Design in Action: Hands-On Design Sprint Workshops in Cabo Verde
Iuliia Paromonova and Gabriela Beltrão visited Cabo Verde to run intensive design sprint workshops at NOSi and Universidade de Cabo Verde, introducing students and professionals to design thinking, rapid prototyping, and user-centred innovation through hands-on, collaborative learning.
A recent visit to Cabo Verde brought design thinking into practice through hands-on workshops delivered at NOSi and Universidade de Cabo Verde (UniCV). Led by Iuliia Paromonova and Gabriela Beltrão, doctoral researchers from Tallinn University’s School of Digital Technologies, the sessions engaged students and professionals in a structured design sprint format focused on real-world problem solving and human-centred innovation.
Across two half-days, participants worked in small teams to move from understanding users and defining problems to ideation, prototyping, and testing. Activities included problem and empathy mapping, user journey mapping, “How might we” problem framing, rapid ideation techniques, and the creation of low-fidelity prototypes. The workshops emphasised timeboxing, collaboration, and learning through making, allowing participants to experience the full design process in a short but intensive format.
The workshops concluded with peer testing, reflection, and short team pitches, where participants shared both their solutions and key insights gained from user feedback. By combining practical tools with reflective discussion, the sessions demonstrated how design sprint methods can support innovation, usability, and user-centred thinking in both academic and institutional contexts, while strengthening collaboration between Tallinn University, NOSi, and UniCV.