Meeting 5: (R,D)efine Projects

The goal of this meeting was to explore criteria for defining a good project question that students will pursue as individuals or in groups.

Since turning a problem in need of a solution into an opportunity for design can be tricky, we explored how to frame your project. For example, when a question is too broad, you won’t know where to start. But, ask too narrow a question and you risk stifling creativity.

So as we scope each project, we framed our "How Might We...?" questions with some key factors in mind.

A. Is the question focused on ultimate impact?
B. Does the question allow for a variety of solutions?
C. Does the question take into account context and constraints?

Refer to the class notes for an example of a problem with well-posed, too broad, and too narrow "HWM...?" questions.

We continued to explore scenarios that could be related to a contemporary issue brought forward with a well-posed question, using "What if...?" questions to explore how these might be considered as potential solutions.

For context, recall the"Future of Food" example, summarized below.

Contemporary Issue: Sustainable Food Production

Project Question: How might we solve food shortage and food diversity problems in a sustainable manner?

What if...urban agriculture was the norm?
What if...aquaponics technology scaled?
What if...we could grow meat instead of harvesting it from animals?

Your next task was to follow up on the Meeting 5 activities by drafting a project proposal for feedback (see posted homework on the course platform).

Image credit: Emily Morter via Unsplash