Week 16: Designing a Solution
Part of The Value Creation Project | Focus: Entrepreneurship and Application
Last week, students practiced the first entrepreneurial skill: observation. They identified real problems, frustrations, and needs in their everyday lives. They picked one problem to carry forward.
This week, they take the next step: designing a solution.
A solution is an idea that makes a problem easier, faster, cheaper, or more enjoyable to deal with. It might be a product — something you create or build. Or it might be a service — something you do to help someone. Either way, the goal is the same: help people.
The best solutions are not necessarily the most complicated or expensive. They are the ones that clearly address a real problem and genuinely help the people who have it. This week, students will learn to think like designers — turning observations into ideas, and ideas into something they can describe, draw, and explain to others.
This Week's Anchor Activity: The Solution Sketch — students design and prototype a product or service to solve their chosen problem.
- Ages: 8–12 | Sessions this week: 3 (about 20 minutes each)
- You do not need to teach every bullet on the page. Use the learning goal and one or two activities for the session you are teaching today.
- If time is short, teach one session well and leave the rest for later. The lessons are designed to stretch across the week.
- Session 3 works best after the learner has already explored the main idea with you once.
Key concept: A prototype is an early version of an idea — it does not have to be perfect, it just has to show how the solution works. Core activity: Have each learner describe their solution idea in writing (what it is, who it helps, how it works) and draw a simple sketch or diagram (15–20 minutes).
Facilitator Preparation
- Have students bring (or recall) the problem they selected during the Week 15 Problem Finder activity. If a student does not have one, they can choose a new problem at the start of the session.
- Prepare materials for the Design Your Solution activity (see Independent Session):
- blank paper, index cards, or notebooks for sketching and writing
- colored pencils, markers, or crayons (optional but helpful)
- a "Solution Design Sheet" with prompts (see activity steps)
- Think of a few examples of simple solutions to everyday problems:
- a planner to track homework (solves: forgetting assignments)
- a backpack organizer with dividers (solves: messy bags)
- a yard work service for neighbors (solves: people who need help outside)
- color-coded labels for recycling bins (solves: confusing bins)
- Have a whiteboard or large paper for collecting and comparing ideas.
- Set up a visual timer for sessions.
This week is about turning ideas into clear descriptions — not building a finished product.
Students are learning to think like designers: take a problem, imagine a solution, and describe it clearly enough that someone else can understand it. The emphasis is on clarity and usefulness, not perfection or polish.
Many students will want their idea to be "perfect" before they share it. Encourage them to start simple. A rough sketch and three clear sentences are more valuable than a complicated idea they cannot explain. Good ideas get better through sharing and feedback — not through working alone in silence.
Remind students that nearly every successful product or business started as a rough idea that improved over time. The first version does not need to be the best version.
Guided Session 1
In Week 15, you identified a real problem you want to solve. This week, you move from the problem to the solution — designing what your product or service will look like and how it will work.
Quick check: What problem did you choose, and who does it affect?
(About 20 Minutes)
From Problem to Solution
Learning Goal
By the end of this session, the student can:
- explain that solving a problem requires designing a solution
- distinguish between a product (something you make) and a service (something you do)
- describe their solution idea by answering: what problem does it solve, who does it help, and how does it work
Activities
1. Reconnecting to the Problem
Start by connecting to last week's work:
"Last week, you became problem finders. You looked at everyday life and noticed things that were difficult, frustrating, messy, or missing. You each picked one problem to focus on."
Ask a few students to share:
"What problem did you choose? Who does it affect? Why did it stand out to you?"
After a few shares, transition:
"Noticing a problem is the first step. But noticing alone does not fix anything. The next step is designing a solution — coming up with an idea that actually helps."
2. Two Types of Solutions
Explain that solutions generally fall into two categories:
"When someone designs a solution, it usually takes one of two forms."
| Type | What It Means | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 🛠️ Product | Something you create, build, or make | A homework planner, a backpack organizer, a recipe book, a poster |
| 🤝 Service | Something you do to help someone | Tutoring, yard work help, organizing a closet, reading to younger kids |
Ask:
"Can you think of businesses or ideas you have seen that are products? What about services?"
Let students share examples. Then ask:
"Is your idea from last week more like a product or a service? Or maybe a little of both?"
