Finding a Problem To Solve with Kevin Systrom, Cofounder of Instagram
- Finding a Problem to Solve with Kevin Systrom, Co-founder of Instagram (30 minutes)
- BE A PROBLEM SOLVER
- All companies must solve a problem. The great entrepreneurs are great problem solvers. Get clear on what problem your idea solves. Once you have this clarity then work really hard at solving that problem for as many customers as you can.
- Lesson Objectives:
- Watch these two videos from Instagram Co-Founder Kevin Systrom:
- Complete the Problem Solving & Market Research Activities for deeper learning:
- Problem Solving Activity: Think Like Instagram Founder, Kevin Systrom
- Break up into small groups of 3-4 people.
- Discuss and describe a problem you see with your favorite social media site (Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Pinterest, or Facebook).
- Describe the solution you would provide to make it better.
- Share your problem and solution with the class.
- Problem Solving Activity: Think Like Instagram Founder, Kevin Systrom
- BE A PROBLEM SOLVER
- Conclusion and Reflection (10 minutes)
- Personal Reflection:
- Jot down your thoughts about what you've learned and how you see yourself as a potential entrepreneur.
- Recap key points and discuss what students found most interesting or challenging.
- Encourage students to reflect on how they can apply what they learned to their own experiences.
- Personal Reflection:
"Instagram Founder Kevin Systrom Discusses Finding The Problem Is The Hard Part For Entrepreneurs"
Instagram Co-Founder Kevin Systrom believes building solutions for most problems is the easy part; the hard part is finding the right problem to solve. Here he opens up about how he and fellow Co-Founder Mike Krieger identified the problems they wanted to solve around sharing photos through mobile devices. He also reminds entrepreneurs to embrace simple solutions, as they can often delight users and customers.
"Get Customer Feedback Early And Often" Instagram Founder Kevin Systrom
Instagram Co-Founder Kevin Systrom explains it's difficult to get vital customer feedback, particularly in the consumer Internet space, if your startup is in stealth mode. He also emphasizes the importance of building minimum viable products and pushing them out to customers. According to Systrom, "Don't build past what you need to build, to answer the questions."
Problem Solving Activity: Think Like Instagram founder, Kevin Systrom
Break up in small groups of 3-4 people
Discuss and describe a problem you see with your favorite social media site (Instagram, Tick-Tock,Snapchat, Pinterest or Facebook)?
Describe the solution you would provide to make it better?
Share your problem and solution with the class.
Market Research Activity: Learn To Get Immediate Feedback
Survey the class or 10 friends who use the social media platform you selected.
Get feedback on your solution to see if they like your new solution or not.
Free Survey Links:
Option 1: To capture survey information create a Google Form
https://www.google.com/forms/about/
Option 2: Use this free Market Research template from Survey Monkey
https://www.surveymonkey.com/templates/product-testing-survey-template/