problem statementkelly ludwig, assistant professor kcai graphic design department

problem statement

1. Examine

2. Understand (research, strategy, gather information, interpret information, feedback)

3. Ideate

4. Experiment

5. Distill

design process

A visual-verbal presentation of your problem-finding will be due.

Include as much relevant imagery as possible and relevant.

You are visual people, so make your presentation reflect that.

Each student, or student group, will have 5 minutes to present, and will have up to ten minutes for feedback

your presentation

your presentation

A visual-verbal presentation of your problem-finding. • Include as much relevant imagery as possible and

relevant. • You are visual people, so make your presentation reflect

that. • Each student, or student group, will have 5 minutes to

present, and will have up to ten minutes for feedback

your presentation

This presentation is an important part of the design process and should be treated as such.

Speak as if you are talking to strangers with no prior knowledge of your topic. That way there are no assumptions and you cover all the basics of the issue.

It should take the viewer through the entire thought and research process in a clear and concise way.

deliverables

Problem statement or question

• This is a concise statement of the issue you have researched and determined to be a problem.

• It may be phrased as a statement of fact -- “too many teens are being bullied in the classroom”

• It may be phrased as a question to explore through your creative process -- “how can creative problem solving help eliminate bullying in the classroom?”

• Either approach is acceptable.

audience definition and characteristics

• Include basic demographic info such as age range, ethnicity, etc, as is relevant to your issue.

• More importantly, include qualitative information that explains the “whys” and “hows” behind your issue. Ideally this is gleaned from your initial interviews and audience observations.

audience definition and characteristics

• Explain their relationship to the problem, mentioning where they fall on the receptivity gradient as well as specific input you have received from your audience contacts. 

• A few examples:

• the audience is apathetic (not ready to know) to the issue and distracted by xyz

• the audience is interested (ready to know) in the issue but does not have the time to get involved.

what social behavior do you want to change?

• Be as specific as possible here, framing it in terms of behavior and not in graphic design artifacts.

• Example: “I want to eliminate bullying in the classroom by making potential bullies realize the emotional damage they inflict on others.”

How will you measure that change?

• List any ideas you have for how to evaluate the effectiveness of your creative work. How will we be able to tell your project did what you intended? Again, be as specific as possible.

• Example: “At Westport High School 9th grade classes, the number of bullying incidents will decrease, as opposed to the increases from previous years.”