Beyond the Prototype
A roadmap for navigating the fuzzy area between ideas and outcomes
by Douglas Ferguson, Founder of Voltage Control
About Beyond the Prototype
Have you ever struggled to move a key innovation project forward at work? Based on his experiences running Design Sprints for top companies, Douglas Ferguson wrote Beyond the Prototype to offer practical advice for people shifting from discovery to realization. Full of stories from companies like Google, Liberty Mutual, and Adobe, this guide outlines six steps that every team should take to launch their vision.
Practical advice for moving your innovation project forward
Chapter Overview
1
Intro & Design Sprint 101
An overview of the process
2
The Post-Sprint Slump
Why teams struggle after a sprint
3
Wrap It Up
Unpack what you learned
4
Share Your Story
Show what you accomplished
5
Chart the Course
Formulate the path forward
6
Expand the Inner Circle
Gather the right perspectives and skills
7
Cultivate the Culture
Inspire the sprint mindset
8
Get Guidance
Know when to reach out to the experts
9
Expert Tips for Planning Superb Sprints
A bonus chapter
What People Are Saying
"If you want to know where to go after a Design Sprint, Beyond the Prototype shows the way. Douglas’ expert guidance—grounded in his experience as a founder, CTO, startup advisor, and master facilitator—anticipates the challenges teams face when building something new."
—Jake Knapp, inventor of the Design Sprint and New York Times bestselling author of Sprint
"Douglas is a leader in the global Design Sprint movement, and Beyond the Prototype is a valuable distillation of his knowledge about making sprints work in the real world."
—John Zeratsky, Co-author of Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days
"Douglas Ferguson has long been a top design sprint facilitator. In Beyond the Prototype, he delivers a practical guide to what comes after. If you've ever experienced the dreaded "post-sprint slump," this is an absolute must read. It will just completely up your game.."
—Greg Satell, Author of Cascades & Mapping Innovation
"Innovation teams place tremendous emphasis on developing empathy for the users we’re designing for, which is so important. But sometimes we neglect to do the same with one another. Empathy within our teams creates the connection and trust that make real innovation possible.”
—Jay Melone, New Haircut
"Beyond the Prototype shows how to make progress through uncertainty towards your desired outcome."
— Barry O'Reilly, Business Advisor, Author of Unlearn and Lean Enterprise, founder of ExecCamp, and faculty at Singularity University
"Beyond The Prototype shows how to make progress through uncertainty towards your desired outcome and build momentum and motivation for teams to succeed."
— Jake Knapp, Google Ventures Design Partner & Author of SPRINT
"Douglas Ferguson has long been a top design sprint facilitator. In Beyond the Prototype, he delivers a practical guide to what comes after. If you've ever experienced the dreaded "post-sprint slump," this is an absolute must read. It will just completely up your game..”
—Greg Satell, Author of Cascades & Mapping Innovation
"Beyond the Prototype shows how to make progress through uncertainty towards your desired outcome."
— Barry O'Reilly, Business Advisor, Author of Unlearn and Lean Enterprise, founder of ExecCamp, and faculty at Singularity University
"I work with so many companies excited about their first Design Sprint that then ask: 'Now what?' Douglas' book is the great advice they've been looking for."
—Jeff Patton, Author of User Story Mapping
“A lot has been said about Design Sprints, but Douglas always finds a way to go deeper and inspire fellow Sprint Masters.”
—Steph Cruchon, CEO, Design Sprint LTD
"Douglas Ferguson has long been a top design sprint facilitator. In Beyond the Prototype, he delivers a practical guide to what comes after. If you've ever experienced the dreaded "post-sprint slump," this is an absolute must read. It will just completely up your game..”
—Greg Satell, Author of Cascades & Mapping Innovation
"Design Sprints have helped to evangelize design thinking. Douglas' pioneering work and subsequent tips are captured here. It's the perfect guide for the next wave of facilitators and teams looking to harness the power of user-centered prototyping."
— Jay Melone, Partner, New Haircut
"I work with so many companies excited about their first Design Sprint that then ask: 'Now what?' Douglas' book is the great advice they've been looking for."
—Jeff Patton, Author of User Story Mapping
"Innovation teams place tremendous emphasis on developing empathy for the users we’re designing for, which is so important. But sometimes we neglect to do the same with one another. Empathy within our teams creates the connection and trust that make real innovation possible.”
—Jay Melone, New Haircut
"A lot has been said about Design Sprints, but Douglas always finds a way to go deeper and inspire fellow Sprint Masters."
—Steph Cruchon, CEO, Design Sprint LTD
"Beyond The Prototype shows how to make progress through uncertainty towards your desired outcome and build momentum and motivation for teams to succeed."
— Jake Knapp, Google Ventures Design Partner & Author of SPRINT
"Design Sprints have helped to evangelize design thinking. Douglas' pioneering work and subsequent tips are captured here. It's the perfect guide for the next wave of facilitators and teams looking to harness the power of user-centered prototyping."
— Jay Melone, Partner, New Haircut
"Innovation teams place tremendous emphasis on developing empathy for the users we’re designing for, which is so important. But sometimes we neglect to do the same with one another. Empathy within our teams creates the connection and trust that make real innovation possible.”
—Jay Melone, New Haircut
"Beyond the Prototype is an easy to follow, well structured and highly applicable guide, ideal for product teams confused by all the things they need to do to bring their idea to life following a Design Sprint."
—Dan Toma, Co-author The Corporate Startup
"Beyond The Prototype shows how to make progress through uncertainty towards your desired outcome and build momentum and motivation for teams to succeed."
— Jake Knapp, Google Ventures Design Partner & Author of SPRINT
"Innovation teams place tremendous emphasis on developing empathy for the users we’re designing for, which is so important. But sometimes we neglect to do the same with one another. Empathy within our teams creates the connection and trust that make real innovation possible.”
—Jay Melone, New Haircut
"Beyond the prototype is an easy to follow, well structured and highly applicable guide, ideal for product teams confused by all the things they need to do to bring their idea to life following a Design Sprint."
—Dan Toma, Co-Author The Corporate Startup
"Hell Yes! You should read Beyond The Prototype. Douglas has packaged up years of product and Design Sprint experience in a recipe for transformation."
—Bob Gower, Author of Getting to Hell Yes, Keynote Speaker, and Consultant
About Voltage Control
Voltage Control is an innovation workshop agency founded by Douglas Ferguson, an entrepreneur and technologist with over 20 years of experience. With his unique combination of expertise in technology, product strategy, and design thinking, Douglas offers trusted guidance to companies who want to jumpstart their product or project with an impactful innovation workshop. Based in Austin, Voltage Control designs and leads custom innovation workshops and Design Sprints, as developed by Google Ventures.
A roadmap for navigating the fuzzy area between ideas and outcomes
By Douglas Ferguson
Have you ever struggled to move a key innovation project forward at work? Based on his experiences running Design Sprints for top companies, Douglas Ferguson wrote Beyond the Prototype to offer practical advice for people shifting from discovery to realization. Full of stories from companies like Google, Liberty Mutual, and Adobe, this guide outlines six steps that every team should take to launch their vision.
Let’s talk!
Voltage Control hosts Design Sprints, corporate summits, and leadership workshops.
(512) 766-9125 | hello@voltagecontrol.com
Copyright © 2020 Voltage Control. All Rights Reserved.