Human-centred Design meets Science: Introducing the Behavioral Design Sprint

Written by John Gusiff , Managing Partner, Customer Centric Solutions LLC and Massimo Ingegno Creator of the Make it toolkit

In this Article you’ll? discover:

• The fundamentals of a Design Sprint and its origin as a problem-solving process.
• Limitations of the traditional Design Sprint and the importance of incorporating behavioral science.
• How the makeit Behavioral Design Sprint empowers teams to address complex challenges more effectively by integrating applied behavioral science principles.

What is a Design Sprint??

“A five-day process for answering critical business questions through design, prototyping, and testing ideas with customers.”? - Google

The concept of the Design Sprint was originally created by Jake Knapp and his team in 2010. In 2012 and 2013, the Google Ventures team published a how-to series about Design Sprints, leading to its widespread adoption.

A Design Sprint is a collaborative approach that allows teams to discover solutions using a diverge/converge method. It involves finding innovative ideas together and validating them with real users by the end of the sprint. Essentially, it puts Design Thinking into action.

Since the publication of the Sprint book in 2016, the Design Sprint has successfully served thousands of organizations and product teams to date.

The limitations of the conventional design sprint

"Designing without psychology is like navigating a maze without a map - you'll find yourself lost and unsure where to go next." - Massimo Ingegno

While the Design Sprint has demonstrated incredible value for many organizations and problem-solving scenarios, it's essential to acknowledge its limitations:

• Lacks rigor: Traditional design sprints often overlook the incorporation of insights from psychology, resulting in a lack of scientific rigor in understanding user behavior.
• Guesswork and assumptions: Due to the absence of sufficient research insights, the design sprint process heavily relies on guesswork and assumptions. This higher risk of uncertainty can lead to solutions that may not fully resonate with the target audience, resulting in potential inefficiencies and wasted efforts.
• Messy communication: The traditional sprint approach might lack a common language to effectively describe ideas, leading to confusion and disorganization within the team. This hindrance can affect collaboration and communication during the sprint process.
• Biased process: Incorporating behavioral science is crucial for a more effective design sprint setup. Biases like groupthink, anchoring, confirmation bias, and the IKEA effect can subtly influence the design process, leading to suboptimal outcomes.
• Poor preparation and low engagement: Low engagement among team members can negatively impact the design sprint.?

Now, imagine enhancing the traditional Design Sprint with a scientific layer that empowers the team to:

• Better understand why customers are behaving in a certain way: This can be achieved by identifying the psychological barriers and motivational drivers that influence user behavior. Understanding the underlying factors will lead to more informed decision-making during the design process.
• Better point towards potential solutions: By leveraging insights from existing solutions and behavioral science, the team can avoid reinventing the wheel. This approach not only saves time and resources but also leads to more cost-effective options and faster implementation of effective solutions.
• Better predict how customers will behave under certain conditions: Adopting a proactive approach allows the team not only to identify problems but also to anticipate potential opportunities for achieving desired outcomes. This foresight ensures that the design solutions align more closely with customer needs and preferences.
• Have More Fun: With a step-by-step guide and ready-to-use cards and templates, the team can navigate the design sprint with ease and enthusiasm. The structured approach ensures everyone stays on track, making the process enjoyable and efficient.

Who is this for?

It's for anyone who need to:?

• Get unstuck and accelerate the your problem solving and creative process
• Go beyond what customers can tell us, by including unconscious decision-making?
• Find fast psychological solutions rather than complex and expensive engineering solutions.?
• Breakthrough resistance to technology adoption and behaviour? change?

Let's dive in, shall we?

The makeit Behavioral Design Sprint

The makeit Behavioral Design Sprint builds upon the core process and framework of the original Design Sprint. However, it takes a crafty approach by seamlessly integrating applied behavioral science principles and methods from the Make it Toolkit into the various steps and activities.

1.0 Strategize to Formulate Challenge

In this phase of the makeit Behavioral Design Sprint we formulate our behavioral challenge statement, plan and schedule the design sprint itself, assemble and onboard the team.

1.1 Select a behavioral or outcome-focused challenge

(a) Behavior-focused:

?how might we encourage/discourage [target audience] to perform [target behavior] so that we achieve [expected business or user outcomes]?

(b) Outcome-focused:?

how might we achieve [targeted business and/or user outcome]?

1.2 Formulate the challenge statement

(a) Choose a product or service to focus upon as a team (be focused).

(b) Define expected business and customer outcomes (both important).

(c) Define the key targeted behavior to encourage or discourage (so critical).

