Identifying Patterns

Overview: Being able to recognize patterns enables you to make sense of the world; to interpret data; recognize commonalities among seemingly unrelated situations, and frame novel problems in familiar terms. Pattern recognition has an almost infinite number of applications in fields as different as technology, business, medicine, statistics, mathematics, and graphic design. Directions: Think of a current consumer need or desire that you would like to address, preferably one that can be addressed with a product or a service. It could be your own, your friends’, families’ or any other person. Examples include a portable water purifier, a wireless charging device, cellphone batteries that last for 1 week without charging, more affordable healthy food, on-demand cleaning, and cooking service, instant make-up, self-cooking noodles, etc. After you determine what to work on, complete the following steps. You may choose to create a mind map using paper and pen or an online tool such as Coggle. (Links to an external site.) Check out the gallery on Coggle for mind map inspiration as well. Step 1: Design Question: Using the data (ideas) you generated in the previous proving ground, create a mind map. Place the design question for the challenge you’ve selected in a circle at the centre. Step 2: Branches: Do some research on your proposed ideas to begin adding branches to your mind map. The branches should represent research or data points that support the ideas you came up while convergent/divergent thinking. Step 3: Connections: Start drawing connections by creating theme bubbles that bring together disparate data points. These individual elements join to develop new and deeper insights. They will help define the problem(s) and develop potential ideas for solutions. In other words, you go from analysis to synthesis. Submission: Submit evidence of the three stages (above) using your selected method noted in the directions. You may submit either a write-up or a Coggle mind map.