To complete the empathising stage, I conducted online research by reading websites,

blogs, articles and other online sources related to the issue of business owners struggling to
manage their bookkeeping, tax and marketing. I also posted a survey on social media to gather
feedback from business owners who face these challenges. The survey asked participants to
provide information such as the size of their business, the challenges they face in managing
their finances, the types of services they use to manage their bookkeeping, tax and marketing
and their views on the effectiveness of the services they use.

The result of my empathising stage revealed that small business owners often face
challenges related to managing their bookkeeping, tax and marketing. These challenges include
time constraints, lack of adequate knowledge and resources and difficulty finding reliable and
affordable services. Furthermore, small business owners often have difficulty understanding the
complexities of various financial regulations and laws, and often lack the resources to ensure
their financial records are accurate and up to date.

The problem I am seeking to solve is the difficulty small business owners experience when
dealing with bookkeeping, tax and marketing. Small business owners often lack the time,
expertise and resources to properly manage these tasks, leaving them feeling overwhelmed and
uncertain. This can lead to costly mistakes and missed opportunities.
I chose the Brainstorming and Reverse Brainstorming methods to come up with ideas to solve
the problem. For Brainstorming, I wrote down a list of all the possible solutions I could think of,
without judging or censoring them. For Reverse Brainstorming, I wrote down a list of potential
problems or challenges associated with the problem, and then brainstormed ways to overcome
them.

Ideas generated through these methods include:

• Creating a comprehensive online platform that provides business owners with access to
reliable bookkeeping, tax, and marketing advice and resources.
• Offering business owners one-on-one consultations with experts in order to better understand
the complexities of bookkeeping, tax and marketing.
• Developing an automated system that can help small business owners keep track of their
bookkeeping, tax and marketing tasks.
• Creating an online community where small business owners can ask questions and receive
answers from other experienced business owners.
• Developing an app that provides users with step-by-step guides on bookkeeping, tax and
marketing.

The ideas I have chosen to prototype are:

1. Creating a comprehensive platform for small business owners where they could access
advice, resources, and tools to help them with their bookkeeping, tax, and marketing.
2. Creating a community where small business owners could connect with each other and share
tips and advice.
3. Creating an online course to teach small business owners about bookkeeping, tax, and
marketing.

1. Creating a comprehensive platform for small business owners:

First, I would create a detailed brief outlining the platform’s goals, features and overall design. I
would then create a wireframe of the platform, outlining the user flow and navigation. After this, I
would create a prototype of the platform, which would include a basic version of the platform’s
features. I would then test the prototype with users to get feedback and make any necessary
adjustments.

2. Creating a community where small business owners could connect with each other and share
tips and advice:
First, I would create a detailed brief outlining the community’s goals and features. I would then
create a wireframe of the community, outlining the user flow and navigation.
For the comprehensive platform, I plan to test the website by creating a focus group of small
business owners. This focus group will be asked to use the website for a period of two weeks
and provide feedback on their experience. This feedback will be used to make any necessary
changes to the website before it is launched.

For the community, I plan to test the social media platform and online forum by having a group
of small business owners use the platform for a period of 8 weeks. During this time, I will
monitor the activity on the platform to see how users are interacting with each other and what
kind of feedback they are giving. This feedback will be used to make any necessary changes
before the platform is launched.

For the online course, I plan to test the course by having a group of small business owners
complete the course and provide feedback on their experience. This feedback will be used to
make any necessary changes before the course is launched.

For the software, I plan to test the software by having a group of small business owners use the
software for a period of two weeks. During this time, I will monitor the activity on the software to
see how users are interacting with it and what kind of feedback they are giving.

This is my feedback
The design thinking process has been an incredibly useful tool in helping me to come up with
ideas and solutions to the problem of small business owners struggling with bookkeeping, tax
and marketing. It has forced me to think beyond the obvious solutions and come up with
creative and innovative ideas. It has also allowed me to prototype my ideas and develop testing
plans, which has helped to ensure that my solutions are practical and realistic.

Going forward, I plan to continue using the design thinking process to develop ideas and
solutions for my business. I will also use the process to develop prototypes and test them with
potential users to ensure that my solutions are effective and meet the needs of my target
audience. I will also continue to use the process to come up with new and innovative solutions
to the challenges that small business owners face