Don’t jump to the solution — focus on the problem first!
We are solving problems every day but are we taking the right steps in the problem-solving process? Do we even have a process? In this article, I introduce a four-step problem-solving process to dive deeper into identifying the real user problem and defining a problem statement that is robust.
1- Get The Initial Problem Statement
Stakeholders come to us, Product Designers and Product Managers, with a list of requirements and want us to build a product that addresses them. It is a human’s first reaction to jump in finding solutions to a given problem. But solving the wrong problem is very costly and waste the company’s resources!
The Slow Elevator Problem
To understand how the problem-solving process works, I will use the slow elevator example — from a great book that I recently read. It’s called “What’s Your Problem” by Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg where he explains how and why we need to rethink our problem statements.
Imagine a stakeholder comes to you and says that the elevator in their building is too slow and residents are frustrated about it. The immediate reaction to that would be how to make the elevator faster?
I observed two major types of stakeholders:
1- The Solution Providers: Instead of coming to you with a problem, they often come to you with the solution they think is best. In the slow elevator story, they say: “We need to make the elevator faster” or “We need to install a new elevator.” This group jumps to the solution way too early before understanding the root cause or without having enough evidence for what they are suggesting.
2- The Problem Providers: They usually come to you with a generic problem or the problem already framed—and often wrongly. In the slow elevator story, they say: “The elevator is too slow.” That is not an incorrect statement, yet it is not the real problem, either. Although this group is a step ahead of the first one there not quite there yet.
As product designers, we must identify the actual problem and correctly state it for everyone else in the team. Remember to never jump on designing anything — providing a solution — without correctly re-framing and analyzing it.
2- Reframe The Problem
“Sometimes, to solve a hard problem, you have to stop looking for solutions to it. Instead, you must turn your attention to the problem itself-not just to analyze it, but to shift the way you frame it.” -Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg
Now that we know that the elevator is too slow, it is time to ask whether there is a different way to think about this problem? Is the slow speed of the elevator bothering users, or is it something else? Looking from a different angle, we can say that it is the wait time that is annoying the residents. So the re-framed problem is “the wait time is annoying.”
To successfully re-frame a problem, you need to think outside of the box and re-think your final goals. Although re-framing is very effective, it is not easy at all. This article explains seven steps that help with the re-framing process.
3- Analyze The Re-framed Problem
The 5 Whys method is an effective root cause analysis technique to thoroughly understanding a problem.
“By repeating why 5 times, the nature of the problem as well as its solution becomes clear,” says Taiichi Ohno.
Here is how to do it for the case of the slow elevator :
4- Now, Find A Solution for It
We started with the problem being a slow elevator. We reframed it to the wait time being annoying. Then, using the 5-Whys technique we found lack of an interactive experience for the user is the issue. The solution would be to make users lose track of time while in the elevator. We can install mirrors, play music, or use interactive screens to entertain people and distract them from feeling bored.
“This simple measure has proved wonderfully effective in reducing complaints, because people tend to lose track of time when given something utterly fascinating to look at — namely, themselves.” From What’s Your Problem book
Conclusion
In this article, I shared one process — out of many — on creating a strong problem statement. Remember that this process is most successful when done with a small team. So, get your creative team members and start solving problems!
References
For more information on this topic, please check out the following resources:
https://www.youtube.com/What’s Your Problem? with Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg
https://hbr.org/are-you-solving-the-right-problems
https://kanbanize.com/lean-management/improvement/5-whys-analysis-tool
https://www.leadershipnow.com/leadingblog/2020/03/whats_your_problem.html
