Innovation
Frame Your Design Challenge
To effectively solve a problem, it's important to have a well-defined design challenge that isn't too narrow or too broad. The Frame Your Design Challenge worksheet provides a step-by-step guide to help you properly frame your challenge and start off on the right track. Throughout the process, you'll consider factors such as the potential impact, context, and limitations, and ensure that your challenge allows for a range of possible solutions. With this approach, you can refine your challenge until you're eager to take it on.
Workshop steps
Begin by attempting to write your design challenge concisely. Keep it brief and memorable. Aim to create a one-sentence statement that communicates the issue you wish to address. Frequently, we frame these as How Might We questions to encourage a solution-focused mindset and stimulate idea generation throughout the process.
Once you've created a draft of your design challenge, work together to define and agree on the desired goal or outcome. Utilize the "Align On Your Impact Goals" activity to make certain that you, your team, and any other stakeholders share the same vision of success.
Now, consider the target audience and their life's context, limitations, and factors. Utilize the "Identify Your Audience" exercise to outline your user's environment and the necessary adjustments or impacts your design should have. This stage will assist you in determining the appropriate scope for your challenge.
Having collected and arranged additional data, revisit your design query to ensure it remains appropriate. Modify your question as needed and record this, along with the information utilized, in your Frame Your Design Challenge worksheet.
Establishing the appropriate design challenge is crucial for achieving a successful outcome. To test if your design challenge is on the right path, attempt to generate five potential solutions within a few minutes. If you can, you're probably on the right track. Give this a try, and adjust as necessary to reach the correct framing and scope.
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