phase 2

problem exploration

With the problem defined, we can explore opportunities and solution spaces. This phase starts with generating ideas and ends with prioritizing and evaluating all the great ideas. 

We will discuss gaining stakeholder alignment with the HMWs, What-Ifs, and Prompts in the Workshop Preparation section.

Outputs + Deliverables:

  • HMWs, + What-Ifs, Prompts

  • Dot Voting

  • Prioritization Mapping

How-Might-We’s + What-If’s:

HMWs (How Might We): These are questions framed to inspire creative thinking when tackling a problem. They usually start with "How might we..." and are deliberately open-ended. For example, "How might we improve customer satisfaction?"

HMWs encourage brainstorming and divergent thinking. They invite different perspectives and solutions, fostering innovation in problem-solving.

What-Ifs: You explore scenarios or hypothetical situations to understand potential outcomes or consequences. It's like playing out different scenarios in your mind.

What-Ifs help you anticipate and plan for various outcomes, reducing risks and increasing preparedness. They're like a mental rehearsal for decision-making.

HMWs and What-Ifs are tools to shift your mindset from a fixed perspective to a more open and adaptable one, which is super important in problem-solving. So, don't hesitate to throw some HMWs and What-Ifs into the mix when tackling a complex issue to spice up your problem-solving stew! 🍲😄

Dot Voting: This is a simple activity used for democratic voting across the participants. I typically use drafting dots in person, giving each participant 2 to 5 votes for each exploration question. The intention here is to organize all the ideas into a meaningful order for review, in this case, based on the success criteria of the solution. 

After dot voting comes the mapping. The most common map I’ve seen is the impact vs. effort matrix that places all ideas on the map based on how impactful they would be to the user and how much effort it could take to implement the solution with your given resources and technology.