Wicked Problem "What's Your Wicked Problem?" If you're going to answer that question, we need to start with this: What IS a wicked problem, and how do I figure out which one's mine? Here's a link to the global problem / case study that you'll be using: https://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/case-study/climate-change-paris-deal  (Links to an external site.) Read: Wicked Problems Definition  (Links to an external site.)  A wicked problem is a social or cultural problem that is difficult or impossible to solve for as many as four reasons: incomplete or contradictory knowledge, the number of people and opinions involved, the large economic burden, and the interconnected nature of these problems with other problems. Poverty is linked with education, nutrition with poverty, the economy with nutrition, and so on. These problems are typically offloaded to policy makers, or are written off as being too cumbersome to handle en masse. Yet these are the problems—poverty, sustainability, equality, and health and wellness—that plague our cities and our world and that touch each and every one of us. These problems can be mitigated through the process of design, which is an intellectual approach that emphasizes empathy, abductive reasoning, and rapid prototyping. Horst Rittel, one of the first to formalize a theory of wicked problems, cites ten characteristics of these complicated social issues: Wicked problems have no definitive formulation. The problem of poverty in Texas is grossly similar but discretely different from poverty in Nairobi, so no practical characteristics describe "poverty." It's hard, maybe impossible, to measure or claim success with wicked problems because they bleed into one another, unlike the boundaries of traditional design problems that can be articulated or defined. Solutions to wicked problems can be only good or bad, not true or false. There is no idealized end state to arrive at, and so approaches to wicked problems should be tractable ways to improve a situation rather than solve it. There is no template to follow when tackling a wicked problem, although history may provide a guide. Teams that approach wicked problems must literally make things up as they go along. There is always more than one explanation for a wicked problem, with the appropriateness of the explanation depending greatly on the individual perspective of the designer. Every wicked problem is a symptom of another problem. The interconnected quality of socio-economic political systems illustrates how, for example, a change in education will cause new behavior in nutrition. No mitigation strategy for a wicked problem has a definitive scientific test because humans invented wicked problems and science exists to understand natural phenomena. Offering a "solution" to a wicked problem frequently is a "one shot" design effort because a significant intervention changes the design space enough to minimize the ability for trial and error. Every wicked problem is unique. Designers attempting to address a wicked problem must be fully responsible for their actions. Based on these characteristics, not all hard-to-solve problems are wicked, only those with an indeterminate scope and scale. So most social problems—such as inequality, political instability, death, disease, or famine—are wicked. They can't be "fixed." But because of the role of design in developing infrastructure, designers can play a central role in mitigating the negative consequences of wicked problems and positioning the broad trajectory of culture in new and more desirable directions. This mitigation is not an easy, quick, or solitary exercise. While traditional circles of entrepreneurship focus on speed and agility, designing for impact is about staying the course through methodical, rigorous iteration. Due to the system qualities of these large problems, knowledge of science, economics, statistics, technology, medicine, politics, and more are necessary for effective change. This demands interdisciplinary collaboration, and most importantly, perseverance. Find Your Passion Identify a topic you are passionate about that is connected to your learning journey and your professional plans. With this as a foundation, you will write a problem statement that will off the search for your project. Read: Writing a Problem Statement  (Links to an external site.)  https://writingcenter.ashford.edu/writing-problem-statement Writing a Problem Statement This guide will walk you through the steps for writing the problem statement, which is broken down, as follows: What is a Global Problem Global problems are, "...problems that affect the whole of the planet, and potentially all of the people who live on it." It will be your job to identify the ways in which your topic is connected to global challenges and problems. Read: Introduction to Global Problems  (Links to an external site.)  https://nautilus.org/gps/intro/ Cultural Diversity Think about the role cultural diversity plays in different areas in our life. You belong to many cultures and probably identify strongly with several of them. How does cultural diversity change or influence the problem you want to solve? View: It's (Past) Time to Appreciate Cultural Diversity  (Links to an external site.)  https://www.ted.com/talks/hayley_yeates_it_s_past_time_to_appreciate_cultural_diversity Diversity and Global Problems Some of you will want to think more deeply about the role cultural diversity plays in solving problems. If this is you, consider reading, "Why Is Cultural Diversity Important", focusing on the section titled, "How can you support cultural diversity?" Read: Why is Cultural Diversity important? https://www.partnershipinternational.ie/why-is-cultural-diversity-important/