Context

We were tasked with enhancing user engagement in an existing social network app with 120,000 monthly active users.

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Problem Identification and Consequences

We identified several challenges:

1. Determining how to increase user engagement in the app
2. Deciding which features to prioritize for development
3. Aligning team members' understanding of the product goals
4. Validating ideas before committing resources to development

Potential risks included:

• Developing features users don't need
• Misalignment in the development team
• Inefficient use of development resources
• Decreased user engagement due to irrelevant features

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Solution Implementation

We conducted a two-day Design Sprint workshop, which involved:

1. Assembling a team of project managers, designers, developers, and QA engineers
2. Analyzing current product statistics and setting success metrics
3. Defining clear goals for new product features
4. Identifying user types and potential usage flows
5. Listing and categorizing user problems and needs
6. Prioritizing issues through team voting
7. Connecting priority problems with user flows and success metrics
8. Deciding on the most critical element to test (content creation)
9. Researching competitor products
10. Creating and merging individual design propositions into a cohesive user flow
11. Developing a simple prototype based on the agreed flow

Key activities included brainstorming sessions, user flow mapping, and rapid prototyping exercises.

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Business and Product Gains

The Design Sprint approach resulted in:

1. A testable prototype produced in two days
2. Improved team alignment on product vision and goals
3. Identification of content creation as the most critical feature for user engagement
4. Reduced risk of developing unwanted features
5. Condensed weeks of work into days of focused collaboration
6. A concrete plan to test assumptions with users

The process effectively narrowed broad product concepts into defined, testable elements, encouraging detailed product discussions and setting the stage for iterative development.