The Product Design Problem

You have a product idea. Budget allocated. Developers ready to build. But here's the uncomfortable truth: jumping straight into development is expensive gambling.

30-50% of features in typical products are rarely or never used
67% of projects fail due to building the wrong thing, not building it wrong
Design changes during development cost 10-100× more than during design
Wrong assumptions can force complete rebuilds that exceed the original budget

The traditional solution—lengthy design processes—solves one problem but creates others:

Traditional Design Timeline: 6-12 weeks
Traditional Design Cost: £30,000 - £60,000
Team Required: UX researcher, product designer, UI designer, project manager
Result: Beautiful designs that took so long your market may have shifted

By the time your designs are complete, competitors have moved, user needs have evolved, or stakeholder priorities have changed. Worse, you've spent months designing without knowing if users will actually value what you're building.

Why Traditional UX Design Takes Forever

Weeks 1-2: Discovery
Stakeholder interviews, user research planning, competitive analysis, persona development, requirements gathering. Everyone gets a say, every assumption gets documented.

Weeks 3-4: Information Architecture
User journeys, sitemaps, user flows, content strategy, navigation structure. Every path considered, every edge case mapped.

Weeks 5-7: Wireframing
Low-fidelity sketches, stakeholder reviews, revisions, more revisions, content refinement. Three rounds of feedback minimum.

Weeks 8-10: Visual Design
Mood boards, style exploration, design system development, high-fidelity mockups. Make it beautiful, then make it more beautiful.

Weeks 11-12: Prototyping & Handoff
Interactive prototypes, design documentation, developer specifications, final revisions, handoff meetings.

This sequential approach means each phase waits for the previous one. Feedback in week 10 might invalidate week 4 decisions. A single stakeholder unavailable for review? Add another week.

The Hidden Costs Nobody Talks About

Momentum Death: Long design phases drain team energy. Decision-makers lose context between review sessions. Developers get assigned to other projects. Excitement fades.

Assumption Decay: The longer between customer conversations and actual testing, the more your assumptions diverge from reality. Week 2 assumptions become week 10 gospel.

Analysis Paralysis: Unlimited time enables endless iteration. "Should we try another variation?" becomes "Let's explore 15 variations" because why not?

Opportunity Cost: While you perfect mockups, competitors ship. Market timing matters more than perfect pixels.

Sunk Cost Paralysis: Invest £50K in designs and you'll be terrified to change them based on user feedback. The investment creates psychological resistance to necessary pivots.

What is the 5-Day UX Sprint?

The 5-Day UX Sprint is an intensive, collaborative design process that compresses 6-12 weeks of traditional work into 5 focused days.

Five days. A fixed price. An agreed start and end date.

Investment: £10,000 + VAT (£12,000 total)

Unlike traditional design agencies or quick wireframe services, the sprint delivers everything you need to build the right product:

• Complete Figma designs (pixel-perfect, all screens)
• Interactive prototypes (fully clickable, realistic behaviour)
• User testing insights (5-6 real users, documented findings)
• Design system & UI kit (reusable components, design tokens)
• Developer-ready assets (specs, icons, colours, fonts)
• Final presentation (screencast walkthrough)

By the end of Friday, you have validated designs ready for development—not untested concepts that might be completely wrong.

What Happens Each Day

The sprint follows a disciplined, proven structure. Each morning starts with "What we did yesterday, what we're doing today, any feedback from yesterday's show-and-tell."

Day 1: Understand the Problem

We get everyone aligned on what we're actually solving:

• Sprint goal definition: What does success look like?
• User mapping: Who are we designing for?
• Problem framing: What pain are we solving?
• Existing knowledge: What do we already know?
• Competitive landscape: What exists today?
• Constraints & requirements: What can't change?

No lengthy research projects. We synthesize existing knowledge, identify gaps, and agree on priorities. Decision-makers participate directly—no playing telephone through project managers.

Output: Shared understanding, problem definition, success metrics agreed

Day 2: Diverge (Explore Solutions)

We generate multiple solution directions fast:

• Lightning demos: Review what works in other products
• Rapid sketching: Everyone draws ideas (Crazy 8s method)
• Solution concepts: Develop 2-3 distinct approaches
• User flow mapping: How would each solution work?
• Trade-off analysis: Pros and cons of each direction

We're not trying to find the "perfect" solution. We're exploring the solution space to find promising directions worth developing.

