Guide: Adapting Design Sprints for Environmental Data Challenges

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Overview

Environmental challenges often involve complex datasets, long time horizons, and a wide range of stakeholders. Traditional approaches may not be agile enough. How can we use the power of Design Sprints to tackle these issues?

Design Sprints are a time-boxed, structured process for tackling problems and testing solutions quickly. Our focus here could be adapting this powerful framework for environmental data challenges.

This post is a starting point. We want to collaboratively build a blueprint for adapting Design Sprints to environmental data projects.

Draft outline

1. Assembling the Right Team: What specific expertise is essential for an environmental data Design Sprint?
2. Defining the Environmental Challenge: How do we frame environmental challenges in a way that's suitable for a Design Sprint's time constraints?
3. Data Discovery & Validation: How can we quickly assess the quality and suitability of environmental data within the sprint timeframe?
4. Prototyping and Testing with Environmental Data: What types of prototypes are most effective for environmental data projects? (e.g., interactive dashboards, maps, simulations, policy recommendations)
5. Communication and Outreach: How can we effectively communicate the sprint's findings and recommendations to a broader audience?
6. Next steps: How to proceed with the next steps after the design sprint?

Example case studies

• Devon Design Sprint: prototyping a land use decision tool with a focus on carbon impact
• Ventura Virtual Decision Room: a tool to evaluate water neutrality for urban growth scenarios
• Water Neutral Garden Calculator: helping communities design water-neutral green spaces
• International Forward Look (IFL): Multi-Organisation Content Management System for Hazard Data
• Geothermal Platform: Understanding User Needs: Workshop Design & Research for Geothermal Energy Advancement