Using “How Might We” Statements to Solve Product Problems

Facilitating a Brainstorm Session using How Might We statements (abbreviated as HMWs). HMW statements will get your Design Sprint team “unstuck” and enable them to transform challenges into opportunities so rapid ideation design is actually productive — instead of just making pretty screens. Grab some sticky notes and let's get started (a digital whiteboard works too).

A well defined HMW statement should:

• Contain the?Primary User
• State the?Intended Action
• Outline the?Desired Effect

I recommend using the following format: How Might We?Intended Action?For?Primary User?So?Desired Effect

Be careful. Just like the porridge in Goldilocks and the Three Bears, excellent HMW statements are always in the middle; not to broad or to narrow.

HMW statements should:

• Be framed as a question
• Simultaneously highlight the businesses goal and touch on the user’s need
• Support multiple solutions with a clear focus

HMW statements should not:

• Be broad
• Be prescriptive or contain a solution

For instance, a HMW statement such as “How might we design a digital experience” is too broad to be effective, doesn’t focus on a user and doesn’t include a business goal. Likewise a HMW statement like “How might we use Stripe to accept customers digital payments.” is too narrow. Although it does contain a user group (customers) it’s too narrow, and doesn’t support multiple solutions. By using the sentence structure mentioned above as a framework and keeping the “Goldilocks Principle” in mind it is possible to create a well written HMW statement such as:

How Might We?Create a Profitable E-Commerce Experience?For?Millennials?So they?Get Products Delivered Faster?

The above statement contains:

• Millennials?as the?Primary User
• States?Creating a Profitable E-Commerce Experience?as the?Intended Action
• Outlines?Get Products Delivered Faster?as the?Desired Effect

The HMW statement also passes the “Goldilocks Principle” because it is

• Framed as a question
• Supports multiple solutions with a clear focus on the intended action —?building an e-commerce experience —?without being too broad or too prescriptive towards one solution
• Highlights the businesses goal — make the experience?Profitable —?and addresses the user’s need —?Fast Delivery

You will know the brain storming session was successful if each team member is contributing and the team generates several well crafted HMW statements. Bonus if the team also creates a few eccentric HMW statements that “dream big.”

Don’t get discouraged if it takes a few iterations to craft a well-formed HMW statement. If you like some help paste your defined problem statement and HMW in the comments below or message me on Twitter?and I will be happy to provide advice on crafting them.

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