Now that you know what a sprint is and whether you need one (hopefully the answer is yes), it’s time to develop your Design Sprint team. But who or what makes up the perfect Design Sprint team? Let’s dig into it!

How Many Roles in the Team are there?

Regardless of an in-person or remote Design Sprint, it has been tested by the creators of the Design Sprint themselves to find the perfect number of people for a design sprint. As the co-creator of Design Sprints and author, Jake Knapp wrote in the book “Sprint”, “we’ve found the ideal size for a sprint to be seven people or fewer. With eight people, or nine, or more, the sprint moves more slowly, and you’ll have to work harder to keep everyone focused and productive” (Knapp, pg. 33).  The seven people you chase should be a mix of people. The most productive way to run a Sprint is with a diverse group of team members. “If your team grows larger than seven members, you put yourself at risk of taking on too many personalities and opinions. If it’s significantly smaller than that, though, the team members are likely to feel overworked and stretched too thin.“

What are the seven roles for a Design Sprint? 

Facilitator: This is the person who will be running the Design Sprint. This person will be responsible for the week moving effectively and swiftly to get to the end goal of Friday of testing a prototype of your product, service, or good. This person must also be good at navigating and de-escalating conflict as it may arise through the process. This role may not be actively involved in the sprint process, but they are still needed to keep the process moving along

Decider: The decider is often confused with the Facilitator; however, these two important roles do differ and serve their own purpose. This person must be able to make swift, unbiased decisions. This role is typically reserved for the higher-ups in a company, like CEOs, managers, or product/project leads. If you choose someone with a busy schedule who can necessarily swipe their whole week calendar like a CEO, the Decider can assign one to two other people to act for them while they are away. 

Designer: This person should be well-versed in UX and visual design. They will be responsible, along with the Developer/ Engineer, to create the prototype, marketing assets, and any other physical or digital materials needed. They will also help the team reach their visual solution for the problem at hand. 

Developer: This role can also be referred to as the Engineer. They will develop the technical assets needed to bring the prototype to life. This role is necessary to make sure the end goal is achievable and realistic for the company in life past the Sprint. 

UX Researcher: This person is responsible for gaining insight into what your target audience’s needs are from your prototype. They may collect data from the target audience to make sure the team can make decisions based on their needs. 

Subject Matter Expert: This role is dedicated to the expert in whatever field or industry in which your product, good, or service will innovate. This person is responsible for providing insights that the team member may not otherwise know of throughout the sprint process. 

Marketer: This role is similar to and will work closely with the Subject Matter Expert. This person is responsible for marketing your design to your target audience and placing your design in a competitive market through trend forecasting and deeply understanding your target audience.

Now that you see the roles and what they entail, it is time to assign your team member their roles. 

Still confused about the roles of a Design Sprint team? Watch this video below!

Sources:

Knapp, Jake, et al. Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days. Simon & Schuster, 2016.

Turner, Theresa. “How to Assemble a Design Sprint Team.” Trackmind Solutions, 20 Apr. 2023, http://www.trackmind.com/design-sprint-team/