Definition
Defining Definition
Define Definition
Big Questions
Methods and Techniques for Definition
Introduction to Methods and Techniques for Definition
Convergent and Divergent Thinking
Conjunction Junction 👤
Defining Audience: Empathy and Behavior
Problem Definition 👥
Process Book 🖊
Define the Problem and its Parameters
- Identify Key Issues
- Redefine the problem
- Bridge between the way things are and the way you want things to be
- Conceptualize ideas and specify parameters
- Translate negatives into objectives
- Name key tasks and persona related to the problem
- Make meaning from the facts you gathered
Problem Finding
- Defining the problem determines the nature of solution
- Clarify the problem
- Distill information to extract meaning
- Translate discoveries into meaning and direction
Distinguishing Actions
- Begin each statement with "IN what ways might I..."
- Play freely with the problem statement
- Develop a problem statement for the real problem
- Define your audience; consider who is directly involved / impacted by the problem
- Once problem definition is decided, setup measurable objectives to meet the goal
Paraphrased Connections
Find other ways to describe the same thing
Selection of terminology is important
Relate new subjects to what you already know
Find connections to what is important
Priorities
Define a criteria for listing and ranking properties
apply the bulk of your energy to high priority terms
start with a random list of everything
review and organize list by gathering related components
examine each group individually
derive a statement of primary focus based on the group with the highest priority
Talk it Out / Write it Out
Derive knowledge by translating thoughts and feelings into written words
Get your thoughts onto paper
use sketches to convey visual ideas
make basic diagrams to communicate actions and events
Key Words
Highlight the key content discovered in your analysis
Underscoring, circling, bracketing
strip highlighted elements out and put them in a list
rewrite highlighted content on a new sheet, attempting to abstract their essential meaning
summarize a paragraph in a single sentence
Synectics
Embrace the seemingly irrelevent
understand the emotional and irrational elements of a problem
springboarding: applying metaphorical processes to your brainstorming activity
direct analogy: how any two things are related to one another
personal analogy: empathize with situation conditions
allow a subject to have life; thinking of things as autonomous living agents
Recipes and Formulae
Don't reinvent the wheel
seek definitions that have already been estabished
research previous research
use a variety of reference material; libraries, databases, internet
Problems within Problems
Problems beget problems; discover what is their core
define the issues that lay nested inside other issues
find the principal problem within the larger problem
work inside-out to see how changes in individual components effect the greater system
Boil it Down
Identify relationships between all major components
essence-finding
seek to identify relative importances of relationships in order to determine
prioritize components and relationships
Mission Objectives
Clearly define your objectives
make sure your objectives are measurable
how will you know when an objective has been completed?
clearly laid out objectives allow you to make incremental steps in accomplishments
Crossroads
If you encounter a fork in the road, look at it as a positive opportunity for discovery
review contradictory information
work through ambivalence
explore different avenues
view it positively as an additional opportunity
Divergent
Convergent
when we are looking to expand the realm of possibilities for the current phase and open up our mind to as many ideas and concepts as possible
we begin to take the best elements we have discovered in our divergent process and distill and synthesize them down into core ideas, concepts, beliefs, and values
Understanding the audience
Empathy
age
gender
ethnicity
income bracket
location
ability to mentally project ourselves inside someone else's body and try and understand the situation
Persona Generation