Problem Statement

What is a Problem Statement?

If I had only one hour to save the world, I would spend fifty-five minutes defining the problem, and only five minutes finding the solution.”- Albert Einstein.  A Problem Statement is a description of what user issue you are trying to address. Although the word “problem” does normally does normally provoke a negative connotation, the problem statement does not have to be a pain point. It can also be a goal your user is trying to achieve through your product/site/service.

Why Create a Problem Statement?

You can’t solve a problem until you’re asking the right question. Imagine you are designing and building a custom house, but you don’t know the needs or desires of the buyer. Or maybe you are making a wedding cake, but you don’t know the amount of guests or even favorite flavor or allergies of the bride and groom. You wouldn’t get very far. In order to help your user meet their goals or solve their frustrations, you must first understand what the problem is. The problem statement provides you with a clear focus for your product, service or site and aligns your efforts to your user’s needs.

How to Create a Problem Statement

There are different ways that you can address a problem statement including using the “How Might We” method. However the key points to remember are that the problem statement should no address more than one problem, should not assign cause or blame and should not offer a solution. The purpose of this statement is to define the issue and based on the statement develop innovative solutions. One way to create your problem statement is to answer the following questions:

• Who: Who is trying to achieve this goal or is affected by this issue?
• What: What happens or needs to happen?
• When: When is this occurring or when does it need to occur?
• Where: Where does it happen or where does it need to happen?
• Why: Why is it important that this is addressed?

Once you answer these questions. Compile the information to create your problem statement.

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