Idea Building Discussion (IBD) #2

This week’s IBD focuses on the aspects of design-thinking and their role for entrepreneurs. After reading previous week’s content (Chapter 4) on the topic of design-thinking, you are required to think about conducting a needs assessment to identify what people in your community need (please note that this is a hypothetical assessment – you are not required to actually go out and collect data). You can start by identifying key demographics and choosing one group. For example, you may choose “parents of school-age children”, “dog owners”, “people in certain age groups” (e.g., senior citizens), “people for whom English is a second language”, etc. Then, answer the below mentioned questions.

Note that for each of the four questions, your response must be detailed and supported by evidence/links/citations:

  1. Where can you find local statistics on the people you are interested in? In other words, which authorities/sources possess the data that you need?
  2. What type of data do you wish to collect, and why? How will that data help you identify problems?
  3. How will you assess the needs of your chosen group/market/customer-segment? What measures will you take to ensure that the information you collect is reliable?
  4. What seem to be the current needs of this group/market/customer-segment based on the information available publicly (i.e., internet search, articles, news media outlets)? Please provide clear examples backed by evidence/statistics/citations.

Next, develop an empathy based interview protocol to capture the experience and needs of a potential customer (please use Chapter 4 notes to understand what an “empathy map” is and what is meant by “interview protocols”). In other words, if you were interviewing a potential customer about a product/service idea that you may have, what questions would you ask and why? Please make sure to develop an introductory script and a set of questions that would help you design an empathy map.

Your responses will be graded based on the following criteria:

  • The amount of information provided and the quality of the content.
  • The accuracy and relevance of the content.
  • Supplementary evidence (links, statistics, citations) and supporting examples.
  • Clarity of explanation and logical reasoning.
  • Quality of language, articulation of thoughts, and correctness of grammar, format, etc.

Know that in order to earn a full score on this assignment, your response must go “above and beyond” the basic requirements. A student displaying “minimal” effort by providing a “bare minimum” response to a question cannot expect to receive full points on it.