In Module 3, we will learn how to observe, analyze, uncover & identify problems faced by people around us using observation, analysis and interviewing techniques.  Finally, we will construct User Personas to gain better understanding of the users' goals, pain points and behaviors.  We will do all these with the help of a case study.

Innovation competitions require students to identify community problems of their choice and develop innovative solutions in the form of working prototypes.  So, let's use the expanded 15-step problem-solving process (discussed in Module 2) to explore a problem, need or challenge in our own community (e.g., home, apartment, neighborhood, school, community, village, town, city) and come up with an innovative solution to address the same.

We will use the following example / case study for the purpose:

How do we go about?

During the next few modules, we will make use of expanded 20-step problem-solving process to address the chalk-dust problem.  We will research the problems caused by chalk-dust in detail, find out who are affected by it, empathize with their needs & frustrations, and come up with alternative solutions to address the chalk-dust problem.  Finally, we will design and build a prototype of an innovative solution to address the chalk-dust problem. 

In all, we will go through 20 steps - from researching & understanding the problem, to building the prototype & testing it with users, to analyzing the competition and coming up with a business model.  At every step, we will provide a brief introduction, illustrate the step with an example, and provide an activity and a set of challenges for you to complete.  We will also provide a template for you to download and use in completing your activity or challenge.

As we go through these steps, I would like you to think about the problem or need that you are trying to address, and apply the same steps, techniques and tools to tackle the problem.  By applying all the 20 steps illustrated in this portal, you will readily be able to come up with an innovative solution to the problem you have identified !

The 20 steps may look like a lot, however, they are not.  Your understanding of the 20 steps will help you attempt problem-solving & innovating in a methodically and structured way.  However, it is not mandatory to employ all the 20 steps.  The more number of problem-solving steps you employ in your innovation, the greater will be the quality of your innovation.  

It is not mandatory to demonstrate all the 20 steps.  Once you have learnt all the 20 steps, you can pick and choose the steps that are appropriate for your problem-solving activity.   

Overview: Observation is the act of seeing or taking notice of something.  It requires focus and attention.  We can bring as many of our senses to observe - eyes to see, ears to hear, nose to smell, tongue to taste, and skin to touch.  When observing something, we need to absorb facts as they are, while suspending judgement about what we are observing.  If we judge while we are observing, our bias and prejudice may interfere within our observation and cloud the observation itself.  

Observe people, birds, animals, plants & trees, sky, weather, vehicles, machines, situations, environment, traffic, sounds, smell, taste, touch, etc.  If you are a keen observer, you will be able to identify many things around you in everyday life.  Observation is the first step in solving a problem. 

Exercise: Watch the below three videos.  Observe carefully and record your observations.  Don't interpret your observation, don't analyze your observation, don't dramatize anything.  Don't give names to what you see.  Just observe silently and record only what you see or hear, nothing else !   

Do the above exercise before proceeding further.  

Tool: Observation Chart is a tool that helps us document our observation in a structured way.

Example: In the chalk-dust example, let's observe the scenario in a typical classroom (depicted in the storyline below) and document our observations using the Observation Chart.  The Observation Chart shows the observations made in the classroom.  We need to create similar observation chart(s) for observations made outside the classroom as well.

Exercise: Observe a scenario in your daily-life and use the Observation Chart to record your observations.

Overview: Once we have completed our observation and recorded the same, it is time to question our observation and analyze it.  We have to repeatedly ask questions such as "why", "who", "what", "when", "how", and "where" regarding our observation.  When we critically question & analyze our observation, we may be able to identify one or more problems faced by people involved in the situation or scenario.  Note that observation and analysis of the observation are two different steps.  One should not mix the two together.  Otherwise, our bias and prejudices may interfere within our observation and cloud our observation.  

Tool: Observation Inference Chart helps us draw your inferences (or conclusions) about a situation or scenario we have observed earlier.

Example: In the chalk-dust example, our observation has identified a few people in the scenario: Jennifer, a teacher; Pete, a student; Brad, a parent; and John, classroom cleaning staff.  We have used the Observation Inference Chart to analyze and document our inferences, that is, the problems faced by four individuals - as shown below: 

Exercise: Use the Observation Inference Chart to list the people involved in your observation, and note down your inferences about them, and any other information that you feel is important.

Overview: The problems we identified in the previous step are called "perceived problems" because it is our perception of the problem - based on our analysis or inference of the observation.  The perceived problems may or may not be correct.  We need to validate the perceived problem with the people involved to ascertain whether they are correct, incorrect, or partially correct.  To do this, we need to personally talk to some of the people involved in our observation.

Tool: We use a tool called "Interviewing" to talk to people and validate our assumptions and gather more information about the perceived problem.  When we interview people, we ask them open-ended questions, and let them respond in a free-flowing manner.  When they respond, we not only hear what they say, but also observe their body-language, facial expressions, and other non-verbal cues.  These inputs will help us get a better perspective of the problem or challenge they are facing.   Alternately, we can also conduct an online survey by sending the questionnaire over email or other electronic means, and request the audience to respond to the survey questions.

Example: In the chalk-dust example, we interviewed a few students, teachers, cleaning staff and parents and recorded their responses in the Interview Questionnaire.  The filled-in interview questionnaire for the teacher is shown below. You need to fill-up similar questionnaire from your interview session with one or more individuals.

Exercise: Talk to a few people affected by the problem, and record their responses using the Interview Questionnaire template.

Overview:  When we interview the affected people, we discover a wealth of information about their situation.  Every person is different and brings their own perspective.  The more people we talk to, the greater the diversity of perspectives we get to hear.  From this, we will be able to identify different problems faced by different people.  Out of the many people we talk to, we need to construct User Personas for a few - taking into consideration the diversity of insights we have gained.  

Tool: A user persona is a virtual representation of people whose problems we are trying to understand.  User persona help us have a better understanding of the users' goals, pain points, behaviors, and other demographic information. 

Create user personas to capture the name, age, gender, role, pain-points, behaviors, needs, demographics, and other information of people whom you interviewed in the earlier step.  It helps you empathize with individuals and their challenges better.  

Example: In the chalk-dust example, out of the many students, teachers, parents and cleaning staff we interviewed earlier, we have created user personas for one student, one teacher, one parent and one cleaning staff.  The user personas templates are filled with the information we have gathered by observing and interviewing these individuals.

Exercise: Create User Personas for a few representative people whom you interviewed in the earlier step using the User Persona template.

1. Look around you, observe keenly, and identify problems faced by people.  Document your observations using Observation Chart.  Record only what your observe.  Do not allow your bias or assumptions to cloud your observation.

2. Talk to people and understand how the problem affects them.  Document your findings using Interview Questionnaire Template.

3. Create an Observation Inference Chart after analyzing your observations.

4. Create User Personas for few key people (directly or indirectly) affected by the problem.

Please complete ANY ONE of the following two challenges: