Design
Thinking

Workshop
or Sprint?

OVERVIEW

In this article, you’ll learn when a 2–3‑day workshop is the best choice and when a 4–5‑day sprint format is the better fit.

Boost your project work with design thinking

When a project kicks off, it often becomes clear surprisingly quickly that there are very different opinions about what the first concrete steps should be, how the team should prioritize topics, or which areas deserve the most focus. Because day‑to‑day operational pressure is already high, the team tries to resolve these questions «somehow» and «on the side.»

The result is usually a lack of alignment: side conversations spiral, meetings drag on without producing tangible outcomes, and the project never gains the momentum everyone hoped for. Instead of moving forward, the team gets bogged down in exhausting coordination loops and a shared sense of stagnation. To prevent this dynamic and set projects on the right track from the very beginning, we rely on Design Thinking.

In a workshop, we go through the entire design thinking process together with the team. We set methodological priorities with a view to the individual design challenge.

Strengths and benefits

Design Thinking workshops help teams create meaningful results in a short, focused timeframe. They’re ideal as a project kick‑off that aligns the team, brings all stakeholders and perspectives on board, and clarifies the project’s goals. They also provide the perfect setting for methodological or thematic deep dives — for example, into user research, targeted idea generation, or testing early solutions.

Beyond that, Design Thinking workshops teach the method while it’s being applied: breathe in the methodology, breathe out the results. They generate quick outcomes (from user insights to first prototypes), channel and concentrate the team’s energy, enable fast and deep immersion into the project topic, surface different perspectives and opinions, support efficient team alignment, and offer a clear overview of the Design Thinking process.

In a sprint, we combine design thinking with methods from team building and futures thinking. Within a week, we work with teams on team dynamics and rules for collaboration.

Strengths and benefits

We look ahead, explore possible futures, and align teams around a shared strategic direction. We dive into the world of users, uncover new perspectives, and develop innovative ideas. We translate these ideas into prototypes, test them with users, and iterate based on what we learn.

We use the Design Thinking sprint format to propel a project forward in just one week. A sprint gives the team the space to fully immerse themselves in the topic while involving all relevant stakeholders — from experts to end users — in a co‑creative process that leads to solutions everyone can stand behind. Depending on the project’s needs, we set different thematic or methodological focus areas throughout the sprint. But no matter where the emphasis lies, every sprint ends with a prototype that has already gone through a complete feedback loop and a first round of iteration.

Design Thinking sprints accelerate projects dramatically, bring all perspectives to the table, and create clarity and focus. They foster co‑creation, engage the right stakeholders, validate hypotheses and solutions through an initial closed iteration cycle, strengthen team cohesion, and eliminate unnecessary discussions and inefficient meetings.