We have identified the problem we want to tackle but are having trouble solidifying it into a simple problem statement. Ideas are running out and energy is low. The perfect time to take a break and refuel. A Turkish banquet is ordered and a feast is had.
After a much deserved food break, we decide to start ideating our magic machine. A hundred different features are quickly suggested and we note them all down. Some are practical while others are merely whimsical.
But we quickly realize that we are a little lost without a firm problem statement or requirements in mind. We have a great magical machine but it doesn't seem to solve a practical problem. The only way out is to define our problem and draw some boundaries. This was the result:
With a firmer understanding of what we want our magic machine to do, we have another go at it. We are loathe to give up our David Attenborough voiced robot but there is no choice...
Our magic machine is clearer now. It definitely solves the problems we have identified in the requirements. But we run into problems again the moment we try to write down our problem statement. Our initial version is: "Users want to access assets currently existing in the library collection and have them translated into a language of their choice". This seems to make sense but what about copyright problems? Assets which are under copyright cannot be translated without the authors permission. For a library, this might be a large portion of currently held resources.
This becomes a major stumbling block for us. How do we overcome this problem and still stick to the design brief? We go through multiple iterations...
Finally, after about 30 minutes we have a statement that perfectly describes our design solution...and everyone is happy with it. At this stage, it is possible everyone is just tired of refining it. But in either case, here it is:
This is it then. We want to design a platform which allows the user to interact with the text, translate it and talk to other users about it. We finally got it right. Time to move on and start storyboarding!
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