Design Sprint (5‑Day)

A GV‑style sprint to align stakeholders, prototype fast, and test with users in 5 days. Designed for startups, it plugs into brand, product, web, and code. Explore related services on our Capabilities page (Brand Identity, Product Design, Website, Engineering).

Variants (4–10 days)

• 4‑Day (condensed): Combine Decide + Prototype; pre‑work includes expert interviews and success metrics. Best for small, focused UX flows or a single conversion page.

• 7‑Day (plus polish): Standard 5‑day sprint + 2 days to refine UI, states, and copy for stakeholder/shareholder demos.

• 10‑Day (test twice): Two rapid test cycles on the same concept or adjacent variants (e.g., onboarding vs. pricing); ideal when evidence is needed before a fundraise or launch.

GV‑Style Sprint Checklist

Use this to confirm readiness and accelerate day one.

• Decider identified and available for Mon AM, Wed PM, Fri PM.

• Target user and critical moment defined; 3–5 sprint questions agreed.

• Success metric chosen (e.g., task success, message clarity, conversion proxy).

• Expert inputs lined up (PM, Eng, Sales/CS, Domain SME) for Mon interviews.

• Tech constraints noted (APIs, auth, data) to guide feasibility.

• Recruiting list ready; 5 target users scheduled for Fri tests.

• Prototype scope bounded (end‑to‑end storyboard; states prioritized).

• Brand/product assets accessible (logo, styles, product access, analytics).

Introduction

A focused, GV‑style 5‑day sprint to de‑risk a high‑stakes product or brand decision, produce a realistic prototype, and test with users—then align stakeholders on a clear, actionable plan. Zypsy has shipped 40+ brands and products with venture‑backed teams; our sprint approach is tuned for startup speed and outcomes across brand, web, product, and code. See our integrated capabilities and sprint model in practice on Zypsy Capabilities, and outcomes in Work.

Who this is for

• Founders pre‑PMF needing clarity on core user flows and value prop.

• Teams preparing a fundraise who need a narrative, prototype, and site to convert.

• Growth‑stage teams validating a new feature, pricing, or onboarding.

• Companies re‑positioning for enterprise or entering an adjacent market.

Proof points

• Captions: AI video platform—10M downloads, 66.75% conversion rate, $100M+ raised; Zypsy rebuilt the design system and web app to scale growth.

• Robust Intelligence: AI security brand, product, and web from inception to acquisition by Cisco; recognized for innovation in 2024. See funding news on Zypsy Insights.

• Cortex: Repositioned to enterprise with 100+ product graphics across 20+ pages; trusted globally by engineering orgs.

• Solo.io: Market‑leading API/AI gateway—31 pages, 512 CMS items migrated, 718 redirects; unified product design system.

What you get in 5 days

• A mapped problem space, success metrics, and prioritized assumptions.

• A realistic, high‑fidelity prototype (product flow, or conversion‑story landing page).

• Five moderated usability tests with target users and a decision report.

• An executive readout with recommended go‑forward plan, risks, and next sprint scope.

• Artifacts: clickable Figma prototype, storyboard, test script, highlight reel/notes, UX principles, and backlog for engineering handoff. Learn more about our integrated delivery on Capabilities.

The 5‑Day Plan (GV‑style, adapted for startups)

Extended Sprint (10–14 days)

Use when you need production‑ready design or broader scope (e.g., pricing, sign‑up, docs, or a multi‑page website).

• Week 1: The 5‑day sprint above.

• Week 2: Productionize the winning approach.

• Product track: Design system tokens, key states, empty/error/loading, motion specs, accessibility, dev‑ready Figma, and issue backlog.

• Website track: Conversion narrative, CMS schema, responsive pages, SEO‑ready copy, performance targets, and optional Webflow build/migration.

Pricing and commercial models

• Price anchor: from $25k for a 5‑day sprint. Zypsy’s minimum project size is $25,000+ (based on third‑party profiles for guidance).

• Extended 10–14 day sprints are scoped after day‑1 alignment. Web projects frequently sit at higher budgets; Zypsy is a Webflow Enterprise Partner (based on industry profiles and recognitions).

• Services‑for‑equity (select founders): Zypsy’s Design Capital offers up to ~$100k of design over 8–10 weeks for ~1% equity via SAFE; see coverage in TechCrunch (see article for more details).

• Cash/equity flexibility is supported in Zypsy’s customer terms (please refer to Zypsy's official terms for details).

Team and cadence

• Core roles: Strategy/PM (facilitation), Product Designer, Visual Designer/Brand, Prototyper or Front‑end Engineer, Research Lead/UX Writer. Team composition flexes to scope; see Careers for typical expert profiles.

• Cadence: Daily check‑ins, mid‑day reviews, and end‑of‑day alignment. Stakeholders join Mon AM (goals), Wed PM (storyboard/decisions), and Fri PM (readout).

Research approach

• 5 moderated user tests (Fri), remote or in‑person based on target users; stimuli are realistic prototypes or landing pages.

• Methods: task‑based evaluation, think‑aloud, targeted probes on adoption blockers, pricing signals, and message clarity.

• Outputs: prioritized findings, design principles, and quantified evidence to support go/no‑go decisions.

After the sprint

Most teams move directly into a follow‑on sprint: brand system and website build, onboarding polish, or MVP spec/engineering. Explore our integrated stack on Capabilities and outcomes in Work. If you’re raising, Zypsy can also support via Zypsy Capital.

FAQs

• What exactly is a “Design Sprint”? A time‑boxed, collaborative process to align, prototype, and test critical product or narrative bets in days instead of months.

• What deliverables do we leave with? A validated prototype, test results, and an execution plan; for web, a conversion narrative and page set are typical.

• How much does it cost? From $25k for 5 days; extended sprints are scoped. See pricing context above.

• Can Zypsy execute the build after? Yes—brand, web, product, and code are under one roof.

• Do you offer equity‑based engagements? Yes, selectively via Design Capital and customer terms.

• What proof do you have this works? See Captions, Robust Intelligence, Cortex, and Solo.io above.

Get started

Share your goals and timeline and we’ll confirm fit, scope, and start date within 1–2 business days: Contact Zypsy.