I've heard it said, "To learn a new truth read an old book." Today I want to tell you about a conversational skill that I learned from an out-of-print book that I absorbed many years ago. What I learned positively impacts my design leadership work to this day. The skill described in this book is a proven game-changer for me as I face the predictable challenges that occur in leading groups of people on the journey of product and solution design. It also measurably improves my ability to connect with people in my personal life. Anyone can learn this skill. Mastering it is a lifelong and worthy pursuit. It provides a clearer understanding of issues and what to do about them. As a result, design conversations stay on track when issues occur. They get identified with greater understanding...and they get resolved. If you want more confidence in how to handle issues when they occur, the life skill taught in an out-of-print book, and that I introduce in this video, will absolutely help you in your work and throughout your life. The big takeaways
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As a solution designer or marketer, tuning into the context and experience of a person in a predicament is fundamental. There is no side-stepping these questions:
A cogent, well-crafted problem statement answers these questions and provides clarity of context to solution designers and product marketers. Why a Problem Statement Is ImportantA problem involves a person in the context of a specific predicament. The problem is the raison d'être for any solution under consideration, and by extension, the gold for which the solution designer is mining. A person experiencing a problem expresses it through emotion. Describing the circumstances that are causing that emotion, in words a user would use however strong or subtle, provides a foundation of empathy through which to envision an ideal solution. It is important to not overlook the emotion because it creates personal resonance with the problem and with the solution being marketed. A problem statement depicts the moment of opportunity when a transformational solution would make all the difference in a person's quality of life. Problems Lead to SolutionsFrom a marketing perspective, borrowing a concept from Pragmatic Marketing, a “market” is a group of people who share the same problem. Therefore, understanding and clearly defining the problem is the cornerstone of any solution to be created and/or marketed. This makes a highly refined problem statement or set of statements all the more valuable. Who needs or uses problem statements?
How To Create a Problem StatementHere is an effective way to create a statement that expresses an understanding of the context and the problem so that it informs and influences solution designers and architects. A problem statement is a sentence or a small set of sentences that includes these descriptive elements:
Actual Statements and Mad-Lib Styled Templates You may be fortunate and have the ability to describe the problem statement by simply transcribing what you have actually observed people say in the context of experiencing a problem. That's a preferable way in which to produce a problem statement. But, if you don't have that form of recall handy, or if you need some help constructing a statement that can be easily understood, then some fill-in-the-blank templates might prove helpful to help demonstrate what this looks like. To that end, here are some Mad-Lib styled templates:
Examples Here are two examples of problems statements based on conversations I've had and observations I've had in just the past day:
Best Practices and Pitfalls to Avoid
How To Create an Ideal Solution StatementAn ideal solution statement is a sentence or two that:
Examples Here are ideal solution statements based on the aforementioned problem statements:
Best Practices to Use and Pitfalls to Avoid
Practical ApplicationAn ideal solution statement can easily feed into agile development practices in the form of a user story. User stories are used in agile application development solutions as a means of creating a backlog for product development. The user story that is widely practiced in agile communities reads like this:
Here is how our example statements can be transformed into a user story that can be used by an agile development team:
In addition to user stories, the problem statement described herein offers a richer contextual insight for solution designers to understand how the problem is experienced by an envisioned solution user. The combination of a problem statement and an ideal solution statement increases the potential for designers and architects to empathize with the problem. This insight improves their ability to design a solution that resonates with the intended user. It also improves the ability for a product manager to strategically position the solution in the market, communicating with resonance through marketing channels and sales efforts. Want More?Subscribe to my free blog updates to receive content that vividly describes the techniques and leadership skills that embody the practice of agile design methods. The blog contains not only my ideas on the topic but the insight of others who actively work and thrive wholeheartedly in the realms of collaborative creativity and solution design.
![]() When asked authentically, this three-syllable question creates connectedness, trust and understanding with anyone, even a person you have just met. This matters because empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, is an essential ingredient in the process of designing solutions for people. How can we understand how others are feeling unless we ask? Asking the question unlocks the potential to observe problems that would otherwise go unobserved. This is a gold mine of understanding for solutions designers. "How's Your Day?"So, I routinely ask this question of people because:
So often, our daily existence and interactions are framed by disconnectedness and distrust. Asking this question to someone else is so counter-cultural. Consequently, it produces a measurable shift in the environment and it creates a sense of trust and connectedness. One of my favorite contexts to ask the question is while getting things done on the phone, standing in line or chatting online.
Try It and SeeUnderstanding how people in the world are feeling is easy. Just ask them. They'll tell you. Listen to them and learn what problems they are experiencing. It will inform your design decisions.
When the woman you are talking with senses that you care enough about her to ask how her day is going, it breathes fresh life into the conversation, even if she is having a bad day. Somehow when you care enough to ask, it reaffirms her humanity and causes her to reflect on how she's feeling. If we, as solutions designers, practice this kind of authentic caring, listening and learning on an ongoing basis, we tap into a limitless supply of priceless insight for free by simply exercising a common courtesy towards another person. Your empathy for people and willingness to be vulnerable enough to go there immensely affect your solution design. - Chuck Subscribe to my free blog updates that contain not only my ideas on the topic, but the insight of others who actively work and thrive wholeheartedly in the realms of collaborative creativity. I hope you'll get a lot of benefit from it. |
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About Chuck Boudreau(boo'-dro) - I help people design solutions collaboratively using agile design methods. I have 30+ years of experience in designing software solutions and business processes, leading cross-functional process improvement teams as a business analyst, and helping product managers define and position products using Pragmatic Marketing. I am passionate about user experience design, dog training, beating drums in musical ensembles and collaboratively creating solutions with people. ![]()
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