20. Test a neighborhood tool library

The brief

A community center wants neighbors to borrow occasional-use hand tools. Decide who a first pilot should serve, what problem it should solve and how to learn whether to continue. A phone process or a simple ledger may be enough; justify the approach you choose.

• The center has 18 hand tools and 200 interested residents; interest is not evidence of actual borrowing.
• A six-week pilot has a $1,200 budget and six staff-hours each week. Tools are collected in person.
• Some residents do not use smartphones. Staff worry that late returns will spoil another person’s booking.

Constraints

Pilot budget≤ 1,200 dollars

Declare the total pilot spend, with a simple breakdown; include any chosen purchases, printing and outreach.

Weekly staff time≤ 6 staff-hours/week

Declare the weekly staff-hours your plan needs and explain the main tasks.

Phone access

Someone without a smartphone must be able to request a tool and learn the outcome.

Demand uncertainty

Treat sign-ups as interest; use evidence of successful borrowing and returns to decide whether to continue.

What to cover

1. 01

   People and problem

   Choose a first group to serve, describe its current workaround and identify one assumption you need to test.

2. 02

   Smallest useful pilot

   Explain the offer, borrowing/return journey, what you leave out and how staff will deliver it.

3. 03

   Learning and decision

   Propose a small discovery activity and a pilot measure with a threshold or decision rule; include a counter-signal that would stop expansion.

4. 04

   Costs and difficult case

   Break down budget and staff time, then walk through a late return. Compare one simpler or broader alternative.

Worked designs

No worked design has been published for this brief yet. You can start an attempt and share your approach in the discussion.

Review rubric

AI feedback uses these criteria. Scores are practice feedback.