Design Thinking

REFRAME

Zeroing in on pain points ripe for innovation

Course Content for ENT3607 Innovation by Design - Syllabus

Design Thinking > How Might We > Team > Plan > Empathize > Synthesize > Reframe > Ideate > Select > Build > Pitch

Reframing the problem is the process of zeroing in on an area of the problem that is ripe for innovation based on what you learned in your Empathy work.

We are not yet considering solutions!

Reframing

Now that you've gained more empathy for and information about your Design Challenge, prior to ideation, it's important to reflect on your empathy work and reframe your How Might We (HMW) statement to more accurately represent the problem and provide a path to a successful solution.

The team should focus on your key insights discovered in the Synthesize process. Insights and pain points that are ripe for innovation - those that others have previously overlooked but are key to unlocking an impactful solution.

HMW’s may be reframed to more specifically address:

  • a particular subset of the problem - ie. rather than seeking a more sustainable campus, you might seek to minimize the use of single use plastics.

  • a particular subset of stakeholders - ie. rather than seeking to reduce anxiety and depression in students, you might focus on assisting first year students.

  • a particular environment or sub-organization - rather than assisting all students with career readiness, you might focus on business majors, or rather than improving study spaces across campus, you might focus on the campus Library.

The result of reframing is a rewritten How Might We statement that identifies a pain point that is ripe for innovation.

Activities

  • Reframe Your HMW

    Review your original HMW. Review the results of your Synthesis work.

    Have each team member compose a reframed HMW based on their most important insights. Using the below format. Share the HMW’s with the team.

    Given that __________________________ (insight, need, pain, emotional state),

    how might we help _____________________ (persona, target audience, user),

    do/be/feel/achieve _____________________ (immediate goal, job to be done),

    so they can ________________________ (deeper, broader emotional goal).

    As a group, compose a final Team “How Might We” (HMW) statement based on those contributed by team members.

    Compare this HMW statement to your original Design Statement. Make sure that your new statement has stayed true to your original (satisfying your original success factors), with perhaps more nuance and detail. If you’ve wandered astray make some edits to bring your HMW statement back in line.

    Record your reframed HMW on your Miro board or elsewhere.

  • Gallery Stroll

    Collect feedback on your Reframed HMW from other groups and stakeholders. Use the feedback to refine your HMW as needed.

    Be open to the fact that feedback may point to a major pivot in your direction.

    To “Pivot” is to radically change the direction of your work to better align with stakeholder needs.

    It’s worthwhile to return to previous stages of the Design Thinking process if you’ve gone astray. Adjustments are easier now than later.

Check your understanding of Reframing

  1. What is the result of reframing?

  2. What does it mean to “pivot”?