Let’s face it—building custom SAP solutions or AI applications on the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) can be pretty daunting. Requirements shift, users’ expectations evolve, and scope creep often turns your neat, organized project into an overwhelming mess. But what if there were a simpler way? That’s exactly where Design Sprints step in.
So, What’s a Design Sprint Anyway?
Think of a design sprint as a rapid-fire, five-day innovation session. This process lets your team quickly move from understanding the core problem to testing realistic prototypes with actual users—all within just one week. Perfect for agile SAP app development projects that are very heavy UX intensive!
Here’s how the week typically breaks down:
- Understand & Map: Define the problem clearly, map out user journeys, and identify exactly what your users need.
- Sketch Ideas: Everyone sketches out their solutions—no idea is too wild at this stage!
- Decide & Refine: The best ideas get chosen, combined, and refined into a solid storyboard.
- Prototype: Turn your storyboard into clickable UX mockups—without any backend coding yet.
- Test & Learn: Real users interact with your prototype, and you capture their feedback immediately.
Note: It’s important to stay as close to reality as possible. Avoid factoring in ideas and concepts in the design prototypes that set unrealistic expectations – feasibility or budget wise.
Tools to Boost Your SAP Design Sprint
To make your SAP design sprint successful, having the right tools is crucial. Here are some popular choices:
- SAP Fiori: SAP’s very own design guidelines and tools make creating intuitive, user-friendly interfaces easier than ever.
- Figma + SAP Fiori UI Kit: Perfect for collaborative design, Figma combined with the SAP Fiori UI Kit helps teams prototype quickly and align perfectly with SAP standards.
- SAP Build: This low-code/no-code tool lets you quickly prototype and test SAP apps, ideal for those rapid iterations.
- Justinmind: A great tool if you’re looking to create detailed, interactive mockups aligned closely with SAP’s UX principles.
Why SAP Teams Should Love Design Sprints
Incorporating design sprints into SAP projects isn’t just trendy—it’s practical. Here’s why:
- Fewer Surprises & Reduced Escalations: Spot issues early, reducing those frantic late-stage firefights.
- Lower Costs & Less Waste: Early prototype validation means fewer costly backend rebuilds later.
- Better User Adoption: Users engage with the product early on, significantly improving adoption rates.
- Less Scope Creep: Clear visual prototypes define the scope clearly, eliminating misunderstandings.
- Stronger Communication: Cross-functional teams get aligned quickly, creating a shared vision from day one.
Capturing User Feedback
Feedback is at the heart of design sprints. In the test phase, users interact directly with your prototypes, providing real-time feedback through:
- Usability Testing Sessions: Observing users directly interacting with prototypes.
- Surveys & Interviews: Collecting detailed insights about user preferences and experiences.
This iterative feedback loop ensures your product evolves closely aligned with real-world user needs.
Simplifying SAP Agile Development
Imagine delivering an SAP solution or custom AI app on BTP that delights stakeholders rather than frustrates them—one where users are excited and involved right from the start. That’s exactly what design sprints help you achieve.
By focusing first on perfecting UX and prototyping, backend logic and API integrations developed later seamlessly align—no guessing games required. Happier users, smoother projects, and fewer headaches.
So next time you’re starting an SAP agile project, try kicking things off with a design sprint. Your future self (and your users) will definitely thank you!