Page 63 - The Design Thinking Playbook

Mental castle
4. We are ready for random encounters: 5. We review the critical assumptions first:
What would we ask users in our target group if we met them by We should ask ourselves about which assumptions we know least in the air?
chance on the street now? In order to be prepared, we should serious- and which are most critical for our idea. It’s best we review these
ly consider what question would we use to approach somebody to tell assumptions first.
us about their everyday life. Priya, for example, ought to think about If these assumptions do not exist in everyday life, we have built our
where and when she can meet retirees during the week in their every- solution idea on a mental castle in the air. This is not so bad, because
day lives (e.g., shopping, on a trip, on the train, at the bus stop, etc.). the sooner we recognize it, the better it is for us. It saves a lot of
The good news for Priya is that she doesn’t have to take a single money, time, and energy. We can use the freed-up resources to hunt
day off to conduct a needfinding. She can simply integrate it into her for the next big market opportunity.
everyday life.
The review of the critical assumptions can be structured in the shape
What is needfinding really about? of four quadrants. Using the dimensions of “incidental” versus “deci-
sive” and “knowing” versus “ignorant” has served us well in the past.
We must leave our comfort zone and speak to people in order to get
a look at ideas from a new angle. We must be willing to learn new
things and stay curious, enriching our knowledge step by step.
REVIEW
decisive CRITICAL
ASSUMPTIONS
Can I help?

ignorant
knowing

incidental

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