3. Three Questions Every Solution Should Answer
Explain that a good solution — whether it is a product or a service — should be able to answer three simple questions:
"Before we start designing, let me give you three questions. If you can answer these clearly, you have a solid idea. If you cannot, it means the idea needs more thinking — and that is completely fine."
Write on the board:
- What problem does this solve?
- Who does it help?
- How does it work?
Walk through an example together:
Problem: People at school forget their homework assignments.
Solution: A simple weekly planner sheet that students fill in at the end of each day.
- What problem does it solve? Forgetting homework.
- Who does it help? Students who have trouble keeping track of assignments.
- How does it work? Each day, the student writes down their assignments in a box for that day. At home, they check the planner to see what needs to be done.
Walk through a second example:
Problem: A neighbor has trouble keeping their yard clean because they are elderly.
Solution: A weekend yard care service.
- What problem does it solve? Yard work that is too difficult for one person.
- Who does it help? Elderly neighbors or people with limited mobility.
- How does it work? Once a week, you visit and help with raking, sweeping, or watering plants.
Ask:
"Now think about your problem. Can you answer the three questions for your idea?"
Give students a few minutes to think. Have them share with a partner first, then invite a few to share with the group.
4. What Makes a Solution Useful?
After students have shared initial ideas, introduce a way to think about quality:
"Not every idea solves a problem equally well. A good solution usually does at least one of these things — it makes the problem easier, faster, cheaper, or more enjoyable to deal with."
| A good solution... | Example |
|---|---|
| Makes things easier | A backpack divider makes it easy to find your supplies |
| Makes things faster | A checklist helps you pack your bag quickly in the morning |
| Makes things cheaper | A reusable water bottle saves money compared to buying bottles |
| Makes things more enjoyable | A colorful planner makes tracking homework feel less boring |
Ask:
"Which of these does your idea do? Does it make things easier? Faster? Cheaper? More fun?"
Reflection Questions
- "How does your solution help someone?"
- "What makes your idea useful?"
- "Who would benefit most from this solution?"
Guided Session 2
(About 20 Minutes)
Improving Ideas
Learning Goal
By the end of this session, the student can:
- explain that good ideas are often improved over time through testing and feedback
- identify specific ways to refine a solution to make it clearer or more useful
- use feedback from others to strengthen their idea
Activities
1. Good Ideas Get Better
Start with a surprising fact:
"Almost no successful product or business started out perfect. Most of the things you use every day went through many versions before they became great."
Share a few examples:
- 📱 Phones started as heavy boxes attached to walls. They became portable, then pocket-sized, then touchscreen.
- 🚲 Bicycles started without pedals — riders pushed themselves along with their feet on the ground. Pedals were added later.
- 📝 Sticky notes were actually a failed experiment. A scientist was trying to make a super-strong glue, but accidentally created a weak one. Someone else realized the weak glue was perfect for notes that needed to stick temporarily.
"The first version of an idea is almost never the final version. Improving an idea is called refining — making it clearer, simpler, or more useful."
2. Three Refining Questions
Introduce a simple framework for improving an idea:
"Here are three questions you can ask about any idea to see if it could be improved."
Write on the board:
-
Is it simple enough to understand?
- Can you explain the idea in one or two sentences?
- If someone hears your idea for the first time, would they "get it" right away?
-
Would people actually want to use it?
- Does it solve a problem people really care about?
- Would someone choose your solution over just dealing with the problem?
-
Could it be made better?
- Is there a way to make it easier to use?
- Is there something missing that would make it more helpful?
Have each student think about their own solution idea and answer these three questions quietly. Then pair up and share.
3. The Power of Feedback
Explain why sharing ideas with others is important:
"One of the most powerful tools for improving an idea is feedback — hearing what other people think."
"When you share your idea with someone else, they might notice things you missed. They might ask questions you had not thought of. They might suggest changes that make the idea much better."
"This does not mean your idea is bad. It means it is getting stronger."
Run a quick feedback round:
- Students pair up (or form small groups of three).
- Each student explains their solution idea using the three questions from Session 1:
- What problem does it solve?
- Who does it help?
- How does it work?
- The listener gives two types of feedback:
- 👍 One thing that works well. ("I like that your idea helps younger kids. That is a real need.")
- 💡 One suggestion or question. ("What would happen if someone did not have the materials? Could you make it simpler?")
- Students switch roles.
