Overview
Goal: Identify and review existing solutions to the problem you are focusing on. Your audience is potential funders/supporters of solutions.
Required content:
- Concisely review the specific causes and consequences of the problem that your group intends to focus on. Reference Memos #1 and #2. Make sure to incorporate any feedback on your first two memos from your instructors.
- Review at least two categories of existing solutions (reviewing more may lead to a stronger memo). For each category:
- Provide a concise description of what the solution aims to do, how it works, who it involves and how it is funded. Clearly state whether this type of solution targets the causes or consequences of your target problem.
- Describe one specific example and provide a citation of the website for this solution (or a news article documenting this solution).
- Analyze the strengths of this type of solution. Use at least one course concept in your analysis to explain how this solution is potentially successful.
- Analyze the weaknesses of this type of solution. Use at least one course concept in your analysis to explain how this solution is potentially limited/ineffective.
- Conclude with a summary of the “opportunity space.” Based on your review of the categories of solutions in the previous sections, which aspects of the problem are least well addressed by existing solutions? Where are the most promising opportunities for your original solution? Answer these questions persuasively in order to convince the reader that your potential solution will address a need that is unmet by existing solutions.