor, practitioner, and top-1% podcast host. I help product managers and leaders prepare for the next step in their careers.
To listen to the interview, search for Product Mastery Now on your favorite podcast player.
Solve problems as a team in just two hours – for product managers
Watch on YouTube
TLDR
Imagine solving big product problems in just two hours instead of five days. Sounds impossible, right? Not anymore! Teresa Cain has cracked the code with her two-hour design sprint method. This quick and efficient approach to product innovation is changing the game for companies big and small.
In this article, we’ll explore:
Get ready to supercharge your product development process and leave your competition in the dust!
Why Speed Matters in Product Innovation
In today’s fast-paced world, product teams are always racing against the clock. The traditional five-day design sprint, made famous by Google, has been a go-to method for solving tough problems. But let’s face it – not everyone has five whole days to spare.
That’s where the two-hour design sprint comes in. It’s like the espresso shot of product innovation – quick, powerful, and gets the job done. But can you really solve complex problems in just 120 minutes? Teresa Cain says yes, and she’s got the results to prove it.
The Two-Hour Design Sprint: A Crash Course
So, what exactly is a two-hour design sprint? Think of it as a mini-version of the five-day process, but supercharged. Two hours is not a big time commitment, and it helps you get a group of stakeholders all together to solve a problem. Here’s how it breaks down:
1. Get to Know Your User (30 minutes)
First things first – who are you solving for? This step is all about understanding who your user is.
Example:
Imagine you’re designing a new dashboard for a fintech app. You need to know if you’re building it for an analyst who’ll use it daily or an executive who might look at it once a year. Big difference, right?
2. Dig into the Problem (30 minutes)
Now that you know your user, it’s time to get to the heart of the issue. What’s bugging them? What’s standing in their way? This is where you’ll use the classic “How might we…” question to frame the problem.
Example:
For our dashboard, we might ask, “How might we create a dashboard that helps analysts quickly spot trends and take action?”
Perhaps users are spending a lot of time on manual tasks. Maybe they’re popping between screens. Maybe they are using their mobile device or not even on a desktop computer. Maybe they’re moving buildings while they’re doing their different tasks.
3. Brainstorm and Choose Solutions (60 minutes)
This is where the magic happens. After you’ve thought about the problem as a group, you ideate and pitch your concepts as a group. Everyone puts their thinking caps on and starts throwing ideas around. At the end of the sprint, you will vote on the best solution and decide if you want to move forward to testing and prototyping.
Why Two-Hour Sprints are a Game-Changer
You might be thinking, “Sounds great, but does it really work?” According to Cain’s research, the answer is a resounding yes. Here’s why two-hour sprints are shaking things up:
BenefitWhat It Means for YouMore Sprints, More SolutionsRun up to 52 sprints a year instead of just a fewBudget-FriendlyLess time and money spent compared to five-day sprints, but similar resultsTeam BondingBrings people together more often, improving communicationFaster ResultsGet from idea to action quicker than ever
The best part? Cain found that 80% of the time, two-hour sprints led to the same solutions as five-day sprints. Talk about efficiency!
Would you rather spend two hours and solve 50 problems in a year or do three, five-day design sprints and solve three problems? With two-hour sprints, you can solve more problems.
How to Bring Two-Hour Sprints to Your Team
Ready to give two-hour sprints a try? Here’s how to get started:
Pick the Right Problems
Not every issue needs a sprint. Look for problems that:
Cain suggests focusing on any problem that you need to solve immediately and already have ideation on, perhaps in your backlog or from a client request.
Get the Right People in the Room
Aim for a group of 15-20 stakeholders.
Train Your Team
The beauty of two-hour sprints is that anyone can lead them. This process is meant for anyone in the organization to run it as the moderator. So spread the knowledge!
Follow Through
The sprint might end after two hours, but the work doesn’t. Make sure to:
领英推荐
Tools to Make Your Sprints Zoom
In today’s digital world, the right tools can make all the difference. Here are some top picks for two-hour sprints:
ToolWhat It’s Great ForFigma/FigJamDesigning and brainstorming togetherMiroDigital whiteboarding and teamworkMuralPlanning and organizing ideas visually
These tools help teams work together smoothly, whether they’re in the same room or spread across the globe.
Overcoming Speed Bumps
Like any new method, two-hour sprints come with their own challenges. Here’s how to tackle them:
Keeping the Customer in Mind
With less time, it’s easy to forget about the user. To avoid this:
Avoiding Hasty Decisions
The clock is ticking, but don’t rush to solutions. Instead:
Balancing Speed and Quality
Fast doesn’t have to mean sloppy. To keep standards high:
AI: Friend or Foe in Design Sprints?
With AI tools like ChatGPT making waves, it’s natural to wonder how they fit into the sprint process. Cain advises caution: Since ChatGPT doesn’t know your productor users, use it with a grain of salt.
Real-World Success: Two-Hour Sprints in Action
Want to see how two-hour sprints work in the real world? Let’s look at how Cain’s team at TreviPay, a leader in global billing, puts them to use:
What They DoHow They Do ItRun 52 sprints a yearOne sprint every weekInvolve 30-40 team membersMix of product, UX, and design expertsFocus on urgent needsAddress client requests and market changesAct on results quicklyTurn sprint outcomes into user stories right away
This approach helps TreviPay stay ahead in a fast-moving industry with new competitors popping up all the time.
The Future of Problem-Solving
As we look ahead, it’s clear that quick thinking and adaptability are key. The two-hour sprint method is just the beginning of a shift in how we tackle product challenges.
What’s on the horizon for product innovation?
Conclusion
The two-hour design sprint is a powerful tool for any product team looking to innovate faster and smarter. By packing the essence of design thinking into a compact, high-energy session, you can tackle more problems, involve more people, and drive innovation at warp speed.
Ready to give it a shot? Here’s your quick-start guide:
By embracing this fast, user-focused approach to problem-solving, you’ll be well on your way to creating products that your customers will love and that will keep your business ahead of the curve.
Useful links:
Innovation Quote
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein
Application Questions
Bio
We’ve talked before about design sprints with John Zeratsky, who co-created a way to solve big problems at Google in just 5 days, resulting in the popular 5-day design sprint. What if you don’t have 5 days, but 2 hours? It turns out you can still solve a lot of complex problems in a 2 hour design sprint if you know how. Think about that — being able to confidently solve complex problems with a team in only 2 hours instead of days.
To tell us how to gain have that confidence, Teresa Cain is with us. She is the bestselling author of Solving Problems in 2 Hours: How to Brainstorm and Create Solutions with Two Hour Design Sprints, whose first edition became an instant hit among tech teams worldwide. The all new edition, which includes new AI tools, is now available. She is currently the Director of Product Management, User Experience and Design for TreviPay, a leader in global billing and invoicing. She is also the founder of Lucid Startup Consulting, a training firm focused on research, strategy, and vision for product managers, UX teams, businesses and entrepreneurs.?
To listen to the interview, search for Product Mastery Now on your favorite podcast player.