Once you have a general project idea, the next step is answering the question: What problem is my innovation trying to solve?

Think about real-life challenges you see at school, in your community, or in the world. It could be something big, like reducing plastic waste, or something on a more personal level, like making it easier to keep your fish tank clean. The problem should be clear and meaningful to you.

Once you know the problem you want to solve, set some design goals. These are the targets that tell you whether your innovation is working. They act like a checklist – if your innovation meets those goals, you’ll know you’ve successfully solved the problem!

For Example:

Problem: Bikes aren’t always visible to cars at night, leading to accidents. Current bike lights can be expensive, don’t shine brightly enough and need to be charged often.

Design goals:

• Create a lighting system that can be seen from further away than other products available.
• Must be waterproof and attach securely to the most common styles of bike frame.
• Should run for at least 25% longer than other products on a single charge (or maybe not even need charging).

Here are some questions for you to think about to help you figure out your innovation problem and design goals:

• What specific problem are you trying to solve?
• What is the biggest obstacle to solving this problem?
• What products or processes currently exist that try to fix this problem?
  • What do they do well? What are they missing?
• Is there a cheaper way to solve this problem?
• Is there a way to solve this problem with stronger, cheaper, and/or more sustainable materials?
• What would a perfect solution to this problem look like?

Write your answers to these questions in your logbook. Make updates once you start your project, do some research, and mess around to see what works, and what doesn’t!

Remember:

Pick a problem that interests you – something you want to fix! The more it matters to you, the more fun you’ll have doing your project and the better it will be.

Here are some other example problems and design goals:

1. Problem: Students can struggle to stay focused while doing homework on the computer because of distractions.

      Design goals:

• Create a program or app that blocks distractions (like games or social media) during set homework times.
• Must be easy for students to turn on/off or schedule.
• Should run on common devices (laptop, tablet, or phone).
• Should offer features that make it unique compared to other similar products on the market.

2. Problem: People in some areas don’t know if their drinking water is safe.

      Design goals:

• Design a simple, affordable device that changes colour or gives a signal when harmful contaminants are present.
• Must be small and easy to use without special training.
• Should provide results faster and/or at a lower cost than other methods or products on the market.

3. Problem: People with asthma sometimes forget to carry or use their inhaler.

      Design goals:

• Develop a reminder system or smart attachment for an inhaler that tracks use and sends alerts.
• Must be portable, safe, and not interfere with the inhaler’s function.
• Data should be shared safely to a patient portal and their healthcare provider to help with monitoring.