After the feedback round, ask:
"Did anyone hear something from their partner that made them think about their idea differently?"
"Did anyone get a suggestion they want to use?"
4. Many Versions, One Goal
Wrap up with an encouraging message:
"Your idea does not have to be perfect right now. In fact, it should not be perfect right now. The goal today was to think about your idea more carefully and start improving it."
"Inventors, designers, and entrepreneurs all go through many versions of an idea. Each version gets a little better. The important thing is to keep going — keep thinking, keep asking, keep improving."
"Next week, you will think about what it takes to actually build your idea — the time, materials, and money involved. Your idea will keep getting better as you work on it."
Reflection Questions
- "What part of your idea works best?"
- "What might make the idea even better?"
- "What questions did people ask about your idea?"
Independent Session
(About 20 Minutes)
Design Your Solution
Instruction
In this activity, students create a clear design for the solution they have been developing. They describe, draw, and explain their idea in enough detail that someone else could understand it. This becomes the working plan for the rest of the Value Creation Project.
Setup:
Each student needs a Solution Design Sheet — a piece of paper (or notebook page) divided into sections. Alternatively, they can use separate index cards for each section.
Step 1: State the Problem
Students write a clear, one- or two-sentence description of the problem their solution addresses.
"Write the problem you are solving in your own words. Be specific about who has the problem and why it matters."
Examples:
- "Students at my school often forget their homework assignments because they do not write them down. This causes stress at home and lower grades."
- "My neighbor's recycling bins are confusing. People put the wrong items in, which means recyclable materials end up in the trash."
- "My little sister's art supplies are always scattered around the house. She spends more time looking for crayons than actually drawing."
Step 2: Describe Your Solution
Students answer the four key questions about their solution:
| Question | Your Answer |
|---|---|
| What problem does your idea solve? | (write here) |
| What does your solution do? | (write here) |
| Who would benefit from it? | (write here) |
| Why would someone want to use or buy it? | (write here) |
Encourage students to write in complete sentences. The goal is clarity — someone who has never heard the idea before should be able to read these answers and understand it.
Step 3: Visualize Your Idea
Students choose one or more ways to make their idea visible:
- 🎨 Draw it. Sketch what the product looks like, or draw a scene showing the service in action.
- 📝 Write a short description. One paragraph explaining the idea as if describing it to a friend.
- 📊 Create a simple diagram. Show the steps of how the solution works, from start to finish.
- 🗣️ Explain it to a partner. Practice describing the idea out loud in 30 seconds or less.
There is no "right" format. Students should pick whatever helps them think most clearly.
Step 4: The Usefulness Check
Students review their solution using this quick checklist:
- My solution addresses a real problem that affects real people.
- I can explain what it does in one or two sentences.
- I know who would use it and why.
- It makes the problem easier, faster, cheaper, or more enjoyable to solve.
- I can describe how it works, step by step.
If a student cannot check one of these boxes, that is not a failure — it is a signal that part of the idea needs more thought. Encourage them to revise.
Step 5: Share and Improve
Students present their solution designs to the group (or to a partner):
- "What problem does your solution solve?"
- "How would someone use your idea?"
- "Why might people find it helpful?"
- "What is one thing you would still like to improve?"
After each presentation, listeners give feedback:
- One thing they liked about the idea.
- One question or suggestion for improvement.
Discussion questions for the whole group:
- "Which ideas seemed the most useful? Why?"
- "Did anyone change their idea based on feedback today?"
- "What made some ideas easy to understand?"
- "What is the difference between an idea that sounds cool and an idea that is genuinely helpful?"
Running the Activity
In a classroom: Give students 15 minutes for Steps 1–3 (writing and drawing). Use the remaining time for Steps 4–5 (checking and sharing). Consider setting up a "gallery walk" where students place their design sheets on their desks and the class walks around to read and leave sticky-note feedback.
At home or in a small group: Work through the steps together conversationally. The facilitator can ask the four key questions from Step 2, and the student answers out loud while the facilitator writes or the student draws. This collaborative approach works especially well for younger learners.
For younger students: Simplify to three questions: "What is the problem?", "What is your idea?", and "Who does it help?" Focus more on drawing than writing. Let them explain their idea verbally and have an adult write down their words.
For older students: Add a "competitor check" — students think about whether a similar solution already exists. If it does, how is their version different or better? This introduces the idea of differentiation without using business jargon.
