Page 62 - The Design Thinking Playbook

2. We formulate the need assumptions of our idea: 3. We identify the critical assumptions:
As we know, needs are the actual motivations of people. They emerge First of all, it is important for us to take a few minutes to reflect upon
from the desire to make something possible that does not exist (in our assumptions of needs.
our example: staying healthy) or to get rid of something not wanted
(e.g., losing weight). In design thinking, we often define these needs What will we recognize in this phase of reflection? Perhaps we
as verbs. Needs refer to WHAT the user wants to achieve—we recognize we’ve dealt with the basic needs of our potential innova-
consciously put aside solution-oriented thinking, which is focused on tion—often, a wonderful crop of assumptions on which we have built
the HOW. our solution! Now these needs must be reviewed and adapted, if
necessary.
To identify need assumptions, we first ask the following questions:
With this exercise, we are confronted with the basis of our ideas
• What does the user want to achieve by applying our idea? without having heard or seen whether a potential user actually has a
• What motivates the user to use our idea? need for such an innovation in his everyday life.
• What prevents the user from using our idea?
Maybe we have found a couple of colleagues from among our friends
Possible answers include: who think our solution is good. Now it would be exciting for us to
find out whether the parents and grandparents of our friends really
1. Couch potatoes want to exercise (need) in order to prevent have these problems in everyday life. With this step, we have gotten
chronic diseases (need). very close to our user. At the same time, we must be aware that we
2. Retirees don’t have the necessary daily structure (trigger) to are still dealing with assumptions. We have not yet heard or seen
exercise on a regular basis (need). whether these needs actually exist out there in real life.
3. Senior citizens want to feel healthy (need) so they can go on
excursions with their grandchildren. We’ll have no choice but to review these needs—this time, not with
4. Senior citizens feel uncomfortable (emotional state/blocker) our work colleagues! We must observe and interview people who are
when they exercise at the fitness center together with young not close to us and who won’t react positively to our ideas because
people. they like us or don’t want to dampen our enthusiasm.

Write each of these assumptions on a separate Post-it.
Then you can place the Post-its on a grid in step 5.

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