Got problems? Customer segment problem hypotheses generation

An essential lesson for entrepreneurship students to learn is how to consider different customer segments and empathize with their daily lives to identify their unique potential customer problems. In this experiential exercise, students learn to develop empathy for a variety of customers and to identify obstacles they may encounter. Customer segments from numerous potential combinations of age, gender, relationship status and hobbies are generated. Students are then given a particular customer segment and hypothesize about the problems which that individual could face in different target locations. The objective is to push students to think critically by practicing using steps in the design thinking or lean startup process to make connections about customer segments that they would not normally consider. This is a new way for educators to engage and teach students about the importance of focusing on problem development in the idea generation stage of the entrepreneurial process and teaches their students to use empathy, leading to more customer-focused ideation.