PDS Kit - What happens on Day 1?

Ferdia Kenny

Goal of Day 1:

Day 1 of a Product Design Sprint is all about gaining a really in-depth understanding of the problem we are trying to solve on the Sprint, of our potential customers and their pain points. We are essentially trying to get into the heads of potential customers or anyone who might be somewhat related to the problem we aim to solve. By the end of the day we should have a really clear problem statement that we will return to regularly throughout the Sprint to keep us focused on the work we need to do.

I know the problem I want to solve so why do I need to do this day?

Often, startups come into Day 1 of a Sprint with a clear idea of the problem they want to solve. However, after speaking to experts, many startups realise they are trying to solve a symptom of a problem rather than the core problem itself. For example, if somebody stood barefoot on a piece of Lego (ouch!) the team might initially think they need to create a product to solve foot pain (a symptom). However, on closer inspection a better problem to solve would be how to avoid stepping on Lego in the first place.

The exercises on this day of the Sprint help us to understand our potential customers and to identify a really clear problem to work on so that we are clear on what our solution needs to address. Trust us, this day is invaluable even if you are very certain of the problem at hand. If nothing else it will confirm your suspicions and give you peace of mind.

What will we have at the end of Day 1?

We will end the day with a really clear problem statement and goal, a growing list of questions the Sprint should answer and a list of important opportunities and target areas on our map to focus on for the following Sprint days. The next Sprint day will be spent using all of these resources to sketch out ideas.

A screenshot from a Product Design Sprint which shows a number of coloured sticky notes coordinated on a Product Design Sprint map

What does the day involve?

As you can see from the PDS schedule in our documentation, the Day consists of eight exercises which span across 10 videos in our YouTube guide. These exercises include setting your long term goals, identifying the biggest risks to your project, learning from industry experts, prioritising what you have learned and finally setting a target for the rest of the Sprint.

There is about 5 hours of work involved in this day so we recommend taking at least a one hour break in the middle of the day to unwind and recharge. Each exercise is broken down for you step by step in the resource folder.

If anything is not clear, please feel free to contact us with questions. Happy Sprinting!