Homework – Finding an idea and exploring the problem

Create a FigJam board from an idea of your own: a digital product, service, nonprofit, or educational software connected to your hobby or professional interest. The goal is not yet a finished solution but a first mapping of a clear, real problem situation. This board will be the starting point of your semester project; the following homework assignments build on it.

Deliverables

• a shareable FigJam link;
• on the board, using sticky notes, arrows, and sections: what the specific problem is, who it affects, in what situation it occurs, what the user's goal is, what the organization's goal is, and what the most important constraint is;
• a one-sentence formulation of the problem in the framework learned in the lesson (user, situation, goal, obstacle, consequence);
• at least one verifiable success criterion;
• an assumption map: next to your most important claims, mark where they come from (observation, brief, professional rule, assumption), and which one is the riskiest;
• a short, visual first pitch of the essence of the idea.

Evaluation criteria

• The problem is an observable situation and task, not a general topic and not a solution idea.
• The user goal and the organizational goal appear separately.
• The success criterion describes behavior or understanding, not taste.
• The board is honest, short, and clear; it does not need to be a persuasive sales document.

Tip

If you cannot choose a problem, think of one thing that annoyed you this week in a digital service (buying tickets, booking an appointment, administration, studying). The first idea is not final: research may still change it.