Fail fast and win: design sprint to success
Retailers have used forms of “trial and error” or “test and learn” for many years, but lately, the term “fail fast” is gaining currency among the nimblest and most forward-thinking operators.
Following the lead of technology companies, retailers have begun to adopt “fail fast” methodologies in the workplace to engender rapid innovation. It is an approach to business operations that embraces experimentation: some ideas will be successful while others will fail and provide learning opportunities.
Fail fast methods include product and design tests, internal system trials and “design sprints” – “the rapid implementation and iteration of a concept, product or scheme” within the workplace or outwardly for the customer, which enables a company to decide whether the idea is viable for mass dissemination or whether it needs to be altered or completely scrapped.