Lesson 6 of 6Designing and Refining an Idea

Unit 2 · Lesson 6 of 6

Solving Problems and Refining the Idea

Use a step-by-step problem-solving process, plus feedback and your budget, to refine your idea and prototype so it earns more and does more good for people and the planet.

3 min read1 quick check8 practice questionsAsk AI about this →

Key things to remember

1Refining means making careful changes to improve an idea, based on evidence.
2Six steps: define the problem, find causes, brainstorm solutions, choose, try it, check results.
3Define problems with numbers when you can, and ask 'why?' more than once to find the real cause.
4Use feedback and your budget to refine for economic success (price, costs, sales).
5Also refine for social, environmental and ethical outcomes, even if it costs a little profit.

No first idea is perfect. Priya and Sam found that their paper stickers peeled, their first month of sales was slow, and their plastic sleeves made waste. That is normal. Refining means making small, careful changes to improve your idea. The best entrepreneurs do not guess at fixes. They follow a process, try a change, and check whether it worked.

A six-step problem-solving process

Define the problem. Say exactly what is wrong, with numbers if you can. 'We sold only 25 stickers in two weeks' is clearer than 'sales are bad'.
Find the causes. Ask 'Why?' more than once. Look at feedback and your budget.
Brainstorm solutions. Use the brainstorming rules from the start of this unit.
Choose a solution. Pick one using your criteria, such as cost, time and impact.
Try it. Test the change on a small scale first.
Check the results. Did the numbers improve? If not, go back to step 2.

Fig 1The problem-solving cycle: define, find causes, generate solutions, choose, try, and check.

Ask why more than once

Sales are slow. Why? Students walk past the table. Why? They think one sticker is not worth stopping for. That second answer points to a real fix, like a bundle deal.

VideoWatch how the steps, from understanding the problem and finding its root cause to reflecting on the results, line up with the six-step process in this lesson.Watch on YouTube

Refining for economic success

In their first two weeks, Priya and Sam sold only 25 single stickers. Feedback showed students liked the stickers but wanted more than one, and many had only a few dollars. Their solution was a bundle: 3 stickers for $8.00. Each bundle costs $3 \times $1.00 = $3.00$ to make, so it leaves $$8.00 - $3.00 = $5.00$ . A single sticker leaves only $2.00.

Month total	Before (singles only, 25 sold)	After (35 singles + 20 bundles)
Revenue	25 × $3 = $75	35 × $3 + 20 × $8 = $105 + $160 = $265
Stickers used	25	35 + 20 × 3 = 95
Cost of items	25 × $1 = $25	95 × $1 = $95
Start-up costs	$65	$65
Total costs	$90	$160
Profit	$75 − $90 = −$15	$265 − $160 = $105

Before and after adding a bundle deal. The after column is the whole month, including the first 25 singles.

Refining for social, environmental and ethical outcomes

Refining is not only about money. Priya and Sam used their impact table to make three more changes. Some cost a little money, and that is a trade-off they chose on purpose.

Area	Before	After	Effect on money
Environmental	Plastic sleeve, $0.20 each	Paper sleeve, $0.25 each	Profit on 100 stickers falls from $140 to $135
Social	Small, busy designs only	Added high-contrast name stickers	Reaches new customers, such as students with low vision
Ethical	One design looked like a famous cartoon	Replaced with original art by a student artist, who is credited and paid	Avoids copying and builds trust
Quality	Paper and tape prototype that peeled	Waterproof vinyl, tested again	Fewer unhappy customers

Before and after refinements to Stick With It.

Fig 2Refining sits between designing and pitching: analyze impacts, budget, solve problems, then improve the prototype.

Quick checkTry it before you read on

A bundle of 3 stickers sells for $8.00. Each sticker costs $1.00 to make. How much does each bundle leave after its own costs, to the nearest cent?

Worked examples

Reveal one step at a time and try to beat it to the next line.

Example 1

Use the six-step process on this problem: Stick With It sold only 25 stickers in two weeks.

Example 2

Check the 'after' bundle numbers: 35 single stickers at $3.00 and 20 bundles at $8.00, start-up costs $65, cost $1.00 per sticker.

Example 3

Switching from plastic sleeves ($0.20) to paper sleeves ($0.25) raises the cost per sticker from $0.95 to $1.00. Find the profit on 100 stickers before and after, and decide if the change is worth it.

Where marks get lost

Defining the problem vaguely ('sales are bad'), so you cannot tell later whether your fix worked.
Jumping straight to a solution without finding the cause.
Changing many things at once, so you cannot tell which change helped.
Never checking results after trying a fix.
Only refining for profit and ignoring social, environmental and ethical outcomes.

Flashcards 5

Refining

The six problem-solving steps

Why define a problem with numbers?

Bundle

+ 1 more

Practice

Put the problem-solving steps in order.

1Try it
2Choose a solution
3Check the results
4Define the problem
5Find the causes
6Brainstorm solutions

Which is the clearest problem definition?

A bundle of 3 stickers sells for $7.50. Each sticker costs $1.00 to make. How much does each bundle leave after its own costs, to the nearest cent?

Stick With It switches to a cheaper printer, cutting the cost per sticker from $1.00 to $0.80. How much more profit does it make on 100 stickers, to the nearest cent?

After trying a fix, sales do not improve. What should the team do?

Match each refinement to the outcome it mainly improves.

Paper sleeves instead of plastic

A 3-sticker bundle deal

High-contrast name stickers

Original art, credited and paid

Why test a change on a small scale first?

What word means giving up a little of one thing, like profit, to get more of another, like less waste?

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