Transcript

Brief Introduction

So in the previous lecture we went through empathy study. Hope that you have understood in totality empathy study. So in empathy study you would have really enjoyed if you would have tried some small examples with your friend, relative, father, mother or anybody, so that you really undergo the process. If you don’t undergo the process, you will not be able to understand. And as a designer it is always necessary that you undergo each and every stage and start appreciating it.

Definition of the Problem

So today’s lecture we will move towards the definition of the problem. Definition of the problem is very very important. So you have done empathy study. You have now got lot of data with you. This data whatever you have, there is a possibility; you will have signal, you will also have a possibility of noise. Sometime noise dictate over the signal. So now you have to identify where is noise, where is signal. And then take the signal. Process the signal, such that you try to develop a clear definition for the problem.

For example if you say, I want to buy shoe. It’s only a part of the problem. You want to buy a shoe which is for dash environment. And the maximum affordable cost is dash. And its life has to be dash. Now you have defined the problem very clearly, that you have to buy a shoe. But now you have also said the shoe should work for what season and then what is the costing you can give. And how long will be the time period, that means to say the life of it. So now accordingly if you start filling up the data there, then the problem definition is very clear. So when you go to a shop, you will also have a very clear clarity in thought.

Define

So a definition is a second step of design thinking, which is again a very important step. So define here the state user’s need and problem.

• So in that definition stage we accumulate the information created and gathered during the empathy study.
• We analyze our observation and synthesize them to define a core problem and our team have identified so far. So we would like to look at the core problem.

Many a times we will not even understand the core problem. We will try to understand a peripheral problem. Try to solve a peripheral problem and give a solution to it. But no we should understand the core problem. And then the understood problem should be shared with the team, and the team starts working on it

• We should always seek to define the problem statement in a human-centric manner.

See right from the beginning I was trying to tell you, design thinking means human-centric. You are trying to solve problems for human-beings. So at every stage when you develop, you should have a humancentric touch towards the solution.

• It is our responsibility to define the challenge we are taking on, based on what we have learnt about the user and about the context of their problem definition.

As I told you, definition is not only looking forward for their problems. You should also look for their socioeconomy. You should also look forward for the longevity. You should also look for maintenance. Because in agriculture the important challenge comes in maintenance.

• This is perhaps the most challenging part of design thinking processes defining. As the definition of a problem requires to synthesize our observation about our user from the empathy study.

So this is very important.

• What we learn, how to master the definition of the problem, problem statement or design challenge. It will greatly improve our design thinking process and result.
• It will bring about clarity and focus to the design space.
• On the contrary, if we don’t pay enough attention to defining our problems. We will work like a person stumbling in the dark.

How to Define: Analysis and Synthesis

So in this we have two steps. One is the analysis step, the other one is the synthesis step

• Analysis is nothing but breaking down of complex concepts and problems into smaller easy to understand constituents.

So we take event and break this event into several small small events, and try to find a solution for small small events, and then assimilate the data, try to get a bigger solution for the problem.

• We do have during the first stage of the design thinking process also, when we observe and document details that related to the user.
• Synthesis involves creatively piecing the puzzle together to form a whole idea. That is synthesis.
• This happens during the definition stage when we organize, interpret and make sense of the data we have gathered to create a problem statement.

This is what is analysis and this is what is synthesis. So there was a bigger event. I split into several small events to have a better understanding. Now I have got all the several small events. Now I assimilate to get to the definition of the problem.

How to Define: A Problem Statement

• So a problem statement is important to a design thinking project, because it will guide us and our team to provide a focus on the specific needs that left uncovered. This is very important.

Specific needs that is left uncovered.

• It also creates a sense of possibility and optimism, that allows team members to spark off ideas in the ideation stage. So a clear problem definition leads to sparking of several ideas in the next stage of ideation.
• I will repeat. A good problem statement should be again human-centric.

“Creating a low cost solution for extracting and processing cashew from cashew shell without any direct exposure to human skin”. Is a very clear definition of the problem statement for the case study what we discussed. So you look at it. Create a low cost solution; why because the person who is involved cannot afford to buy a heavy capital intensive equipment. So that is why we said ‘low cost solution’. And in fact if I want to be more precise, I should say low cost and low maintenance. Maintenance solution for extracting and processing cashew from cashew shell without any direct exposure to human skin. Why is that important? The acid which is coming out there has to be prevented, or it should not come in contact with the skin.

So you look at the problem definition. How clearly it states. Now I know that it has to be low cost, so I cannot give a device which has lot of gears and other things. So I said low maintenance, and then I said it is extracting from the cashew shell. So this device is not supposed to cut a tree. It is not supposed to do something else. But to do only this job. Okay, without any direct exposure to humans. So it has to happen in a slightly far off from the hand accessing point. So you develop a device. So this is a problem definition for a case study which we discussed during the empathy study.

Conclusion

Coming to the conclusion of the definition lecture. There are two important points we have studied today. One is analysis and another one is synthesis. Analysis is, taking a complex problem, breaking down into simpler ideas. Try to solve each simpler idea. And then what we do is collect all these small ideas, and then try to solve a bigger problem. So analysis and synthesis of data which you generated through empathy study will be used for defining the problem. And in the definition of the problem you should keep it in mind that it has to be as narrow as possible, as well as, as wide as possible.

So these two things are contradicting but you should have a tradeoff. For example you would like to have a very high performing machine at a low cost. So but in the problem definition, you should put all those key words and define it so that henceforth the definition of the problem only will be used for further analysis.

Thank You