Design Thinking Process: e3  

Discovery Phase-Checklist
Parts 1, 2, 3
Due:

Work with your design thinking team to take notes about each part of the Design Thinking
Process that you complete together. After you feel that you have fully explored each step of
the three parts listed, change the checkbox to a check mark. Return to and revise each part as
needed.

Prepare for Research – Discovery Part 1

❏ Identify/define the topic

The topic is the increase of stray animals in San Diego (Mainly Downtown) and how we can solve it.

❏ Identify/define the audience (end users) -- Who will benefit from solving our problem
statement? These are the end users:

Pet owners, people of San Diego, and Animal shelters

❏ Share what you think you know about each end user (needs, challenges, background, etc.):

They have pets, they have experienced or saw stray animals,

❏ Identify what you don’t know:

How many pets they own, have any of them every lost any pets

❏ Make a plan for your research: How will we complete our research over the course of the
next two weeks?:
We will look up animal centers and call them. Asking questions such as the amount of strays they
receive and what type of animal it is. Also making a survey to pet owners with questions on if they
ever lost a pet.

❏ Revisit: Identify the end users, experts and other sources of information:

Pet owners, residents of downtown, Animal caretakers, animal control.

❏ Users (sometimes called the audience) - who can we contact and how?:

Pet owners through surveys, and neighbors

❏ Build questions to ask the end users (think of as MANY relevant questions to ask as
possible):

Has this problem affected you?

What do you think is a good solution?
Do you think this is an important problem?
Where do you see the most strays?
Would you take in strays?
How many would you take in?

❏ Build questions to ask the experts:

What type of stray is the most prevalent?

Why is it the most common?
Where do you find the most strays?
How full is your facility?
What can people do to prevent this?

❏ Make a plan for conducting the fieldwork:

We will call them and ask if we can interview them at their facility (or email).

❏ Set the schedule for your work on the discovery phase:

On Dt day
 ❏ Determine who will do what by when:

We will have everything done by Dt day

❏ What do you plan to report back?:

Our findings such as statistics and methods in an interview.

❏ When do you plan to report back?:

During the next DT class

❏ Did you dig deep enough?:

Yes we did

Conduct the Research (Gathering Inspiration) – Discovery Phase Part 2

 ❏ Immerse yourself in context

❏ Learn from groups

❏ Learn from experts

❏ Learn from peers observing peers

❏ Learn from people’s self documentation

❏ Seek inspiration in new places

❏ KEEP AN OPEN MIND!!

Research Findings:

We found out how many animals they take in, the places most affected by strays, methods we can
use to stop strays, such as being a better owner. The days they are most lost. 3rd party methods
we can use to help animals.
Define the mission for the design thinking process - Discovery Phase Part 3

❏ Identify/define the challenge - Restate your problem statement:

Finding places to ask questions, how we will create a solution.

Checklist Evaluation Rubric
Exemplary Evidence Good evidence Some evidence Little or no evidence
✔ x
✖ ⁄