11 A Wicked Problem

Option 1: Access to Healthy Food

“In the past decades, I have noticed that while much of our energies and intelligence have been focused on the urban areas of the world—under the influence of global warming, the market economy, American tech companies, African and European initiatives, Chinese politics, and other forces—the countryside has changed almost beyond recognition.” —Rem Koolhaas

Just a short drive from Madison’s urban center, farming remains an important part of the local rural economy. Yet, rural communities around the world struggle for access to the same healthy and affordable fresh foods that are being funneled away from the countryside and into our cities. By 2050, it is estimated that 80% of all food is expected to be consumed by cities. Where does this leave our rural communities?

“Gaining access to healthy and affordable food can be a challenge for rural residents. Many rural areas lack food retailers and are considered food deserts: areas with limited supplies of fresh, affordable foods. Ironically, some of these food deserts are in areas where farming is important to the local economy.” —Rural Health Information Hub

So, how might we better design rural foodways for the benefit of the rural communities? Access to fresh food in rural areas can be limited by 1) availability at small local supermarkets and convenience stores, 2) transportation, 3), financial constraints, and 4) seasonally variability.

Your challenge is to learn more about our area’s rural foodways and work with your team to address one of the above limitations in a new and innovative way. The solution should be desirable, feasible and viable while also considering the human experience, social, cultural and physical aspects of food and food systems. If you’ve chosen to approach the problem through a specific concept that is already on the market or in the world you should dive deeper into that offering to better understand the challenges of that service or experience today, and create solutions that build on or improve that solution.

Learning Outcomes and Project Goals
  • To be able to apply the methods and processes of design thinking.
  • To be able to investigate problems and synthesize results to form viable solutions.
  • To develop a deeper understanding of the issues.
  • To learn how to design feasible, desirable, and viable solutions.
  • To develop an innovative design solution that brings something new to the users.
  • To understand that design is an iterative process.
  • To learn the value of rapid prototyping and testing for a successful design solution.

 

Option 2: When a Pandemic Strikes

“This pandemic serves as a warning that only by coming together with a coordinated, global response will we meet the unprecedented magnitude of the challenges we face.” —The Dalai Lama (visit time.com for a full article by the Dalai Lama)

Our first instinct may be to get angry at the pandemic. But anger doesn’t prompt us to act against what beleaguers us. Transitioning from a state of outrage to a problem-solving mindset, is hard to do and could be counterproductive. Fearing the unknown can sometimes paralyzes us and as a result we often shut down. Or worse, we develop the emotion of greed which compels us to focus on how to enrich ourselves and profit from due to this crisis. As a result we may develop a self-centered readiness to disidentify from the wants and needs of others. This is the exact opposite of compassion, which centers on all that meaningfully connects us to the rest of humanity.

“Compassion is the radicalism of our time.” —The Dalai Lama

So, how might we stay together while apart? How can we develop a coordinated, global response that will meet the unprecedented magnitude of the challenges we face? How might we rethink our homes to better support life, work, and school during social distancing? How might we care for people at end of life when visitation isn’t safe? How might we care for our frontline providers’ mental health? How might we rethink place-based activities to be successful in a virtual environment?

Your challenge is to learn from others on how they are coping with this unquestionable challenge and to use these lessons to develop ways for us to function harmoniously.

This is a HUGE challenge. Obviously, staying together and compassionately supporting one another, while remaining apart is challenging. Respecting individual rights is paramount. So is respecting our planet and learning from the damage that mankind has done to it. You may choose to focus on this project at any of the above levels.

Learning Outcomes and Project Goals
  • To be able to apply the methods and processes of design thinking.
  • To be able to investigate problems and synthesize results to form viable solutions.
  • To develop a deeper understanding of the issues.
  • To learn how to design feasible, desirable, and viable solutions.
  • To develop an innovative design solution that brings something new to the users.
  • To understand that design is an iterative process.
  • To learn the value of rapid prototyping and testing for a successful design solution.

 

Option 3: Racism in Our Communities

“No single crisis or event in recent history has so sharply magnified the country’s racial disparities and inequities as the coronavirus. Not even Hurricanes Katrina and Maria, whose death and destruction primarily affected people of color, but were localized.” —Vanessa Williams

Excerpt from the Washington Post Article by Vanessa Williams (May 7, 2020):

Darren Hutchinson, a law professor who studies the law’s impact on race and gender, thinks white Americans can learn a thing or two about racism from the pandemic. How the fear and uncertainty they are feeling now is not unlike what African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans and others feel all the time.

Many of us are afraid of losing our jobs, our homes and our elderly. That’s how racism feels every day… You cannot only see inequality in things like health care, but feel this emotional experience of fearing something that’s out there but you can’t really control it. That’s how racism works.

So, how might we learn from our current situation as a way to reveal the structural inequities across the board? Access to resources such a health care, jobs, housing, and a fair judicial system are a right, not a privilege.

Your challenge is to learn more about racial inequalities and its impact on families, communities, and the world. Consider ways to eliminate racism in our communities through an innovative solution that is desirable, feasible, and viable. If you’ve chosen to approach the problem through a specific concept that is already on the market or in the world (for example: Humans of New York), you should dive deeper into that offering to better understand the challenges of that service or experience today, and create solutions that build on or improve that solution.

