What are the most effective tools for defining a problem statement in design thinking?

1 Empathy Map

An empathy map is a visual tool that helps the team to empathize with the user and understand their context, emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. It is usually divided into four quadrants: say, do, think, and feel. The team can use various methods, such as interviews, observations, surveys, or personas, to gather user data and fill in the empathy map. An empathy map helps the team to identify the user's pain points, needs, and motivations, and to formulate a problem statement that reflects their perspective.

2 How Might We

How might we (HMW) is a tool that helps the team to reframe the problem statement as an open-ended question that invites creative thinking and ideation. The team can use the insights from the empathy map or other user research methods to generate HMW questions that address the user's needs and challenges. For example, if the user's pain point is that they have difficulty finding relevant information on a website, a HMW question could be: How might we make the website more intuitive and user-friendly? A HMW question helps the team to focus on the desired outcome and to explore multiple possibilities.

3 Point of View

A point of view (POV) is a tool that helps the team to narrow down and prioritize the HMW questions and to define the problem statement more specifically. A POV statement consists of three elements: the user, the need, and the insight. The user is the target audience or persona that the team is designing for. The need is the user's goal or problem that the team is trying to solve. The insight is the key observation or finding that the team has discovered about the user. For example, a POV statement could be: A busy professional (user) needs a way to quickly access relevant information on a website (need) because they have limited time and attention span (insight). A POV statement helps the team to articulate the problem statement in a clear and actionable way.

4 Problem Validation

Problem validation is a tool that helps the team to test and validate the problem statement with real users and stakeholders. The team can use various methods, such as interviews, surveys, experiments, or prototypes, to collect feedback and data on the problem statement and to measure its relevance, urgency, and impact. Problem validation helps the team to verify if the problem statement is aligned with the user's needs and expectations, and to refine or pivot the problem statement if necessary.

5 Problem Statement Canvas

A problem statement canvas is a tool that helps the team to summarize and communicate the problem statement in a visual and structured way. It is usually composed of four sections: the problem, the user, the context, and the solution. The problem is the main challenge or opportunity that the team is addressing. The user is the target audience or persona that the team is designing for. The context is the background information, assumptions, and constraints that the team has considered. The solution is the value proposition or hypothesis that the team has proposed. A problem statement canvas helps the team to present the problem statement in a concise and compelling way, and to align the team and stakeholders on the same page.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?