(d) Define the target audience for the challenge (one or more segments).

(e) Formulate the challenge statement (to help align all participants).

(f) Define Win States/Rewards specifically if performed in makeit Gamification format

You can formulate your challenge statement in our template in the Figma community here.

1.3 Determine team participants and schedule it

(a) Determine team participants for the makeit Behavioral Design Sprint which include:

• Co-facilitators for the Behavioral Design Sprint - one being certified in the makeit toolkit; the other helping bring together cross-functional participants within the organization.
• Product Owner/Manager (required) - owns the experience and provides execution support ensuring team can deliver desired outcomes.
• Designer(s) (required) - leads the process of visualizing and building the intervention to be tested and validated.
• Domain Expert(s) (optional) - bring domain knowledge and expertise (business, health, fintech, etc.) relevant to the challenge at hand.
• Researcher (optional) - brings qualitative/quantitative insights related to targeted user segment(s), helping minimize design assumptions.
• Engineer(s) (optional) - identifies constraints, assesses feasibility, provides alternative solutions for the same outcome, builds the design intervention.

(b) Schedule it considering different schedule and execution options:

• OPTION 1: Five Day Sprint
• OPTION 2: Two week Sprint (Recommended); especially for your first behavioral design sprint)
• OPTION 3: Four week Sprint (if scheduling a significant challenge)

1.4 Onboard the participants

Onboard all participants covering the following:

• Introduction to makeit Behavioral Design Sprint approach and schedule
• Creation of Team or Teams (hackathon)
• Assignment of Role to all participants (how they'll contribute)
• Present initial Challenge Statement, Win States/Rewards, and Success Criteria for the Design Sprint
• Overview of the makeit toolkit (5 Laws of Behavior, makeit Barriers, makeit Strategies and Tactics)

2.0 Map the Behavioral User Journey

In this phase of the makeit Behavioral Design Sprint we map the behavioral journey (see below) and identify barriers to progress having to do with the person, environment, motivation, ability, and attention.?

2.1 Define target user segment(s)

Utilize the x15 Prompt Questions related to each Law of Behavior to better define your targeted audience or user segment(s) for the behavioral design sprint.

2.2 Map the behavioral journey

Start at the end, map the behavioral journey for the targeted user segment you've selected:

Note: Be sure to integrate into it any consumer insights you have from research previously performed by your internal consumer insights and/or UX research teams.

The makeit Behavioral Journey Map is more robust than traditional journey maps in that it takes into consideration insights related to the 5 laws of behavior, behavior types (one-off, repeated, habit), whether prompts (cues, triggers) exist, the choice environment, what happens just before and right after the user action, whether any feedback or rewards occur related to customer action, along with identified barriers (person, environment, attention, ability, motivation) that might prevent the target audience from taking the steps that will lead to specified goals or outcomes.

You'll make use of the Journey Map cards provided outlining the different rows of the Behavioral Journey Map to consider as a team: prompts, behavior, behavior type, feedback, reward, barrier, and opportunity point.

(a) Identify barriers to progress related to person, environment, attention, ability, and/or motivation.

(b) Mapping the different barriers to progress cards on the Behavioral Journey Map (column by column).

Leverage the? makeit barriers cards provided (attention, ability, motivation) mapping them to specific Customer Behaviors (Actions) within the Behavior Map.

Note: Barriers related to the Person and Environment are in relationship to 1st Law of Behavior. While, barriers related to Attention, Ability, and Motivation in relationship to the 4th Law of Behavior.

2.4 Opportunity identification and prioritization

Review the Behavioral Journey Map reflecting upon each individual Customer Behavior (desired actions) and the associated makeit Barriers to Progress previously identified.

(a) Brainstorm different ways, Opportunity Points, in which you might help the targeted user segment(s) make progress along the Behavioral Journey Map, overcoming these Barriers to Progress, in relation to the targeted behavior and/or outcome.

b) As a team, reflect on the original Behavioral Challenge Statement, making sure that the prioritized Opportunity Points are still related to it. Keep the ideas that directly support the behavioral challenge statement.

(c) Put aside the ones that don't directly support achieving the defined behavioral challenge statement. It's not that they aren't good ideas, simply not the focus of this makeit Behavioral Design Sprint.

(d) Prioritize the remaining Opportunity Points based upon previously established criteria (e.g., impact, reach, low hanging fruit, etc.) to align on where the team will focus.

Note: Opportunity Points represent different opportunities for 'interventions' to help drive desired customer actions or behaviors.