Output: 2-3 concept directions, user flows, feature comparison matrix

Day 3: Decide & Design

We pick the best direction and start building it:

• Concept presentation: Show all directions with clear rationale
• Decision-making: Stakeholders vote (dot voting method)
• Direction selection: Choose one path forward
• Storyboarding: Screen-by-screen walkthrough
• Design system foundation: Colours, typography, spacing, components

This is where traditional agencies would schedule another review meeting for next week. We make decisions in the room and start designing immediately.

Output: Chosen direction, design system started, core patterns defined

Day 4: Build High-Fidelity Designs

We create the complete product design:

• All primary screens designed at full fidelity
• Design system applied consistently
• Responsive considerations (mobile, tablet, desktop)
• Edge cases and states (loading, error, empty, success)
• Interactive prototype connecting all screens
• Realistic content and data (not lorem ipsum)

By end of day, you have a prototype that looks and feels like a real product. Users can click through complete flows. Stakeholders can experience the vision.

Output: Complete high-fidelity designs, clickable prototype

Day 5: Test & Validate

We test with real users and refine based on learnings:

• 5-6 user testing sessions (remote or in-person)
• Task-based testing (can users accomplish goals?)
• Think-aloud protocol (understanding mental models)
• Pain point identification (where do users struggle?)
• Pattern recognition (what works across all sessions?)
• Critical refinements based on findings
• Final deliverables prepared and documented
• Results presentation (screencast walkthrough)

Unlike traditional testing that adds another 2-week cycle, we test and iterate same-day. Critical issues get fixed immediately. Minor issues get documented for post-launch.

Output: User testing report, refined designs, all final deliverables

Why 5 Days Works (When 12 Weeks Doesn't)

You might be skeptical. If design agencies need 3 months, how can you deliver in a week?

The answer isn't rushing or cutting corners. It's eliminating the waste that bloats traditional processes.

1. Time Constraints Eliminate Waste

Parkinson's Law: Work expands to fill the time available.

Give a designer 12 weeks for a project, they'll use 12 weeks—not because the work requires it, but because they can. Endless tweaking. "Let's try another version." Waiting for inspiration.

Time constraints force focus:

• No time for analysis paralysis
• Can't endlessly iterate one screen
• Must prioritize ruthlessly
• Decisions happen fast
• Only essential work gets done

Five intense days beat 12 leisurely weeks every time.

2. Dedicated Focus (No Context Switching)

Traditional agency work: Designer juggles 4 projects, 12 meetings per week, email constantly. Every context switch costs 15-30 minutes of refocus time.

Sprint work: 100% focus for 5 consecutive days. No other projects. No meetings outside the sprint. Deep work from 9 AM to 5 PM.

Five sprint days equal 15-20 days of typical agency work.

3. Decision-Makers Present (No Waiting)

Traditional: "We'll present next Tuesday." Tuesday comes: "Can you explore another direction?" Another week waiting.

Sprint: Decision-makers participate in key sessions. Questions answered immediately. Decisions made in real-time. No email chains.

Day 1 alignment carries through Day 5. Everyone stays connected.

4. Proven Framework (No Reinventing)

We don't make up the process each time. The 5-Day UX Sprint methodology is battle-tested:

• Based on Google Ventures Design Sprint
• Adapted by Jake Knapp (Sprint book author)
• Used by thousands of companies globally
• Refined through Precode's own implementations

We know what works. No experimenting on your project.

5. Modern Tools Accelerate Everything

Figma:

• Real-time collaboration (everyone sees changes live)
• Component libraries (reusable design elements)
• Instant prototyping (link screens without code)
• Dev handoff (developers see specs automatically)

Remote User Testing:

• Schedule 6 users in 3 hours (no travel time)
• Record sessions (review later if needed)
• Global participant pool (find your exact target user)

Design Systems:

• Pre-built components
• Consistent patterns
• Production-ready quality

Technology that didn't exist 10 years ago now makes 5-day sprints feasible.

6. Constrained Scope (Core Journey Only)

Not everything fits in 5 days. We focus on:

Must Design:

• Core user journey (critical path)
• Primary screens
• Key decision points
• Essential interactions

Can Wait:

• Secondary features
• Edge cases
• Admin panels
• Advanced settings

The sprint validates the core concept. Additional screens can be designed afterward if needed.

