SCOPING

- It is about defining the right challenge and addressing the real problem of the customer,
without anticipating the solution
- The goal is also to get a common understanding of the challenge/ problem, together with the
client and among the Design Thinking team. And to explore different perspectives in the team

Design Challenge
- It is the starting point of every design process

What rules do you apply when defining a design challenge?

1. The design challenge sets the scope for a Design Thinking project
2. The design challenge should have the right balance between open and closed phrasing
3. The design challenge needs to be aligned and defined together with the client

Defining the challenge is a very important step.

The phrasing of the challenge significantly determines the potential solution space.

Finding the right balance between too open and too close phrasing is key.

It is crucial to ensure a common understanding of the challenge within the design team and with all
stakeholders. Never consider this as a given!

Techniques being used in SCOPING

1. Reframing
o This technique is a good way to ensure a common understanding of a challenge within a
design team
o Iteratively rephrasing and questioning the challenge, or parts of it, might lead to
completely new solution spaces than initially in scope

Sometimes, the design team does not have a common understanding of the topic.
Sometimes, there is also a misunderstanding between the design team and stakeholders.
In those cases, it makes sense to do a reframing exercise on the challenge and rephrase it.

1.1. Reframing Technique: Brainstorming Key Expressions

o An exercise or group dynamics ensure that everyone contributes by providing inputs
where there would be a wall of data, which reflects collective mind and outcome
regarding the design challenge.
 1.2. Reframing Technique: Charretting
o Allows the design thinking team to collaborate, and evaluate potential areas of interest
for a given, and often unclear, project scope.
o It can also be used to discuss with project sponsors, when the scope is fuzzy or unclear.
o The word charrette may also refer to any collaborative session in which a group of
designers draft a solution to a design problem.
During CHARRETTING, the team will BRAINSTORM the following:
o Most Relevant / users
o Potential insights/issues
o Potential solutions

2. Brain dump (Silent Brain Dump)

o Takes 5 minutes to silent brain dump on the topic
o Brains are like magnets. It is important not to share any thoughts at this point in time, so
as not to affect the thoughts of other participants. This would limit the solution space
for this exercise.

It works because of group dynamics. Nobody wants to be the only one without a post-it

Grouping helps to structure data and to identify common topics

Everybody has different thoughts while considering the challenge