The third stage in the Design Thinking process is Ideation. After identifying the target audience or users and clearly defining the problem, it was time to start seeking solutions. Generating fresh ideas can be difficult, particularly when dealing with complex issues like wicked problems. Creative impasses often require employing various brainstorming techniques.
In my quest to address a wicked problem within public education, I focused on the challenge faced by public school teachers who juggle multiple responsibilities while finding limited time to fulfill their primary role: teaching. To overcome this hurdle, I utilized a brainstorming technique called “Worst Idea.”
Using Ideaflip (image below), a web-based platform, I created sticky notes where I jotted down dreadful, counterproductive ideas to solve this wicked problem in education. The rationale behind this approach is that it’s relatively easy to come up with terrible ideas. Recording these bad ideas helped me overcome the mental block and gradually transform them into concepts with more substance.
One “worst idea” I expanded upon was a private company providing instructional designers for schools to help create meaningful content, with teachers purchasing a subscription service for additional collaboration on the platform. To refine the concept further, I created a storyboard based on the initial idea and designed a high-fidelity prototype. User testing with high school teachers provided invaluable feedback that contributed to the development of the final platform. The feasibility concerns of the teachers were very different from the business people who heard the pitch. The high school teachers were on board with the idea, while the pitch reviewers thought additional streams of income would be needed to support it.
This idea eventually evolved into a business model canvas and then in March of 2023 I pitched this idea to an innovation fund. My business venture had evolved into SchoolEase, a free online database for all K-12 teachers in the US. Supported by ads, the platform enables teachers to upload any curriculum, lessons, or activities and provide feedback on their peers’ lessons, fostering collaboration across the country and continuous instructional improvement.
SchoolEase BMC and Innovation Fund Application linked below
Links
SchoolEase Business Model Canvas
SchoolEase Innovation Fund Application for Feasibility and Desirability