Looking for the best design sprint books?
In 2025, design sprints are more relevant than ever.
Developed at Google Ventures, the design sprint is built to help teams quickly prototype and test ideas with real users in just five days.
Combining strategy, design, prototyping, and user research into a structured framework that fosters innovation and rapid problem-solving.
That’s why, in a world where innovation keeps speeding up, teams look for smarter and faster ways to validate ideas.
5 Best Design Sprint Books in 2025:
These books offer exactly that: strategies and tools to stay ahead of the game. Here are the best resources to guide you.
1.” Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days”
Authors: Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, Braden Kowitz.
The original and still, to this day, the gold standard, this book walks you through the classic five-day sprint process created at Google Ventures.
It has a practical recipe that explains step by step what you need to do, what you need to know, and how to run a design sprint.
It’s in our top 1 out of our 5 because:
- It’s the book that introduced the 5-day design sprint to the world.
- The framework was developed and has been used at companies like Google, Slack, and Blue Bottle Coffee. Proving it is practical, not just theoretical.
- It’s extremely actionable. Each day is broken down with clear instructions, roles, and even example exercises.
2.” Design Sprint: A Practical Guidebook for Building Great Digital Products”
Authors: Richard Banfield, C. Todd Lombardo, Trace Wax.
Perfect for product teams, it breaks down the sprint method with a heavy focus on digital product development and user-centric design.
It includes practical resources like workshop agendas, facilitation tips, and sprint-ready canvases teams can immediately put into action.
Why is it in our top 2?:
- It has tactical tools and templates
- You get insights and interviews from professionals who’ve run successful sprints
- It helps align business goals with design thinking, a must-have for building great user-centered products.
3.” Enterprise Design Sprints”
Author: Richard Banfield.
Taking sprints into the enterprise world. It’s ideal if you’re managing stakeholders or scaling innovation.
This e-book tackles how to run design sprints in big organizations to reduce politics, increase collaboration, and put the focus on outcomes.
Reasons why it’s in our top 3:
- It’s perfect for corporate teams navigating internal challenges.
- Emphasizes the human side of sprints like communication, trust, and collaboration.
- It bridges the gap between theory and execution, especially for enterprise-level teams looking to innovate faster and smarter.
4.” Unlearn: Let Go of Past Success to Achieve Extraordinary Results”
Author: Barry O’Reilly.
Change your mindset, change your results.
While this book is not solely about design sprint, it complements sprint thinking by focusing on innovation through intentional “unlearning.”
Reasons why it’s in our top 4:
- It trains you to let go of rigid plans and embrace that flexibility on a deeper level.
- It gives you tools to reframe failure, build confidence, and drive forward with clarity and purpose.
- It helps leaders and teams embrace the mindset of experimentation, iteration, and rapid learning.
5.” Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day”
Authors: Jake Knapp & John Zeratsky.
Written by two of the Sprint book authors, Make Time helps you build habits that align with the intense, focused energy needed for effective sprints.
It highlights the core and WHY of the Design Sprint process.
It’s in our top 5 because:
- Whether you’re a sprint facilitator or team member, the techniques in Make Time help you stay mentally sharp and present.
- Written by the same authors behind Sprint, this book builds on the time-management strategies that power effective design sprints.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re helping your team think bigger or just beginning your Design Sprint journey.
These books will be the perfect mix of inspiration and structure.
Start with the one that most speaks to where you are right now, and let it lead your team into faster, smarter innovation.
So, what are your thoughts about the Best Design Sprint Books? Let us know.
