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Unit 3: Define9 min read
The "Define" stage is a cornerstone of the Design Thinking process, bridging the gap between empathizing with users and generating innovative solutions. It's where raw research data transforms into clear, actionable problem statements that guide the entire design journey.
The Define stage is often referred to as the problem definition stage, where the true problem is identified and framed. It's a pivotal moment for several key reasons:
During this phase, critical considerations include:
The process of synthesis is about converting raw data from the Empathize stage into actionable insights. It involves making sense of observations, interviews, and surveys to uncover patterns and deeper understandings.
The key stages of synthesis are:
To facilitate this synthesis and organization, designers often utilize various tools:
A problem statement identifies the gap between the current state (the problem) and the desired state (the goal) of a process, product, or experience. Without a well-defined problem statement, design efforts lack focus, and it becomes difficult to communicate objectives to stakeholders.
A good problem statement is:
Problem statements can be framed from different perspectives:
From the User's Perspective: "I am a young working professional trying to eat healthily, but I’m struggling because I work long hours and don’t always have time to go grocery shopping and prepare my meals. This makes me feel frustrated and bad about myself."
From a User Research Perspective: "Busy working professionals need an easy, time-efficient way to eat healthily because they often work long hours and don’t have time to shop and meal prep."
Based on the Four Ws (Who, What, Where, Why): "Our young working professional struggles to eat healthily during the week because she is working long hours. Our solution should deliver a quick and easy way for her to procure ingredients and prepare healthy meals that she can take to work."
This method involves visually presenting all observations from the empathize phase in a shared space (e.g., a whiteboard, digital canvas). By grouping these findings, themes and patterns emerge, leading to the identification of meaningful user needs and insights.
Asking the right questions is crucial. The Four Ws provide a structured approach:
The 5 Whys technique helps you delve deeper into a problem by iteratively asking "Why?" to uncover the root cause. This technique is simple yet powerful for gaining profound insights.
Consider the example of the young working professional not eating healthily:
Problem: Young working professional is not eating healthily.
Why? → She orders takeaway everyday. Why? → Her fridge and cupboards are empty. Why? → She hasn't been grocery shopping in over a week. Why? → She doesn't have time to go to the supermarket. Why? → She works long hours and is exhausted. (Root Cause: Long hours and exhaustion impacting time/energy for meal prep.)
This simple tree structure helps trace the causal chain back to a core issue.
A Point-of-View (POV) statement is a specific type of problem statement that frames the problem in an actionable way for designers. It is focused on the end-user and designed to be inspiring, informative, and to guide innovation efforts.
A POV statement typically follows this structure:
Components:
Example POV Statement: "A financial advisor needs a way to have meaningful conversations with more clients because business grows through genuine conversation with clients – not through paperwork."
POV statements should have a manageable scope, providing enough guidance and constraints without being too narrowly focused on a specific solution or too broadly focused that it offers infinite possibilities.
Here's a C++ example demonstrating how a simple system might use user characteristics to derive a 'need', akin to generating part of a POV statement based on input data.
Explanation of the C++ Code:
This C++ code snippet simulates a very basic "need inference engine." It defines a UserProfile struct to hold user characteristics like role, pain points, and preferences. The inferUserNeed function then takes this profile and, based on predefined rules (similar to how designers synthesize insights), returns a potential core need for that user. This demonstrates how data points (user observations) are processed to identify a core problem or need, which is a crucial step before forming a complete POV statement.
Once you have a strong POV statement, the next step is to reframe it into "How Might We" (HMW) questions. HMW questions transform problems into opportunities for innovation, setting the stage for brainstorming and ideation.
For the financial advisor example:
Example: Rural Community Plastic Waste
Problem Statement: "A village community needs to decrease their use of single-use plastics and find better alternatives because it negatively impacts their environment."
HMW Questions:
Variations of HMW Questions (for deeper exploration):
The process of analyzing and organizing raw data collected during the empathize stage to identify patterns, themes, and actionable insights that define the core problem.
A concise declaration that identifies the gap between the current undesirable state and a desired future state, framing a user-centered challenge for designers to address.
A specific type of problem statement structured to explicitly articulate a user's descriptive characteristics, their core need (as a verb), and a compelling insight explaining why that need is important.
An iterative interrogative technique used to explore the cause-and-effect relationships underlying a particular problem, by repeatedly asking the question 'Why?' to get to the root cause.
Open-ended questions that reframe problem statements as opportunities for innovation, encouraging creative brainstorming by exploring various potential solutions and perspectives.
Test your understanding with 5 questions
Which of the following best describes the primary purpose of the 'Define' stage in Design Thinking?
A good problem statement is characterized by all of the following EXCEPT:
What are the three key components of a Point-of-View (POV) statement?
In the 5 Whys technique, what is the primary goal?
A team has identified the problem: 'Busy commuters struggle to find convenient and affordable healthy meal options during their workdays.' Which of the following is the best example of a 'How Might We' (HMW) question derived from this problem statement?
6 Modules
6 Modules