EG2201 - 3

4. Shaping Solution - Always be Problem-Driving

This section diverts a bit from problem reframing, but I believe it's crucial to reflect on our approach to generating unique and creative solutions. We employed a Creative Matrix and a Prioritization Matrix to determine the solution we would implement. Subsequently, we created prototypes and continuously refined them until we developed a minimum viable product.

Creative Matrix:

The Creative Matrix is an excellent tool for brainstorming new ideas to tackle our predefined problems. We set up a matrix with our "How Might We" statements as the column headers and "POEMS"—an acronym for People, Object, Environment, Media, and Service—as the row titles. We brainstormed over 50 solutions for each "How Might We" question and categorized these ideas under POEMS. We then voted on these solutions based on specific criteria decided by the group. From this process, we selected 12 ideas to prioritize in the subsequent phase.

 Prioritization Matrix:

For these 12 selected ideas, we used a Prioritization Matrix to rank them based on two scales represented on the y and x axes. The y-axis measured the amount of resources required (time, money, etc.), and the x-axis was another parameter defined by our group. It was important for us to remain as objective as possible and define the axes precisely, which required considerable time and effort. We categorized the results into four quadrants: "Luxury," "Low Hanging Fruit," "Strategic," and "Should Do." We focused on the "Strategic" and "Should Do" quadrants to develop concepts for our solution, which we then prototyped and tested.

 These frameworks not only guided our creative process but also ensured that our solutions were practical and aligned with our objectives, enhancing our ability to develop a viable product efficiently.