Working together gives great results, we know at Concept7. The more we decide with the customer, the better. That is why we like to work in sprints. An intensive process in which the customer is involved at every moment of the day.
We have always liked to involve our customers in our process. Now we are taking that a step further. Are we getting even more intimate. During a sprint, we involve a customer in everything we do. Every choice we make, we make in consultation.
That works really incredibly cool. Take Roompot, for which (or rather with which) we redesigned the 'My Environment'. A place where holidaymakers can view their account and payment details, but where it is now also possible to book a number of fun and useful extras.
Combining insights
From day 1, we noticed how efficient it is when you combine different insights. While our content strategist, ux designer and visual designer were working on user stories, Roompot provided statistics and figures. That way, we soon had an idea of what we could offer visitors in their personalised environment. Which ideas got priority. And whether such a thing is possible, of course. Allowing someone to book a cottage at a location they designate themselves is a nice idea, but it must also be technically and organisationally feasible.
For a week, we rocked. We kept in touch with each other on Slack, planned a daily standup via Hangout and the Roompot project team even joined us for a day. Call it intense contact, but continuous feedback is indispensable if you want to deliver results after just one week.
The great advantage of such a collaboration is that no one is left with questions. If you include customers in your design process, they also understand why you make certain choices. How much work it takes and how many steps are taken to arrive at a final product. Or why some ideas fall by the wayside. In return, you should expect your clients to have a mandate to make quick decisions, to have time to provide constant feedback during the sprint and to be available for questions.
Would you also like to work in a sprint?
Depending on the assignment, the week could look something like this:
Monday
Examine the challenge and define scope. Then initial idea exploration.Tuesday
Preparing user test and setting up an experiment.Wednesday
Create prototype.Thursday
Execute user test and create final product.Friday
Finalise final product and learnings for follow-up sprints.
Findings we would like to share with you
It is quite exciting to have such an intensive relationship with your customer, but it is ultimately very valuable. Involve them in your process, take them through your choices step by step and hook them up at stand-ups. Be open and honest about everything you do.
Do some expectation management. Prepare customers for a sprint. Tell them what to expect. Why things will go differently than expected. What your design choices are based on. This makes it easier for them to understand your process and take decisions.
Because you work with different disciplines on 1 assignment at the same time, you can work extremely efficiently. You do not have to constantly brief each other, so you use fewer hours and get a better coordinated result.
Look for inspiration from Google Ventures, who have described their experiences with sprints in a book .
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