Great design is about solving problems. To find innovative solutions, however, you must first identify the problem. Think about your design like a puzzle; you need to understand what the puzzle should look like to figure out where each puzzle piece belongs. Similarly, you should define your problem early in your design process then elaborate on your goal result. With this, you can better understand the best possible solutions.

What is a Problem Statement?

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Many of us have heard this phrase a thousand times over, and it’s great design advice. Why would you or your users need a solution if there isn’t an issue? A problem statement identifies a tangible problem and the people affected by it. The most fundamental component of a tenacious design is a functional problem statement that encourages you and your team to act. This is also helpful to keep your team on track during the design process.

Why do you need one?

By the time you encounter an obstacle, others have likely run into the same issue. If you hunt for the root of the problem, you can create a problem statement that leads to your ideal goal. An effective problem statement guides you, your team, and your design by emphasizing specific needs.

How do you make one?

To create a problem statement, you should understand the forces at play. Your primary questions should encompass the business or program objective, the context of product use, and user goals. First, note how you came across the problem and who it affects, then dive deeper into detailed scenarios. The better you understand the issue at hand, the easier it will be to develop an efficient solution.

A good problem statement should be user-centric and focus on target users and their needs. The problem statement needs to allow room for creative freedom within your team but also be constrained enough to make the project manageable. Simply put, a problem statement defines what the obstacle is, who it affects, and why it affects those users.

[Action or behavior] is a challenge for [user type] because [compelling reason].
A problem statement defines what the obstacle is, who it affects, and why it affects those users.

Example: Affording childcare is a challenge for Jennifer because her employer cut her hours at work.

Space Saturate and Group

In this approach to problem statements, you (and your design team) gather all information and observations into one space. This exercise is essentially like “word vomiting,” where you collect images, notes, data, experiences, interviews, and stories. Then, you consolidate the findings into groups or categories to synthesize deeper insights into the problem.

Empathy Mapping

Empathy Map for Joel Manby, former CEO of Herschend Family Entertainment.
The Empathy Map includes: Think and Feel, See, Say and Do, Hear, Pain, and Gain

Empathy maps generally contain four main categories: Say, Do, Think, and Feel. These are filled with notes and observations from user interviews, such as things the user said or the user’s actions, especially involuntary actions. The “think” and “feel” groups can be ascertained by carefully observing user behavior and attitude during the interview process. Empathy maps help uncover problems the user is aware of and underlying issues.

Point of View

The “point of view” method takes a more people-centric approach by forming an actionable problem statement. For this method to succeed, you need to identify the right obstacles. Then, you combine your target user, the primary needs you wish to address, and a compelling reason to address the problem. Making it “look cool” is not a compelling reason.

What do you do with it?

Now that you’ve formed a problem statement (or multiple), how do you use it?

How might we….

With your problem statement, form a “how might we” question to figure out how to solve the problem. For example, “How might we… better support the single parents under our employment?” These questions invite opportunities for collaboration and innovative solutions. They can encompass a realm of possibilities with their abstractness or form more narrow solutions with tight-knitted constraints, which gives you more options to filter ideas.

Why-How Laddering

The idea behind the “Why-How Laddering” method is that forming a problem statement allows you to climb the metaphorical ladder by defining why you need a solution. At the top, you need to figure out how you get down to your solution. And since it’s a metaphorical ladder, perhaps you’re also meant to see the resolution from the top so you can start looking for answers. So the purpose of the exercise is to transform why you have this problem into how you can solve it.

Problem-solving starts with finding the problem. Here, I’ll analyze the app store reviews on three apps for positive, negative, and constructive comments. With those comments, I can form two point-of-view statements that will highlight key problems and challenges within the apps, which users face these issues, and why those complications occur. Point-of-view statements are an excellent way of looking at potential problems from the user’s perspective to find innovative and successful solutions.

As an enthusiastic and frequent traveler, I use three airline apps frequently: Southwest, American, and Delta Airlines. Since these are competing airlines, this exercise in problem-defining will shed some light on the key differences in functionality between the three apps.

POV Statements Download

Business objectives can be vastly different from user goals, but the most successful designs allow these two parties to meet in the middle. You need to determine user needs and identify the obstacles preventing them from using your design. Then, with problem statements, you can quickly define and explore the main issues with your team, other departments, and stakeholders.

Benjamin, A. (2016, April 17). Design: How to define the problem. Medium. Retrieved February 23, 2022, from https://blog.prototypr.io/design-how-to-define-the-problem-5361cccb2fcb

Dam, R. F., & Siang, T. Y. (n.d.). Stage 2 in the design thinking process: Define the problem and interpret the results. The Interaction Design Foundation. Retrieved February 23, 2022, from https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/stage-2-in-the-design-thinking-process-define-the-problem-and-interpret-the-results

Tapia, E. (2016, April 11). UX for Beginners: Defining the design problem. Studio by UXPin. Retrieved February 23, 2022, from https://www.uxpin.com/studio/blog/ux-for-beginners-defining-the-design-problem/

User Perspective: Understanding the Problem