Problem Finding/Posing

Due to a changing economic, social, cultural and technological landscape design problems have become more complicated with the role of the designer expanding. Designers are moving from just responding to a brief from a client to also actively engaging with users and stakeholders to become ‘problem finders ‘ as well as ‘problem solvers’. In order to meet these challenges design education must equip students with the skills to seek out new opportunities for design solutions. This article outlines a methodology adopted and developed to guide Product Design students in carrying out primary research to identify the needs of users and stakeholders in any given context. The methodology was developed in the course of conducting a number of projects at University Limerick (UL) in conjunction with University Limerick Smarter travel over a three year period. The methodology adopted is outlined, its effectiveness and the extent to which students were able to develop a mind-set that enabled the uncovering of insights that led to innovative solutions is examined.  Furthermore the challenges faced by the students are also explored.