Homework Assignment: Design Thinking for Small Business Opportunity

Objective: To apply design thinking principles to identify and develop a small business opportunity.

Instructions:

Part $1$: Identify a Small Business Opportunity $(5$ points$)$

Using your current business opportunity from previous homework assignments

Identify a specific problem or challenge within that industry that presents a potential business opportunity.

Conduct initial research to understand the problem, its scope, and its impact on stakeholders.

Create a problem statement that clearly defines the challenge you've chosen.

Part $2$: Empathize and Define $(5$ points$)$

$5.$ Conduct interviews or surveys with potential customers or stakeholders affected by the problem. $($We will use some classtime for this for you to speak with other students$)$

Document their experiences, pain points, and needs related to the problem.

Create empathy maps or user personas to visualize your findings.

Refine your problem statement based on the insights gained through empathy$-$building activities.

Part $3$: Ideate and Prototype $(5$ points$)$

$9.$ Brainstorm creative solutions to address the problem. Generate as many ideas as possible, without judgment.

Select one or more promising ideas and create rough sketches, diagrams, or descriptions of how your solutions would work. If you don't feel comfortable drawing or prototyping something out $-$ you can feel free to just write about how the business concept would work.

Develop a low$-$fidelity prototype $($e$.$g$.,$ a mock$-$up$,$ wireframe, or storyboard$)$ of your chosen solution.

Part $4$: Test and Iterate $(5$ points$)$

$12.$ Share your prototype with potential users, stakeholders, or classmates $($You will provide the feedback from the discussion board here$)$

Gather feedback on the feasibility, usability, and desirability of your solution.

Make necessary improvements and iterations based on the feedback received.

Test the refined prototype again to ensure it effectively addresses the problem.

Discussion Questions: $(5$ points$)$

What were the key insights gained from the empathy$-$building activities?