Phone Physics: Define the Problem

Learning Goals

1. Students individually identify user needs, desires, and insights based on their empathy map.

2. Students collaborate to reframe their research in to an actionable “How Might We…?” and assign follow-on task facilitation responsibilities.

General Description

The Define mode is when students unpack and synthesize their empathy findings into compelling needs and insights, and scope a specific and meaningful challenge. It is a mode of “focusing” rather than “flaring.” Two goals of the define mode are:

· to develop a deep understanding of your users and the design space and,

· based on that understanding, to come up with actionable problem statements phrased as “How might we…?”

The student's point of view should be the unique design vision that they craft based on their discoveries during the empathy work. Understanding the meaningful challenge they wish to address, and the insights that they can leverage from their design work, is fundamental to creating a successful solution.

Activity 1 (20 minute budget)

Students individually define POV madlibs based on the group empathy map.

1. Teacher shows the Madlib Guide slide and then has students individually define at least 1 user POVs on the left side of their Define Worksheet using their empathy map for memory cues.

Activity 2 (30 minute budget)

Students groups, with their group facilitator, use their madlibs to define a set of group actionable problem statements.

1. Teacher has student groups decide on a facilitator for the activity. Teacher shows the Problem Statement Guide slide and then has student group facilitators work within teams to define 3 to 4 actionable "How Might We...?" problem statements that will be used to prime the ideation session.

• POV Madlib PPT (Teacher Resource)

• Define Worksheet (Student Worksheet)