Yes, you can do a design sprint remotely, you just need:

• A technical test beofre

• A good whiteboard tool like Miro, Mural or Canva

• More breaks and longer lunch breaks

• Plan outside time

• Send packages at home

Do a technical test before

A few weeks before the sprint, do a test run. Not everyone is tech-savvy, so it's important to check that everyone can connect to the video call and use the whiteboard tool. During the test, check mics, cameras, and if the whiteboard works in the browser of each participant. This way, you can fix any issues in advance. For example, someone might discover they need a new webcam or a different browser (two things that really happened in one of these tests I did). By doing this a few weeks before I could help that person buy a webcam and help her install it.

Set a good whiteboard space

Choose a good whiteboard tool like Miro, Mural, or Canva. Prepare the board in advance with all exercises laid out. Here I recommend you use an existing templates to save a shit load of time.

I really like Steph Cuchon’s official Design Sprint template which comes in Miro and Mural versions. I like to customize it with small additions like emotional check-ins at the start and end of each day.

Plan more and longer breaks

Remote workshops are more tiring than a on-site workshop. Plan for tiny breaks every hour and longer breaks every two hours. Lunch breaks should be longer too—about one and a half to two hours—to make it possible for people to cook their food at home and have a tiny family time.

Plan outside time

Include activities that let participants step away from their desks. Encourage them to go outside for reflection or idea generation. I like to have mix of sitting, standing, and moving to help people stay motivated.

Send a package at home

The preparation for the 5 packages for each person, adapted to a non-gluten eating style.

The packages ready to be sent to the experts participants

I love to send a package at the participant home. In it participants find smaller daily packages where it says something like: "Do not open before tuesday 09:00". This creates for a lovely suspense. In these packages I include snacks, tools, sticky notes, pens, or something fun. During the sprint, we all open the packages at the same moment. This creates a shared physical experience, and creates a sense of being physically connected even when remote.

A good smart thing to do is to personalize the packages based on dietary preferences and include a pe

rsonal letter.

A personal letter for a participant

Made with AI help
This article was is based on an audio note I recorded while walking which was transcribed and rewritten by the app Audiopen. I then reviewed it manually :)