As a multi-day activity: Day 1: Steps 1–3 (identify, describe, visualize). Day 2: Steps 4–5 (check and share). Spreading the work across two sessions allows students to return with fresh eyes and often leads to stronger revisions.
Skills Reinforced
- transforming observations into actionable ideas
- distinguishing between products and services
- describing ideas clearly using structured questions
- giving and receiving constructive feedback
- evaluating solutions for clarity, usefulness, and feasibility
Facilitator Notes
This week is the design phase of the Value Creation Project.
Last week, students practiced observation — finding problems worth solving. This week, they practice design thinking — turning a problem into a clear, describable solution.
The critical skill here is clarity. A great idea that cannot be explained is not yet a useful idea. By answering structured questions (What problem? Who benefits? How does it work?), students learn to organize their thinking in a way that makes ideas stronger and easier to improve.
Equally important is the feedback cycle. Students learn that sharing an idea is not a risk — it is a tool. Feedback does not mean the idea is bad; it means the idea is being refined. This is how real products, businesses, and services develop.
Students do not need a finished, polished idea this week. They need a clear idea — one they can describe, draw, and explain. The idea will continue to evolve next week when they think about costs, resources, and budgets.
Encourage facilitators to:
- Model the process by designing a quick solution yourself. Walk through the three questions out loud: "My problem is that my desk gets cluttered. My solution is a simple tray system with three sections — one for papers, one for supplies, one for things to file. It helps me because I can find things faster." This shows students what a clear, simple solution description looks like.
- Emphasize usefulness over cleverness. The best student solutions will be the ones that clearly help real people, not the most elaborate or imaginative ones. A simple idea described well is more valuable than a complex idea described poorly.
- Celebrate the feedback process. When a student's idea improves because of a classmate's suggestion, point it out. "Did you notice how Mia's idea got even better after Jake asked that question? That is what feedback does."
- Reassure students who feel stuck. Some students will struggle to design a solution, and that is normal. Encourage them to start with the problem and ask: "If you could wave a magic wand and make this problem disappear, what would change? Now, what is one small step toward that change?"
- Connect to real examples when possible. If a student is designing a homework tracker, mention that real companies have built similar tools. If someone is designing an organizer, point out that entire stores are dedicated to organization products. Their ideas are not "just kid ideas" — they are the same kinds of ideas that real businesses are built on.
Age Adaptation Notes
Ages 8–9:
- Simplify to three key questions: "What is the problem?", "What is your idea?", "Who does it help?"
- Focus on drawing the solution rather than writing detailed descriptions.
- Let learners explain their idea verbally while an adult writes down their words.
- Keep the feedback round gentle — ask "What do you like about this idea?" before "What could be better?"
- Use familiar product examples: a better lunchbox, a toy organizer, a game that teaches something.
Ages 10–12:
- Encourage more detailed solution descriptions with the full set of design questions.
- Add a "competitor check": does a similar solution already exist? How is theirs different or better?
- Challenge them to think about who their "customer" would be and what that person would value most.
- Introduce the idea of iteration: "Great ideas almost never start great — they get better through feedback."
- Have them present their solution in 30 seconds and practice getting to the point.
Check for Understanding
- What is the difference between a product and a service?
- Why is it important to describe your solution clearly before building it?
- How does feedback make an idea better?
- What are the three key questions every solution should answer? (What problem does it solve? Who does it help? How does it work?)
- How did your solution idea change after getting feedback?
What Success Looks Like
By the end of this week, a learner is on track if they can:
- Describe their solution clearly: what it is, who it helps, and how it works
- Distinguish between a product and a service
- Give constructive feedback on another learner's solution idea
- Revise their own idea based on feedback received
- Connect their solution to a real problem identified in Week 15
Reflection Prompt
"Did your solution idea change after talking about it with someone else? What changed, and why? What does that teach you about sharing ideas early?"
Companion Materials
- Capstone Planning Guide — Solution design worksheets (Steps 3–6)
- Glossary — Kid-friendly definitions for all key terms
- Facilitator Quick Reference — One-page facilitation guide
Preview of Next Week
Next week, students explore the resources required to bring their idea to life — including time, materials, and money. They will learn how creators and businesses think about costs and budgets when building something new, connecting their design work to the budgeting and planning skills from earlier in the curriculum.