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A living collection from the Altringer Eagle Lab at Dartmouth’s Thayer School of Engineering. Problems come from expert input and from what experts publish: research agendas, standards roadmaps, agency reports. The Problem Genome system drafts each write-up, and its sources are checked before it enters the collection. It can make mistakes. It exists to put problem definition at the center of innovation. Problem definitions here can be cited, and so can improvements to them. Teams can reach domain knowledge early and contribute what they learn.

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Genome › Stakeholders

Stakeholders · gene 3 of 5

several kinds of users

43 problems carry this gene · stakeholders:multi-user

These problems involve several kinds of users whose needs pull in different directions: farmers and advisors, patients and clinicians, workers and site managers. A solution that serves one group and ignores another fails, and that is often how the problem got stuck. Digital farm advice, for example, reaches mostly men while the women who grow the food are left out of the design.

Related genes

one user, self-containedsingle-userOne end user. A solution works on its own without anyone else's agreement.needs an organization on boardinstitutionalA solution only works if an organization formally adopts or integrates it.a neighborhood or villagecommunityOperates at the level of a neighborhood, village, or single local organization.

How to recognize it

A problem is multi-user when a solution must work for two or more user groups with different needs, and still does not require an organization's formal agreement.

Our system re-reads samples blind to test genes like this one. Genes it disagrees on are drawn dashed.

43 problems in 13 fields. Filter them, then share the link.

field: health & medicinethey tested. they know. they wait.measured the wrong thinghigh field: health & medicinethe stomach that won't emptyit fell between the crackshigh field: digital & spaceopen enough to be crushedit fell between the cracksmedium field: the built worldtwice the steel it needsbuilt without the people who'd live with itmedium field: water & energysalt or germsbuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: the built worldcalibrated, but is it right?built without the people who'd live with itmedium field: making & materialsclear, compostable, pick onetested in the wrong worldmedium field: society & learningthe armband says you're finetested in the wrong worldmedium field: food & the living worldaprons as a proxy for salmonellameasured the wrong thingmedium field: food & the living worldmodels that stop at the loading docktested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worldthe error is in the scoop, not the kitbuilt without the people who'd live with itneeds sourcing field: society & learningskills nobody mappedthe economics don't workhigh field: the built worldretrofit panels above the fifth floortested in the wrong worldhigh field: the built worldwhen is wet timber dry enough?tested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worlda machine needed only in the rainthe economics don't workhigh field: food & the living worldfresh at dawn, half price by duskbuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: water & energythe price of a full pitthe economics don't workhigh field: health & medicinethe floor as a disease vectorbuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: water & energywhen the lights go out on the loanthe economics don't workmedium field: digital & spacethe account she can't openbuilt without the people who'd live with itmedium field: food & the living worldthe female farmer the app forgotbuilt without the people who'd live with itmedium field: health & medicinebuilt for the clinic, worn at homebuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: health & medicinedesigned by those who don't need itbuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: health & medicineperfect on competition day, blind in the clinictested in the wrong worldmedium field: health & medicinefound the disease, lost the patientbuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: food & the living worldthe lake burst, the warning didn't arrivebuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: food & the living worldgreen batteries, dry villagesbuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: water & energypower for shacks, designed for housesbuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: food & the living worldhigh-yield rice nobody wants to eatbuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: food & the living worldthe cure that clears the waymeasured the wrong thinghigh field: food & the living worldthe invisible seed marketbuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: food & the living worldsealed bags that stay on the shelfbuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: food & the living worldthe mold cure nobody usesbuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: water & energythe filter works, a third use itbuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: health & medicinethe socket fit is still a guessit fell between the crackshigh field: food & the living worldsensors tested against nothingtested in the wrong worldhigh field: water & energywinter halves the batterybuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: health & medicinethe robot needs a therapist toobuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: health & medicineworks on the bench, fails in the fieldtested in the wrong worldhigh field: health & medicineantivenom waits at hospitals victims can't reachthe economics don't workhigh field: health & medicinethe test said no, the doctor prescribed anywaybuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: health & medicinedesigned for the young, prescribed for the oldbuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: food & the living worldharvested, then losttested in the wrong worldmedium