Where to Start with Jake Knapp
Jake Knapp spent ten years at Google, where he created the Design Sprint process and used it on everything from Gmail to Google Hangouts. He later brought the method to Google Ventures, where he and his partners ran sprints with over a hundred startups. His books distill what he learned into repeatable, practical frameworks that any team can use to move faster from problem to tested solution. Knapp writes the way he designs: with precision, clarity, and a relentless focus on eliminating waste.
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Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days
Jake Knapp · 288 pages · 2016 · Easy
Themes: design sprints, rapid prototyping, user testing, team collaboration, problem solving
The complete playbook for running a Design Sprint: five days, one big problem, a realistic prototype, and real user feedback. Developed at Google and tested at over a hundred companies through Google Ventures.
Why Start Here
Sprint is Jake Knapp’s signature book and the one that made Design Sprints a standard practice in product teams worldwide. Co-written with John Zeratsky and Braden Kowitz, it lays out a day-by-day process: map the problem on Monday, sketch solutions on Tuesday, decide on Wednesday, prototype on Thursday, and test with real users on Friday.
What sets the book apart is its specificity. Knapp does not deal in vague principles. He tells you exactly how many people should be in the room, how to structure each exercise, and how to avoid the common traps that derail collaborative work. The stories from real sprints at Slack, Blue Bottle Coffee, Savioke, and other companies show the method in action across wildly different industries.
What to Expect
A fast, practical read organized around the five-day sprint structure. Each chapter corresponds to one day with step-by-step instructions. The tone is energetic and conversational. Ideal for product managers, designers, founders, and anyone who wants a proven process for moving from uncertainty to tested ideas in a week.
Alternatives
Jake Knapp & John Zeratsky · 304 pages · 2018 · Easy
A practical daily framework for protecting your time and attention, from the creators of the Design Sprint. Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky offer over eighty tested tactics for choosing a daily highlight, beating distraction, managing energy, and reflecting on what worked.
Why Start Here
Make Time applies the same experimental, design-driven thinking Knapp brought to Sprint, but to the challenge of daily life. The four-step loop is simple: choose a Highlight (the one thing you want to protect time for), build Laser focus (by redesigning your relationship with technology), Energize (through movement, food, sleep, and social connection), and Reflect (to learn what works for you).
The book grew out of Knapp and Zeratsky’s experience at Google and Google Ventures, where they saw how “infinity pools” like email and social media devour attention. Their solution is not to quit technology but to make deliberate choices about engagement.
What to Expect
A fast, illustrated read organized around the four-step framework. Each tactic gets a short, standalone explanation. The book is designed for browsing. Best for anyone who wants simple, concrete changes they can start today.