What You Actually Receive

Deliverables (All Included)

Figma Design Files:

• Complete high-fidelity designs
• All screens and states
• Organized layers and naming
• Design system components
• Responsive breakpoints

Interactive Prototype:

• Fully clickable prototype
• Realistic user flows
• Micro-interactions
• Shareable link (demo to anyone)

Design System & UI Kit:

• Colour palette with values
• Typography scale
• Component library
• Icon set
• Spacing system
• Design tokens

Developer Handoff:

• Figma Inspect mode enabled
• CSS values exportable
• Asset exports (SVG, PNG)
• Spacing and sizing specs
• Interaction documentation

User Testing Report:

• Test session videos/recordings
• Key findings and insights
• Pain points identified
• Recommendations
• Prioritized improvements

Final Presentation:

• Screencast walkthrough
• Design rationale explained
• Next steps outlined
• Implementation guidance

Documentation:

• Design decisions explained
• User flow diagrams
• Component usage guide
• Accessibility notes

What's NOT Included

To keep sprints focused and affordable:

Not included:

• Development/coding
• Branding or logo design (use existing brand)
• Content writing/copywriting
• Photography or custom illustrations
• Multiple design variations (we pick one direction)
• Post-sprint iteration (can be added separately)

If you need any of these, we can discuss add-ons or separate engagements.

Who Should Book a 5-Day UX Sprint

Ideal Candidates

Startups Validating Concepts

You have an idea and budget, but you're not sure users will value your approach. Before spending £50-100K on development, invest £12K to validate the design with real users.

Example: SaaS startup with seed funding needs to prove their workflow solves customer pain before building.

Product Teams with Backlogs

Your developers are booked for 6 months. Rather than wait for development capacity, validate the design now. By the time developers are free, you'll have tested designs ready to build.

Example: Enterprise company wants to test new feature but engineering is busy with current roadmap.

Redesign Projects

You have an existing product that's not converting well. Before rebuilding, validate a new approach with users. See if the new design actually solves the problems.

Example: B2B SaaS with high churn wants to redesign onboarding flow based on user feedback.

Founders Seeking Investment

You need to demonstrate your vision to investors. A high-fidelity, user-tested prototype is more convincing than slides and wireframes.

Example: Pre-seed founder raising first round needs tangible proof of concept.

Innovation Teams Testing Ideas

Corporate innovation teams need to test concepts fast without committing massive resources. A 5-day sprint lets you fail fast or validate before bigger investment.

Example: Fortune 500 exploring new business model wants low-risk validation.

When Traditional Design Makes More Sense

A sprint isn't always the right answer:

Large-Scale Platforms:
If you're designing a platform with 50+ unique screens, multiple user types, and complex admin tools, you'll need more than 5 days. Consider the sprint for one module, then expand.

Heavy User Research Needed:
If you're entering a completely new market and need to do extensive user research, customer interviews, and field studies, that research should happen before the sprint.

Branding Projects:
If you need full brand development (logo, identity, brand guidelines), that's a separate engagement. The sprint assumes you have basic brand elements.

Regulated Industries:
Healthcare, finance, legal products with strict compliance requirements may need more documentation and review cycles than a sprint allows.

The Investment & ROI

Pricing

5-Day UX Sprint: £10,000 + VAT = £12,000 total

What's included:

• 5 full days of design work
• All deliverables listed above
• Up to 6 user testing sessions
• Screencast presentation
• Design files transferred to you

What you provide:

• Decision-maker availability (Day 1, 3, 5)
• Access to users for testing (we can recruit if needed)
• Existing brand assets (logo, colours)
• Project brief and background materials

Comparing Costs

Traditional Agency:

• Timeline: 6-12 weeks
• Cost: £30,000 - £60,000
• Deliverables: Similar to sprint
• User testing: Often extra cost
• Iterations: Slow (weeks between versions)

5-Day UX Sprint:

• Timeline: 1 week
• Cost: £12,000
• Deliverables: Complete package
• User testing: Included
• Iterations: Fast (same-day refinements)

Savings:

• £18,000 - £48,000 less expensive
• 5-11 weeks faster
• Same quality outputs
• Validated with real users

Return on Investment

Scenario: £100K Development Project

Traditional Approach:

• £50K design (12 weeks)
• £100K development (16 weeks)
• Launch to discover users don't understand the workflow
• £40K redesign and rebuild
• Total: £190K, 34 weeks

Sprint Approach:

• £12K sprint (1 week)
• User testing reveals confusion
• £2K design refinements (1 week)
• £100K development with validated design (16 weeks)
• Launch successfully
• Total: £114K, 18 weeks

Savings: £76K and 16 weeks

The sprint's real value isn't the £12K—it's preventing the expensive rebuild by catching problems early.

