How does the world’s best work on ideas?
This is a story about Design Sprint developed by Google Valves. Google Ventures is a Google investor company that assists business development and innovation companies. Ever since 2010, Google Ventures has printed with companies like Twitter, Nest, Blue Bottle Coffee and Airbnb. Design Sprint is an innovation process: From idea to finished-test prototype, in only five days. A simple explanation is a shortcut to good projects. A sprint team consists of approximately eight persons, including a final vote decision maker and a fasiliator who manages the process. During the five days, the major challenge and goal are identified, solutions, decisions, prototypes and tests on real users. Does it sound too good to be true? Then you should definitely read on.
A simple explanation is a shortcut to good projects
EVO Background History
As a player in the gym industry, you need to keep up with technology and differentiate yourself from competitors to build a loyal customer class. When EVO started up in 2010, the centre was referred to as a ‘druptive training centre’. The members administered everything that mentioned membership digitally and EVO was the only training centre chain without human travelists. Today, EVO is Norways third largest training centre chain, with 34 centres in Norway, as well as several centres through partners in Finland, Austria and Switzerland.
EVO Fitness was first consulted on the Sprint process at a seminar in June 2016, under the auspices of INEVO and EnonicSo let's say that this is the same thing as that. We wanted to tell existing and future customers how to operate continuous innovation – while at the same time making it effective. EVO got blood on the tooth and it didn't last long before we both had cleaned the calendar and held off the first week of September for a Sprint.
Get answers to key questions in 5 days only
After a hectic, but productive week, we were left with a real prototype. We had proved that the spell of one of the world's largest companies actually worked. In addition, we had learned even more about the administration of time use, team composition, and how to keep energy up for a tough week of scalching, decision-making and prototypeing.
For three years, EVO had tried to answer the big question:
- Does EVO need an app?
- If so, what problems should it solve for the members?
The existing codebox for getting in and out of the centers had for a long time created complications – both in terms of time use and costs. By explaining EVO's vision and challenges, as well as by sketching a customer-oriented map, we came to the long-term goal of the Sprint:
- Get more members who stay in EVO through an app that is used by all.
Then we looked at the risks and challenges of the goal, and reworded them to opportunities:
- How can we limit the magnitude?
- How can we make the app simple enough?
- How can we continuously improve it?
- How can we make our members' everyday lives easier?
The optimal Sprint team
I got the honor and the challenge of being a fasiliator, while the CEO, Morten Hellevund, was the decision maker. The Sprint team totaled eight members: Executive Director, a member of the board, IT Manager, Product and HR Director, Customer Service Officer and PT, Market Manager, including two INEVO advisers. The team had the skills and competences of various divisions that filled each other well. For example, the IT manager could answer questions related to the technical, customer service provider was in many ways a speechr for EVO members, while Product and HR manager had a deeper understanding of what is happening at the operational level of the organisation. It was not long before the discussions got legs to go on. There was no doubt that the involvement in the team was very strong. Much to the fact that the team composition in this case was perfect for an Sprint.
The team is discussing Monday's "expert" interviews. From left: Eivind Boding (EVO member and expert), Kjersti Berg (Marketing Manager), Geir Gluckstad (CTO), Even Ødsör (Radver i INEVO), Karl Philip Lund (Hyre Member), Henning Hold (Product and HR manager), Anette Lyngbø (Kundeservice-responsible and PT) and Morten Hellevund (Director)
The Best Prototypes of Keynote
The final prototype was developed in Keynote, known as goldilocks quality: The golden middle way between the real and the imitation. The app had two main functions: unlocking the door at the gym and ordering hours with personal trainers. The app gave members a QR code to scan into the center. After finishing training, they could again scan themselves out of the center, before they got a complete overview of previous training.
You will get answers to important questions in only 5 days
Voltage and curiosity marked Friday. Everyone was excited to see if the prototype really appealed to the users. During the week we recruited five consumers: three EVO members, one personal trainer and one member from another training centre chain. The interviewer and the interviewer were sitting in their own room, while the rest of the Sprint team were following with eagerness via live stream, while they noted important behaviour they noticed. At 16:00 we summarized the interviews and could then map patterns from user behaviour. It turned out that all preferred QR code on mobile instead of the code chip. In addition, they were very positive about the booking system linked to personal trainers. They found a personal trainer who was very easy to meet their needs. Using the app to get in and out of the centre, all members were forced to apply the app to a greater or lesser extent. This was a smart way to make the members’ EVO everyday easier, while collecting them in an ecosystem for training.
Faster progress in key projects
After an effective and productive week, we had really got the condom. The user tests gave us a clear signal that we could tackle the application development. The first step was to find the right developer to develop the app.
In summary, Evo-Sprinten was a success! We kept ourselves slave to the form, set a realistic goal and be careful to keep everyone informed of what was going to happen at all times. The team composition and degree of involvement proved to be the key to success. Listening was also a critical factor – something a small team does very ideal for. Everyone got their opinions and was conscious of each other's roles on the Sprint team.
The Sprint success was the beginning of a new story for both INEVO and EVO. When the app can be used, Evo will obviously receive many feedback and needs for improvement. It will be guaranteed to get obstacles on the road, but thanks to GV Sprint, EVO can keep up with the position as ‘drip’.
You can read more about GV Design Sprint here or read the book by Jake Knapp.
This article was originally published on Stammen.com and was written by Hanne Birgitte Arntsen.