Innovation Sprint: Plan
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Learning Objectives
- 1Frame a real problem worth solving in one clear sentence
- 2Identify the users who feel the problem and what they need
- 3Map the five days of an innovation sprint from plan to test
- 4Define a measurable success signal before building anything
Mini Lesson
An innovation sprint is a short, focused week where a small team turns a fuzzy problem into a tested prototype. Real teams at Google, IDEO, and tiny startups use this five-day loop. In this lesson you will plan your own sprint by filling four planning boxes and laying out the five days.
The Sprint Planning Canvas
Before you sketch or build anything, fill in four planning boxes. If any box is empty, you are not ready to sprint. Skipping the canvas is the number one reason kid projects stall halfway.
- Problem — write what hurts in one sentence (no jargon, no solution yet).
- Users — name the real people who feel the problem every day.
- Idea — answer "How might we...?" with three rough options.
- Success — pick one number or signal that proves the idea worked.
The Five-Day Loop
A sprint takes one week of lessons. Each day has one job. Finish that job before moving on. The order matters — you cannot build what you have not decided, and you cannot decide what you have not sketched.
- Day 1 — Plan: frame the problem and pick the target user.
- Day 2 — Sketch: draw many ideas fast, no judgment yet.
- Day 3 — Decide: vote on one idea and write the user steps.
- Day 4 — Build: make a rough prototype the team can show.
- Day 5 — Test: show the prototype to real users and listen.
How Might We Questions
A "How might we...?" question opens a problem without locking in one answer. It is the bridge between a problem statement and a sketch. Three good HMWs give you room to find a great idea.
- Problem: "Kids forget to bring water to soccer practice."
- HMW 1: How might we remind kids to fill their bottle every morning?
- HMW 2: How might we make the park fountain easier to find?
- HMW 3: How might we turn drinking water into a fun team habit?
Tip: pick a problem you actually feel. The best sprints come from real frustration. If nobody on the team cares about the problem, the prototype will be boring.
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