The Sprint Process

Before the Sprint (Week Prior)

Kickoff Call (30 minutes):

• Discuss project goals and challenges
• Identify target users
• Share existing research or data
• Confirm sprint dates
• Assign homework (competitive review, user list)

Sprint Preparation:

• You: Gather background materials, user contacts, existing data
• Us: Review materials, prepare sprint exercises, schedule user tests

Requirements from You:

• Clear sprint goal (what question are we answering?)
• Decision-maker availability (key sprint days)
• 5-6 users for testing (we can recruit if needed)
• Existing brand assets (logo, colours, fonts)

During the Sprint (5 Days)

Daily Schedule:

• 9:00 AM: Day starts, review yesterday
• 9:30 AM: Today's activities begin
• 12:00 PM: Lunch break
• 1:00 PM: Afternoon session
• 6:00 PM: Daily show-and-tell
• 6:30 PM: Day ends

Your Time Commitment:

• Day 1: Full day (9 AM - 5 PM) - Define problem
• Day 2: 2-3 hours - React to concepts
• Day 3: 2-3 hours - Make decisions
• Day 4: 1 hour - Review designs
• Day 5: 2-3 hours - Review test results

Total: ~12-15 hours across the week. Not overwhelming, but enough to keep aligned.

Communication:

• Slack channel for async questions
• Daily show-and-tell at 6 PM
• Video calls for key decision points
• Figma shared for live collaboration

After the Sprint (Week After)

Immediate Deliverables:

• Figma files transferred to your account
• Prototype link shared
• Test videos and report sent
• Screencast presentation delivered
• Design documentation provided

Optional Follow-Up:

• Q&A session with developers
• Additional screen designs (hourly rate)
• Design refinements based on stakeholder feedback
• Ongoing design support (retainer available)

Most clients have everything they need to start development immediately.

What We Don't Compromise

Despite the speed, quality stays high:

Design Quality

• Pixel-perfect designs at multiple breakpoints
• Comprehensive component library
• Consistent design system throughout
• Professional visual polish
• Accessible (WCAG AA compliance considered)

User Testing Rigour

• Real users from your target audience
• Task-based testing (not just opinions)
• Moderated sessions (we facilitate)
• Video recordings for review
• Insights documented and prioritized

Process Integrity

• All 5 days completed
• Key stakeholders involved at right moments
• Decisions made collaboratively
• Framework followed rigorously
• No shortcuts that compromise validation

Common Questions

Can you really design everything in 5 days?

We design the core user journey—the critical path users take to accomplish their main goal. That's typically 8-15 key screens plus variations.

Secondary features, admin panels, and edge cases can be designed afterward if needed. The sprint validates the core concept.

What if we need more screens?

After the sprint, we can continue on an hourly or daily basis to design additional screens. Many clients book follow-up design days.

Alternatively, with the design system established, your internal team or developers can create additional screens following the patterns.

Do you do the user research?

We synthesize existing research if you have it. If you don't, we do lightweight research during Day 1 (competitive analysis, user review mining, available data).

For projects needing extensive user interviews or field research, that should happen before the sprint.

What if stakeholders can't attend?

The sprint requires decision-maker availability on key days (Day 1, 3, 5). Without this, we can't make timely decisions and the sprint stalls.

If absolutely unavailable, we can adapt the schedule, but it extends the timeline beyond 5 days.

Can the sprint be done remotely?

Absolutely. We run remote sprints regularly via Zoom + Figma. In many ways, remote sprints work better because:

• Screen sharing makes presentations clearer
• Figma collaboration is seamless
• Recording sessions for later review
• No travel time between meetings

What if user testing reveals problems?

Perfect—that's the point! We make critical fixes same-day (Day 5 afternoon). Major issues get documented with recommendations.

The sprint's goal is learning, not perfection. Better to discover problems in testing than after development.

Do we own the designs?

Completely. All Figma files transfer to your account. You can modify, share, or hand to any development team.

What about our existing brand?

We use your existing brand elements (logo, colours, fonts). If you don't have clear brand guidelines, we'll establish basics during the sprint.

For full brand development, that's a separate project (and should happen before the sprint ideally).

Can we do multiple sprints?

Yes! Some clients book 2-3 sprints to design different modules or test multiple approaches.

