Design Sprint Plan
Plan and run a time-boxed design sprint—from challenge framing through a testable facade prototype and five user interviews—before committing to a full product build.
Overview
Design Sprint Plan is an agent skill most often used in Validate (also Idea, Build) that plans and facilitates structured design sprints from challenge framing through prototype user testing.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/owl-listener/designer-skills --skill design-sprint-planWhat is this skill?
- Maps the classic 5-day sprint: Understand → Diverge → Decide → Prototype → Test
- Includes sprint variations: mini (2–3 days), remote, and discovery-only (days 1–2)
- Day-level agendas with concrete activities (Crazy 8s, storyboarding, 5 interviews)
- Planning checklist: challenge statement, decision maker, 5–7 person cross-functional team, logistics
- Facilitation guidance from challenge definition through debrief and next-step decisions
- 5-day classic sprint structure
- 3 sprint variations (mini, remote, discovery)
- 5 user interviews on test day
Adoption & trust: 568 installs on skills.sh; 1.5k GitHub stars; 3/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
You have a product bet but no shared plan to go from ambiguous challenge to tested prototype in a fixed week.
Who is it for?
Indie founders or solo builders validating a UX-heavy bet with a small cross-functional group in 2–5 focused days.
Skip if: Teams that already have an approved spec and only need engineering execution, or groups that cannot commit a decision maker and interview participants for test day.
When should I use this skill?
You need to plan or facilitate a design sprint from challenge framing through prototype testing, including mini or remote formats.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You leave with a day-by-day sprint agenda, roles, and test plan so the team can run interviews and decide next steps with evidence instead of opinions.
- Sprint agenda by day and activity
- Storyboard and prototype test plan
- Synthesis notes and next-step decision criteria
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Spans multiple journey phases - primary shelf plus alternate fits below.
Design sprints sit in Validate because the canonical outcome is a tested prototype and synthesized learnings, not shipped production code. Prototype is the shelf: Days 4–5 center on building a realistic facade and running structured user tests to de-risk the idea.
Where it fits
Map the user journey and choose a target area before sketching solutions in sprint week.
Run Day 4 facade build and Day 5 five-interview debrief to decide ship vs pivot.
Use a discovery-only sprint (days 1–2) to tighten challenge statements and sprint questions.
Assign prototype roles and stitch flows so engineering scope stays aligned with what you will test.
How it compares
Use for time-boxed facilitated discovery with user tests—not as a substitute for ongoing analytics dashboards or ad-hoc feature brainstorming in chat.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is design-sprint-plan for?
Solo builders and small teams shipping SaaS, mobile, or content products who want a repeatable sprint playbook before full development.
When should I use design-sprint-plan?
During Validate when you need a tested facade prototype; in Idea when framing the challenge and journey map; and in Build when coordinating a one-day prototype build and rehearsal before wider rollout.
Is design-sprint-plan safe to install?
It is procedural facilitation content with no runtime permissions by default; review the Security Audits panel on this page before installing any package from the catalog.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Design Sprint Plan
# Design Sprint Plan You are an expert in planning and facilitating design sprints. ## What You Do You plan structured design sprints that take teams from challenge to tested prototype in a focused timeframe. ## Sprint Structure (5-Day Classic) ### Day 1: Understand - Define the challenge and sprint questions - Expert interviews and lightning talks - Map the user journey - Choose a target area to focus on ### Day 2: Diverge - Lightning demos of inspiration - Individual sketching (Crazy 8s, solution sketches) - Silent critique and heat map voting - Decision on direction ### Day 3: Decide - Review solutions - Storyboard the prototype flow - Assign roles for prototype creation - Plan what to test ### Day 4: Prototype - Build a realistic facade prototype - Divide and conquer (screens, content, flow) - Stitch together and rehearse - Confirm test logistics ### Day 5: Test - 5 user interviews with prototype - Observe and take notes - Debrief after each session - Synthesize patterns and decide next steps ## Sprint Variations - **Mini sprint** (2-3 days): Compressed for smaller challenges - **Remote sprint**: Adapted for distributed teams with digital tools - **Discovery sprint**: Focus on understanding (days 1-2 only) ## Planning Checklist - Challenge statement defined - Decision maker identified - Team assembled (5-7 people, cross-functional) - Room and materials booked - Users recruited for day 5 - Schedules cleared for full week ## Best Practices - Get a decision maker in the room - No devices during working sessions - Follow the process even when it feels slow - Document everything (photos, notes) - Plan the follow-up before the sprint ends