Entrepreneurship · Week 2 of 18

Design Thinking I:
Empathize & Define

How do you find a real problem — not just a guess? Today you learn to listen like a researcher.

NKUHT · International Tourism Management Program · 2-hour session

Today's plan

One session, two halves

0:00–0:10

Welcome back. Quick recap of Week 1.

0:10–0:30

What is Design Thinking? Empathize vs. Define.

0:30–1:00

How to ask a good question. The 5 Whys. Writing a POV.

1:00–1:50

Activity: Campus Observation Safari (go out and interview).

1:50–2:00

Return. Share findings. Quick learning check.

Quick recap

Last week → This week

WEEK 1

You learned that value means helping someone else — not just trading objects around.

WEEK 2

Before you can create value, you need to find a real problem. Today, you learn how to find one — by listening, not guessing.

Key framework

What is Design Thinking?

A 5-step way to solve problems that starts with people, not ideas.

1 · Empathize

Listen and observe. Today.

2 · Define

State the real problem. Today.

3 · Ideate

Generate ideas. Next week.

4 · Prototype

Build something rough. Later.

5 · Test

Check with real people. Later.

Empathize

Observe. Don't assume.

ASSUMPTION

"I think students are annoyed by long lines at the campus festival." — This is a guess. It might be wrong.

OBSERVATION

"Three students told me they left the festival early because the line for food took 40 minutes." — This is evidence.

Interview skill #1

Ask open questions. Don't leak the answer.

CLOSED (weak)

"Do you like the food line?" — Only gets yes/no.

OPEN (better)

"Tell me about the last time you got food at a campus event." — Gets a real story.

LEADING (avoid)

"Wouldn't an app make this faster?" — This puts your solution in their mouth.

Interview skill #2

The 5 Whys

When someone gives you an answer, ask "why" again. And again. The real problem is usually not the first answer.

  1. 01 "I left the festival early." Why?
  2. 02 "The food line was too long." Why did that matter?
  3. 03 "I had a class in 20 minutes." Why is that a problem?
  4. 04 "I never know how long the line will be before I go." ← getting closer to the real problem
From notes to insight

Writing a POV Statement

[User] needs [need] because [insight].

EXAMPLE

"A busy commuter student needs to know how long the food line is before arriving, because they only have short breaks between classes."

CHECK

Is "need" actually a solution in disguise? "Needs an app" is a solution. "Needs to know wait time in advance" is a need.

Hour 2 · Activity

Campus Observation Safari

Goal: interview 2–3 people about a real campus or hospitality experience. Find one specific, evidence-based problem.

  1. 01 Form groups of 3–4 students.
  2. 02 Pick a topic area (campus events, food services, transportation, etc.).
  3. 03 Interview 2–3 people using open questions. Take notes on their words, not your interpretation.
  4. 04 Use the 5 Whys on at least one answer.
  5. 05 Return in 40 minutes with your notes and a draft POV statement.
Activity timer

Interview time

40:00

Tip: give a 10-minute warning before time is up.

Debrief · Ask the whole class

Talk about what you heard

1. What's one thing someone said that surprised you?

2. Read your POV statement out loud. Is the "need" really a need — or is it a solution in disguise?

3. What evidence from your interview backs up your POV statement?

4. Did you ask any leading questions by accident? What would you change?

Quick learning check

Before we go — 3 short questions

1. Which question is the strongest open question?

2. The 5 Whys technique is used to...

3. "Needs an app" is a weak POV statement because...

See you next week

Week 3 — Generating ideas

Next week: Crazy Eights. You'll sketch 8 different ideas in 8 minutes to solve the problem you found today.

Bring: your POV statement from today's activity.