Example: Sprint 1 for customer-facing app, Sprint 2 for admin dashboard.

What happens after the sprint?

You have several options:

Option 1: Take the designs and develop internally or with another team. You own everything.

Option 2: Continue working with us on additional design work (hourly or retainer basis).

Option 3: Book our MVP Sprint to build the application (2-week development sprint).

Most clients either develop internally or book the MVP Sprint.

Real Client Scenarios

Scenario 1: SaaS Startup Validating Workflow

Challenge: Seed-funded startup with £250K believes their workflow solves accounting pain for small businesses. Need to validate before spending budget on development.

Sprint Focus: Core workflow from importing transactions to generating reports.

Outcome: User testing revealed users confused by workflow. Simplified approach designed and tested in afternoon. Final design validated. Development started with confidence.

Result: Saved estimated £40K that would've been spent building the wrong workflow.

Scenario 2: Enterprise Redesigning Mobile App

Challenge: Fortune 500 company has mobile app with 2.3 rating. Engineering backlogged for 6 months. Need to validate new approach before committing development time.

Sprint Focus: Complete onboarding flow and primary user journey.

Outcome: New design tested significantly better. Developers received validated designs when capacity opened. Built right the first time.

Result: Avoided rebuilding, launched on schedule, app rating improved to 4.2.

Scenario 3: Founder Seeking Investment

Challenge: Pre-seed founder needs to demonstrate vision to investors. Has wireframes but investors want to see real UX.

Sprint Focus: Core product experience, designed beautifully, tested with target users.

Outcome: High-fidelity prototype + user testing video became key pitch material. Demonstrated founder's commitment to user-centered design.

Result: Successfully raised £500K seed round. Investors cited prototype as evidence of execution capability.

Success Metrics

During the Sprint

Day 1:
✓ All stakeholders aligned on problem and success criteria
✓ Sprint goal clearly defined

Day 3:
✓ Direction chosen confidently
✓ Storyboard covers complete user journey

Day 5:
✓ 5-6 user tests completed
✓ Clear insights documented
✓ Critical refinements made

After the Sprint

Week 1:
✓ Developers have everything needed to start
✓ No questions blocking development

Month 1:
✓ Development progressing smoothly
✓ No major design changes required

Month 3:
✓ Product launched or in beta
✓ User feedback aligns with testing insights

Getting Started

Step 1: Book Discovery Call

30-minute call (free) to discuss:

• Your product and goals
• Target users
• Timeline and urgency
• Sprint fit and feasibility

Book now: hello@precode.co or Schedule Call

Step 2: Sprint Planning

If we're a good fit:

• Sprint dates scheduled
• Preparation tasks assigned
• User recruitment planned (if needed)
• Materials gathered

Timeline: Usually 1-2 weeks from discovery call to sprint start

Step 3: The Sprint Week

Monday-Friday:

• Intensive collaborative design
• Daily show-and-tells
• User testing Day 5
• All deliverables completed

Step 4: Handoff

End of Week:

• All files transferred
• Presentation recorded
• Documentation delivered
• Q&A with your team

Step 5: Build

Following Weeks:

• Development begins
• We're available for questions
• Optional ongoing support

Key Takeaways

• Speed: 5 days vs 6-12 weeks traditional design
• Cost: £12K vs £30-60K traditional agencies
• Validation: User-tested with real people, not assumptions
• Complete: Everything developers need to build correctly
• Proven: Battle-tested framework, not experiments
• Collaborative: You're involved throughout, not waiting for reveals
• Risk Reduction: Discover problems in testing, not after launch

The fastest way to validate product ideas isn't building them—it's designing and testing them first. Five days of focused design work prevents months of building the wrong thing.

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Ready to validate your product idea in 5 days?

Book a free discovery call:
hello@precode.co or Schedule Call

No prep required. No pressure. Just an honest conversation about whether a 5-Day UX Sprint makes sense for your project.

Precode has run dozens of 5-Day UX Sprints for startups, scale-ups, and innovation teams at global brands. We help ambitious product teams create better products faster—validating ideas through design and testing before expensive development begins.

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About Precode

Precode is an independent UX design agency that helps ambitious product teams create better products faster using 5-Day UX Sprints. No prep required, no old-school agency legacy, no hierarchies.

Whether you need to create a new product from scratch, improve an existing product, or inject innovation into your team, we can help. We work with startups, scale-ups, and innovation teams at global brands.

Contact: hello@precode.co
Website: precode.co

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