How to Plan a Miyawaki Mini-Forest Plan before you plant. If your early research and community conversations find that a Miyawaki mini-forest may fit your community, the next step is to plan together. You and your core team now need to turn a promising idea into a workable plan. First, clarify what the forest should… Continue reading Before You Plant:
Category: Design Thinking
Is a Miyawaki Mini-Forest Right for Your Community?
Attleboro Pocket Forest Series Perhaps you’ve been hearing about Miyawaki forests and wondering whether one might be good for your community. This post will help you decide and begin to plan. Rather than starting with a solution and trying to persuade others to support it, you can use a design-thinking process to learn first, involve… Continue reading Is a Miyawaki Mini-Forest Right for Your Community?
Point of View Statement:
Translating Needs into Design Requirements By now, your team has framed the problem, explored possibilities with How Might We questions, and written a needs statement. So what comes next? The next step is one small but important refinement. A point-of-view statement takes what you already know about your community partner and their need and adds… Continue reading Point of View Statement:
From Problem to Need:
The Define Phase Step by Step The Define phase can feel like a big leap. Once you have empathy data, how are you supposed to turn it into a clear direction for action? Where do you start? Don’t leap. Instead, take small, connected steps. Each one builds on the last, and each one narrows your… Continue reading From Problem to Need:
Needs Statement:
What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Write One You’ve done the listening. You’ve organized what you learned. You’ve written a stronger problem statement. You’ve opened that problem into several How Might We questions. Now you choose one direction and ask, “What does our community partner actually need in order to make progress… Continue reading Needs Statement:
From Problem to Possibility:
Using How Might We Questions Your team has done the listening. You have organized what you learned from your empathy research. You have reframed that learning into a stronger problem statement. Now everyone looks around, and someone asks, “Okay, so what do we do with this?” This is the moment for How Might We questions.… Continue reading From Problem to Possibility:
Reframing the Problem:
From Insight to Clarity “What’s the problem?” Your team looks up at you expectantly. Maya has just voiced the question that’s on everybody’s mind. People on the team begin throwing out ideas rapid fire. “Wait!” you find yourself saying. “Let’s step back and reframe the problem before we define it.” Good move. But does your… Continue reading Reframing the Problem:
From Notes to Insight:
Organizing What You’ve Learned “What next?” I wondered as I sat at my desk looking at stacks of papers. I was working on a big design project for…let’s call them ABC. I’d interviewed people, observed their routines, and asked probing questions. Now I was sitting amidst a pile of material: my notes, photos, diagrams, and… Continue reading From Notes to Insight:
From Research to Real Understanding
How Problem Statements Get Better Let’s say you’ve done your desk scan. You’ve learned what programs exist, who the key players are, and where the gaps might be. You’re ready to dive into fieldwork and start talking to people. Right? Here’s where some founders skip ahead too quickly. They gather great insights from interviews and… Continue reading From Research to Real Understanding
Journey Mapping: A Practical How-To for Uncovering Opportunity
A Simple Six-Step Process for Finding Leverage Points in Complex Social Systems Social entrepreneurs are often very good at seeing problems. Describing inequities, inefficiencies, and unmet needs with clarity comes easily. But identifying where to intervene is harder. Not every problem is a leverage point. Not every barrier deserves equal attention. The real challenge is… Continue reading Journey Mapping: A Practical How-To for Uncovering Opportunity