3.0 Brainstorm Ideas and Interventions

In this phase of the makeit Behavioral Design Sprint we brainstorm ideas and potential intervention strategies leveraging the 15 makeit Strategies and Tactics (45 pre-selected tactics) and formulate our Behavioral Design Hypothesis statement(s).

3.1 Idea generation using makeit toolkit Strategies and Tactics

Leverage the makeit Strategy and Tactic cards to brainstorm different ways in which to better facilitate the user journey, remove barriers to progress, and/or create a better user experience.

(a) Generate ideas within the team utilizing the the 15 makeit Strategies (dealt to individuals across the team).

(b) Organizing the ideas based upon the makeit Strategies they are associated with (relate to).

(c) Identify potential makeit Tactics (optional gamification) that might apply related to the ideas and strategies identified.

Note: The identified makeit Strategies and Tactics will inform the solution concepting and building of a functional prototype.

Prior to this activity, based upon the Behavioral Challenge Statement formulated at the beginning, the co-facilitators will work together to identify from the over 300+ makeit Tactics which subset (no more than 45 tactics) might be best to focus on and leverage as part of this specific makeit Behavioral Design Sprint.

3.2 Idea refinement leveraging Combo/Trade-offs

We've made considerations for individual makeit Strategies and Tactics that should be considered.

However, the best ideas often come from combining different concepts and/or considering trade-offs associated with different ideas or concepts considered.

Therefore, we'll split into two teams with Team 1 focused on potential combos and Team 2 focused on identifying trade-offs related to different ideas/concepts and combinations.

3.3 Formulate Behavioral Design Hypothesis

Formulate one or more behavioral design hypothesis based upon the proposed makeit Strategy + Tactic ideas/concepts from the team.

(a) Review the refined makeit Strategy + Tactic alternatives proposed by the two teams.

(b) Summarize the proposed solutions into one (or more) Behavioral Design Hypothesis Statements:

If we do this [design intervention] among [targeted user segment] this is going to happen [outcomes] because of these [Strategies + Tactics] being utilized.

Note: These statements both inform solution concept development as well as set the context for what is to be Tested and Validated in that last phase of the makeit Behavioral Design Sprint.

4.0 Sketch Solution Concepts & Build Prototype

In this phase of the makeit Behavioral Design Sprint we seek inspiration from others, sketch out multiple solution concepts, select the one to move forward with (or integrate ideas from a few different concepts), and build a functional prototype to be tested and validated with our targeted user segment(s).

4.1 Seek inspiration leveraging Lightning Demos

Here we leverage proven methods such as Lightning Demos in order to inspire solution ideas/concepts.

Lightning demos are a quick and effective way to boost your team's creative output leveraging personal experiences we see and partake in both inside and outside our respective industries.

(a) Provide a brief time period for the team to seek out ideas from other brands, products, and companies (including other industries) that might inspire how we think about the problem space/solution space.

(b) As a group, in a round-table format, continue to share out ideas for inspiration based upon what individual team members identified, observed, and/or have experienced themselves.

(c) Only spend 3 minutes per idea, mini-demos, sharing what each person found (a simple screen capture or screen share or marketing content example or story about an experience) making sure to capture the Big Idea associated with each idea shared.

Note: You don't need to invent every idea from scratch. You can look at how other companies are solving similar challenges to help inform how you might tackle them. Remembering that you are always empowered to put 'your own spin' on it.

4.2 Sketch Solution Concepts

Inspired by the outcomes of the Lightning Demos, breakout and spend some time as a team sketching potential Solution Concepts in relationship to the original Behavioral Challenge Statement and Behavioral Design Hypothesis statement(s).

(a) Determine the best method for visualizing and describing the proposed solutions concepts: storyboards and/or sketching often work best at this point in the design process.

Storyboards are a good low-fidelity option when you want to capture the overall experience beyond interfacing with your digital products or services.

"Every great design begins with an even better story." - Lorinda Mamo, Designer

Sketching is a good low-fidelity option when seeking to capture the core user flow and interactions of the digital experience you are designing.

(b) Break out as individuals to generate as many solution concepts as is possible so that the Product Owner will have several to choose from and/or combine as they see fit.

"Design is intelligence made visible." - Alina Wheeler, author

(c) Sketch solution concepts using proven Design Sprint Four Part Sketching method (unless other methods preferred).

(d) Select the solution concept(s) to move forward with for building and testing of a functional prototype.

(e) Ensure the solutions concept(s) chosen are directly related to the original Behavioral Challenge Statement and Behavioral Design Hypothesis statements.

