Section 4b — Putting Problems to the Test: Building Your Case
From Evidence to Conclusion
After gathering evidence through interviews, surveys, observations, and research, it is time to evaluate what you found. The key question is: does the evidence support the idea that this is a real and significant problem?
Creating a Value Proposition
A value proposition is a clear statement of the benefit your solution would provide to the community. Even at this early stage, it is useful to articulate:
- Who you are creating value for (the community)
- What problem you are solving
- Why your approach would make a difference
Testing your value proposition with community members helps you see whether your solution concept resonates — or whether you need to refine your understanding of the problem first.
What If Your Evidence Does Not Support the Problem?
This is actually a valuable outcome. If your evidence shows that the problem is not as significant as you thought, you have two options:
- Refine the problem — maybe you had the right community but the wrong problem, or you need to look at a specific aspect of the issue more closely
- Choose a different problem — pivot to a different opportunity that your research reveals
This is why the Design Thinking process is iterative. Going back to the "perceive" stage is not failure — it is smart entrepreneurship.
You Are Ready for the Final Assignment
By now, you have learned:
- How to identify entrepreneurial opportunities
- How to choose a community and understand their needs
- Multiple methods for validating a problem
- How to think critically about evidence
In the Final Assignment for this module, you will apply all of these skills to validate the opportunity you identified in Assignment 1. Check out how Aisha, Jacob, and Jenny did it — then it is your turn!