Learning Outcomes and Project Goals
  • To be able to apply the methods and processes of design thinking.
  • To be able to investigate problems and synthesize results to form viable solutions.
  • To develop a deeper understanding of the issues.
  • To learn how to design feasible, desirable, and viable solutions.
  • To develop an innovative design solution that brings something new to the users.
  • To understand that design is an iterative process.
  • To learn the value of rapid prototyping and testing for a successful design solution.

 

Step 1: Inspiration (Empathy & Define)

Your team will be required to decide on a problem area that you would like to learn more about. You will then choose your research methods—this should include, at a minimum, searching for existing knowledge, identifying people to interview, and observing relevant places or activities. Once your research for this phase is complete, you will need to look for patterns and key insights. Using what you learned, synthesize your findings, frame your challenge, and create a plan for transitioning into the next phase.

Please remember to hold off on imagining solutions in this phase, and focus on empathy and discovery. At the end of this phase, you will be expected to take a point of view, present on your research methods and key insights, as well as your plan for moving forward.

The key activities will include:

  • Understanding the design thinking mindsets
  • Develop a research plan and uncover a problem statement
  • Utilize research methods such as Participant Observation and Journey Mapping
  • Refine project goals and cluster research material to enhance knowledge sharing
  • Develop a series of How Might We questions to communicate insights gained from fieldwork and identify specific challenges

The Canvas worksheets for this phase include:

  • Barriers Breakdown
  • Empathy Map Canvas
  • Persona Canvas POV
  • Research Canvas
  • How Might We… ?
  • Re-Framing the HMW

Team deliverable during this phase will be a visual presentation which:

  • Articulates the design challenge.
  • Identifies key research insights, including data, key quotes, and facts, plus common themes and opportunity areas.
  • Provides actionable insights based on the design research conducted.
  • Has a clear and specific Point of View statement and problem framing
  • Includes series of 3-5 provocative How Might We questions
  • Is a compelling, human-centered narrative that ties all the points above together

In this phase, students will be graded on:

  • A compelling presentation that elicits additional insight from others.
  • Providing insightful feedback to other teams through written documentation
  • Personal reflection papers on their progress and experience
  • Peer evaluations

 

Step 2: Ideation (Ideation & Prototyping)

Once you’ve clearly framed the problem and begun to ask how might we questions, you should begin ideation.

Be sure to come up with multiple ideas, both written and drawings, while deferring judgement. Practice building on the ideas of others to create collaborative solutions. Remember to capture all of your ideas on paper no matter how “crazy” they may sound, as some of the best ideas stem from the crazy ones. Once you’ve finished ideation (for now) you can begin to cluster some of your ideas to see what patterns emerge.

From here, you will prioritize which ideas to prototype, and why. Prototyping to learn requires having clearly-defined questions in mind before the prototyping begins, so that you can build the prototype to suit the next phase of your discovery. The purpose of your prototype may be to further explore desirability, feasibility, and/or viability.

You will develop a series of 4+ prototypes, culminating in a refined prototype of your prioritized solution or a combination thereof. These can come in the form of storyboards, models, UX wireframes, props, skits, or mock-ups.

The key activities will include:

  • Refine project goals
  • Cluster research material to enhance knowledge sharing
  • Communicate insights gained from fieldwork and identify specific challenges
  • Generate potential solutions through brainstorming.
  • Develop an opportunity area map
  • Develop rapid prototypes

The Canvas worksheets for this phase include:

  • Capture Ideas Canvas
  • Selection Canvas
  • Opportunity Canvas
  • Resource Canvas

Team deliverable during this phase will be a visual presentation which:

  • Includes a synthesis of research findings and opportunity areas
  • Results of cluster analysis and opportunity area map
  • A series of 4+ prototypes, paired with questions of what you hope to learn from the solution.
  • An analysis of each prototype in terms of it’s viability, feasibility, and desirability.

In this phase, students will be graded on:

  • A compelling presentation that elicits additional insight from others.
  • Providing insightful feedback to other teams through written documentation
  • Personal reflection papers on their progress and experience
  • Peer evaluations

 

Step 3: Implementation (Refined Testing)

During this phase, teams will review the project with stakeholders to see what concepts should be developed further or if the problem statement needs to be reframed. This stage requires divergent thinking where the team utilizes brainstorming, visualization, prototyping, and testing to expand on initial concepts or reframe problem statement and solution.

The key activities will include:

  • Solicit stakeholder feedback
  • Conduct multiple tests and iterate as needed
  • Develop a final product suitable for potential launch

The Canvas worksheets for this phase include:

  • Success Model Canvas
  • Brand Promise Canvas

Team deliverable during this phase will be a visual presentation which:

  • Meets the stakeholder needs and requirements
  • Is innovative
  • Represents the findings and solves the problem in a tangible way
  • Includes learning from collaborations
  • Additional potential prototypes
  • A visual representation of the findings, ideas, and prototypes

In this phase, students will be graded on:

  • A compelling presentation that elicits additional insight from others
  • Providing insightful feedback to other teams through written documentation
  • Personal reflection papers on their progress and experience
  • Peer evaluations

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The Design Thinking Playbook for Transformation Copyright © by Lesley Sager. All Rights Reserved.