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I want to
clarify my priorities
by focusing
on key critical
issues
}
PROBLEM DEFINITION LEVEL OF INVOLVEMENT

INSPIRED BY
Julier J., Kimbell L. (2012) Problem Definition. p30. In: The Social Design Methods Menu.

PRACTICAL TOOLS TO TRIGGER & SUPPORT SOCIAL INNOVATION Development Impact & You
FAIRLY SIMPLE, SELF ADMINISTERED TOOL
needs relatively less time

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PRACTICAL TOOLS TO TRIGGER & SUPPORT SOCIAL INNOVATION Development Impact & You
PRACTICAL TOOLS TO TRIGGER & SUPPORT SOCIAL INNOVATION Development Impact & You
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PROBLEM DEFINITION

What is it & ? HOW TO USE IT

why should Go through the Problem Definition worksheet individually or in
small teams and reflect on a specific issue you have identified,
Working on a Problem Definition worksheet with not only your
team members, but together with other stakeholders will usually

I do it?
exchanging thoughts while writing down your notes. The key aim bring up new contexts. For instance, working with service users,
here is to capture, compare and discuss different viewpoints on staff or volunteers may provide a slightly different angle to the
the problem. You can then review the notes and discuss with tool than when working with managers or entrepreneurs. Feel
your team members whether you are making the same assump- free to experiment and rephrase questions in the worksheet to
tions, and whether you are framing things in the same way. keep them relevant in such situations.
This exercise may lead you to ‘reframe’ the problem you ini-
Defining a problem is a deceptively simple task - what at first tially addressed – for example, what happens if you see older
seems to be the problem is often merely a symptom of a deeper people as having capacities, rather than needs? Reframing
problem. This tool works to both open a problem up - present- problems in such a way can offer clues to how the solution can
ing it in a way that can be examined from a number of angles - as take shape.

well as helping to define the wider context and associated issues

involved.

This is particularly effective when trying to focus a team of people What is the Who is it a What social/ What Can you
on the key problems at hand. This tool has been designed to struc- key issue problem for? cultural evidence do think of
ture the analysis of a particular problem in a way that makes good you are factors you have this problem
use of your time. It introduces a small set of key criteria by which trying to shape this that this is in a different
an issue can be articulated and assessed, which makes the activity address and problem? worth the way? Can
highly efficient. It also gives
O TRIGGER & SUPPORT SOCIAL INNOVATION
you a standardised way to compare
Development Impact & You
why is it investment? you reframe
several different problems which might seem to be very different
important? it?
on the surface.

Development Impact & You PRACTICAL TOOLS TO TRIGGER & SUPPORT SOCIAL INNOVATION

O TRIGGER & SUPPORT SOCIAL INNOVATION Development Impact & You

Development Impact & You PRACTICAL TOOLS TO TRIGGER & SUPPORT SOCIAL INNOVATION
 08
I want to clarify my priorities
by focusing on key critical issues PROBLEM DEFINITION

What is the key issue you are Who is it a problem for? What social/cultural What evidence do you have Can you think of
trying to address and why is factors shape this problem? that this is worth the invest-
it important? ment? way? Can you reframe it?

PRACTICAL TOOLS TO TRIGGER & SUPPORT SOCIAL INNOVATION Development Impact & You

Development Impact & You PRACTICAL TOOLS TO TRIGGER & SUPPORT SOCIAL INN