"In a Design Sprint you'll have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable: uncomfortably fast, uncomfortably imperfect and uncomfortably incomplete." - Jake Knapp

4.3 Build a functional prototype for the solution

Having selected the Solution Concept(s) to move forward with the team works together to build a functional prototype to be tested and validated with actual users.

(a) Determine the toolkit (e.g., Adobe XD, Figma, Sketch, etc.) for building wireframes, a mock-up and/or functional prototype.

(b) Build the wireframes, a mock-up or functional prototype to support testing and validating the solution concept with real users or customers.

Note: The effort to build a functional prototype as well as the tools required can differ based upon the solution concept being built: the scope of it, the channels involved (social, email, website, mobile app, etc.), physical and/or digital solution.

5.0 Test & Validate with Users

In this phase of the makeit Behavioral Design Sprint we'll recruit people from our targeted user segment(s), test and validate the solution concept, make observations and measurements, and summarize our findings and learnings.

5.1 Recruit targeted user segment(s) for the test

Recruit individuals to participate in 1:1 user interviews (physical or virtual) making sure you get a head start on it right after determining the targeted user segment(s) at the beginning of the Design Sprint.

(a) Confirm the targeted user segment(s) the solution is being built for and determine the best method of recruitment.

(b) Determine any incentives (e.g., gift card) to utilize to thank people for their time as a participant.

(c) Recruit individuals, multiple methods to choose from, who fit the targeted user segment(s) to participate in the test and validation activities.

Note: Five is the magic number. User research expert Jakob Nielsen, the guy who actually pioneered the field of website usability (the study of how to design websites that make sense to people) determined over the course of his career that it doesn't take more than five interviews to uncover core problems and/or patterns related to usability. His findings, 85% of problems uncovered in just five interviews. He concluded, testing with more people didn't lead to many more insights - just a lot more work.

5.2 Test and Validate the solution concept

Different test and validation methods have their place depending upon the type of prototype being built. Testing and validation options might include:

(a) Usability Test

(b) A/B Test

(c) Randomized Control Trial (RCT)

"Usability is about people and how they understand and use things, not about technology." - Steve Krug

If conducting a simple Usability Test, leverage the Five-Act Interview process if your functional prototype is something where you can sit down side-by-side or remotely with users to test and validate your solution:

1. A friendly welcome
2. A series of general, open-ended context questions about the end user
3. Introduction of the functional prototype
4. Detailed tasks to get the user reacting to the functional prototype
5. A quick debrief to capture the customer's overarching thoughts and impressions

5.3 Observe and measure the test

If conducting a simple Usabilty Test, it's always good to create a separate observation room (physical or virtual) from the 1:1 interview if you can. Doing this will enable the makeit Behavioral Design Sprint team to participate real-time both observing and listening to users as they 'think out loud' and 'interact' with the product or service.

1. Capture any notes that might describe the person and the environment in which they would most likely utilize the product or service.
2. Capture notes regarding their motivations for using a product or service like this one, any specified desires and/or avoidances.
3. Observe how they go about interacting with the functional prototype taking notes related to time on task, difficulties completing a given task, effectiveness or error conditions and messaging, signs of confusion or frustration using the product or service, etc..

"If we want users to like our software, we should design it to behave like a likeable person: respectful, generous, and helpful." - Alan Cooper, Software Designer and Programmer

4. During the debrief listen for comments made in regards to how effectively the product or service helped them accomplish specific tasks and activities, goals and/or objectives.

5.4 Summarize findings and learnings

You've tested and validated the solution concept using a functional prototype. It's time to reflect on the Behavioral Design Hypothesis statements you originally drafted and assess the degree to which these were proven. In addition, look back to the original Behavioral Challenge Statement.

• Synthesize the finding and learnings as a Product/Design team.
• Present findings and learnings from the makeit Behavioral Design Sprint to the initiative sponsorship.
• Determine next steps with project sponsorship and the Product/Design team.

Key Takeaways:

• The Design Sprint is a five-day process used to address critical business questions through design, prototyping, and testing ideas with customers.
• The traditional Design Sprint has limitations, including a lack of rigor in understanding user behavior, reliance on guesswork without sufficient research insights, and the potential for a messy and disorganized approach.
• The makeit Behavioral Design Sprint enhances the traditional process by incorporating behavioral science principles, leading to a better understanding of customer behavior, more efficient solution ideation, and improved outcomes.

Combining human-centered design, behavioral science, and effective facilitation skills is a unique and powerful skill set that can drive significant results in problem-solving and innovation.

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