- Restate the problems the client wants solved - whether visual, mechanical, experiential, organizational, etc.
- Restate the benchmark(s) the solution(s) needs to meet - if there are measurable targets get them on the table, and if they aren’t known work with the client to define them.
- Identify the audience or audiences for deliverables, and their expectations re milestones, timing, presentations, and finish level at each milestone along the way.
- Identify client-side project resources - does the client have particularly relevant expertise in something useful to the project? Most likely yes.
- If not identified in the brief, hypothesize who the product’s end users and stakeholders are likely to be. Focus on a) what you/the client THINK motivates their customers, and b) how to locate those customers (geodemographics etc) for concept validation and testing when the time comes.
- Do some very preliminary web research into the client’s business, product category, competitors, and other existing relevant data.
- Brainstorm a list of followup questions to ask the client. Find out what can and can’t be answered and how important it is to answer the unknowns.
Make no assumptions and remind yourself that you are not the user.
That should properly get the kids into problem solving mode and hopefully help them avoid worthless renders of unobtainium-fueled flying car solutions.