I am Mi is now a digital product focused on wellness, mindfulness, and skin care, but before this, it was just an idea. The founders of I am Mi needed to ensure their good idea was actually a good one – i.e. something that would be adopted by users and provide a return on their investment if they decided to build it. I am Mi engaged with Tactical.ly to run a design sprint to validate their concept and help tailor it for success.

Reducing risk and building capability with an intensive design sprint

I am Mi is an exciting startup that founded in 2020 by Mimi Gilmore. Made up of a community of people, products, practices and platforms, it is dedicated to helping people build healthier, happier, more resilient ways of living. Their core value proposition is using skincare regimens as an opportunity to improve mindfulness, bringing the two together via a supportive app.

Tactical.ly was brought in as product strategists by our partner and client Ghost Street. Upon meeting with I am Mi, and hearing their vision, we immediately all agreed that some rigorous validation was required before any digital solution should be embarked upon, and especially before product development started on a physical product. I am Mi needed Tactical.ly to lead the process of ensuring that their concept was sound and building their capability from the get-go, to enable them to take a truly customer-centric approach to design and development.

The faster track

Tactical.ly kicked off the Design Sprint process with a focused research phase. We gathered data from various sources, including surveys, interviews, and focus groups. This information was used to identify user needs and to gain insights into user behaviour and motivations. We also conducted an analysis of the competitive landscape to better understand I am Mi’s place in the market.

The second phase of the Design Sprint was concept development. We collaborated with the I am Mi team to create a range of product concepts. We then tested the concepts with potential users to gain feedback and refine our ideas.

The third phase of the Design Sprint was rapid prototyping. We quickly created a number of prototypes based on the refined concepts. These prototypes were then tested with more users. We used the feedback to iterate on the prototypes and refine them further.

The final phase of the Design Sprint was validation. We conducted usability tests to assess the user experience and to determine if our prototypes met the user needs. We also conducted an analysis of the market to better understand the competitive landscape and the potential for I am Mi’s growth.

Overall, the Design Sprint was a great success. We were able to validate I am Mi’s product and gain valuable insights into user needs and the competitive landscape. We’re pleased to have had the opportunity to work with I am Mi and look forward to seeing their product succeed.

Lessons for success

We believe that a design sprint or any kind of detailed product validation is a vital step in developing a digital product. It allows you to quickly test and validate ideas, gather feedback from end users, and design a product that really meets the needs of your users. This process saves time and most importantly money by preventing costly rework, or worst case, developing a product no one wants. By taking the time to properly validate a product before launch, teams can ensure that they are creating a product that meets their users’ needs and that will be successful in the marketplace.

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