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<h2 class="hd hd-2 unit-title">Step 3: Thinking About Needs (Focus)</h2>
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<h3 style="background-color: #2c2256; font-size: 20px; color: #2c2256; height: 35px; text-indent: 10px; padding-top: 10px; border-radius: 3px;"><strong><span style="color: #ffffff;">Goal</span></strong></h3>
<p>Craft a problem statement that reflects user(s) needs.</p>
<h3 style="background-color: #2c2256; font-size: 20px; color: #2c2256; height: 35px; text-indent: 10px; padding-top: 10px; border-radius: 3px;"><strong><span style="color: #ffffff;">Instructions</span></strong></h3>
<p>A <strong>need</strong> is a specific and meaningful functional, or emotional goal of your stakeholders. Different stakeholders have different goals, tasks, and pain points within a broader challenge. Trying to understand and articulate these deeper needs is a key step in developing an effective solution. User needs can become a lens through which you can frame a problem. </p>
<p>To find user needs, start by interpreting the data you gathered in your research phase. What does your user value? What do they think and believe? What might they be feeling that motivates certain behaviors or decisions?</p>
<p><span style="color: #333399;"><strong>Example:</strong> </span>Talking with students revealed they felt they had no role in parent-teacher conferences. Also, both the students and a few parents believed the conferences were just about addressing student problems, not the student as a whole. </p>
<p><strong>Now take a few minutes (less than 10 minutes) to translate your observations into two or three needs statements, at least one per stakeholder.</strong> Use <em>verbs</em> to frame your needs statement instead of <em>nouns</em>, so that you are not prematurely thinking about solutions. </p>
<p><strong>One way to craft a needs statement is to use this template:</strong></p>
<p><strong></strong>User/stakeholder needs to _______________ because/so that/in order to _______________ (insight).</p>
<p><span style="color: #333399;"><strong>Example:</strong></span> Annual surveys reveal that both parents and teachers think that current parent-teacher conferences are ineffective. After conducting research, we realize that certain needs of students and parents are not being met: </p>
<ul>
<li>Parents need to receive information in a timely manner so that they feel informed about what is happening in the classroom to take action and prevent or mitigate larger issues.</li>
<li>Students need to play a role in the conference so that they feel involved and invested.</li>
</ul>
<p>When you read the needs you generated, are there common needs among your stakeholders? What needs are urgent and significant pain points? Choose one of those needs to focus on. </p>
<p><strong>Reframe this need into a "How might we..." statement. This will serve as your problem (or you might think of it as an opportunity) that you'll bring into the "Imagine" stage. </strong></p>
<p><span style="color: #333399;"><strong>Example:</strong> </span>How might we include students in parent-teacher conferences so they feel involved and useful in the process?</p>
<p style="font-size: 16px;">If you need more guidance, check out the Focus section of the <a href="/assets/courseware/v1/3f93694b684fe7e73e3fc9fbd74184a6/asset-v1:MITx+11.155x+1T2019+type@asset+block/Design_Process_Tips_2018.pdf" target="_blank">Design Process Tips</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Optional: </strong>Share your problem statement or other parts of your Focus process in the forums using the link below. Consider replying to others to foster discussion. If there is something specific you'd like to engage with others on, make it the subject of your post. </p>
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