💎 Crystallizing problems
#21: Practical step-by-step in understanding problem
Understanding a problem is an essential part of solving any problem. It might seem easy, but actually, it's not, and being good at it can help you and your team solve any problem effectively towards a successful solution.
Here’s a simple framework inspired by Julie Zhuo (ex-VP of Product Design at Facebook), there are three fundamental questions that you should ask to help you crystallize a problem:
What people's problem are we trying to solve?
How do we know this is a real problem?
How will we know if we've solved this problem?
1. What people's problem are we trying to solve?
It’s the first and foremost question you have to answer. Can you see the people in the question? It’s because you have to focus on the needs of the people affected by the problem.
[User] Who are we building for?
[User Problem/Need] What is their pain point? What is the unfulfilled need?
[Desired Outcome] What is their motivation & goal?
Example:
Users: Patients and Doctors
User Problem/Need: They experience technical difficulties when the connection is weak, which can result in dropped calls. When the call drops, they must go through a process to reconnect. Some of them just abandoned the session.
Desired Outcome: They expect the app to function smoothly even when the connection is weak and to quickly and easily reconnect if a call does drop.
Put them together: Our patients and doctors are experiencing technical difficulties when the connection is weak, which can result in dropped calls. When the call drops, they must go through a process to reconnect. They expect the app to function smoothly even when the connection is weak and to quickly and easily reconnect if a call does drop.
2. How do we know this is a real problem?
I always add one more consideration here, which makes it: How do we know this is a real problem AND worth solving? These two things are essential since we will always have problems, then which issues are best for you to tackle to be prioritized?
Tip: You can’t answer these questions by yourself. Typically it’s a team discussion.
[Evidence] How do we know if this is a real problem?
Quantitative and qualitative[Reach] How many people will be impacted? e.g., Every patient who uses this feature will see this improvement. The reach is 100k users every quarter.
[Impact - Business Outcome] How much will this impact our business? e.g., Massive impact, high, medium, low, minimal
[Effort] How much people and time must we dedicate to solving this problem? Does our team have the capabilities? e.g., High effort, medium, low
[Confidence] How confident are we with our estimates? e.g., High confidence, medium, low
Example:
Evidence: Based on feedback, NPS scores, and customer service chats, patients have been complaining about an uncomfortable experience when the connection is weak.
Reach: We currently have a reach of at least 10k patients every quarter who are experiencing call drops.
Impact - Business Outcome: Medium impact. The possible impact could be increased patient satisfaction, leading to better customer retention and positive word-of-mouth referrals—however, only 10% of patients who use the app experience call drops.
Effort: High Effort. This might include developing a completely new system to handle weak connections, and the effort and resources required are beyond the team's current capabilities.
Confidence: Low confidence. After assessing the effort required to solve the problem and the potential impact of doing so, we have relatively low confidence in tackling this problem.
3. How will we know if we've solved this problem?
To know if we've solved the problem, we need to set measurable targets to track and use as evidence. These targets should be specific, measurable, and aligned with our desired outcomes. By keeping our eyes on these markers, we can stay focused on our progress and know when we've succeeded in solving the problem.
[Signals] What can we look at as indicators?
[Metrics] How can we quantify/measure the success?
Example:
Signal: Leaving a 5-star rating, good reviews, and finishing a session.
Metrics: To measure our success, we can use a range of metrics such as the NPS score, patient satisfaction rating, the number of completed sessions, and the reduction in abandoned sessions.
Let’s put them together
Our patients and doctors are experiencing technical difficulties when the connection is weak, which can result in dropped calls. When the call drops, they have to go through a process to reconnect. They expect the app to function smoothly even when the connection is weak and to quickly and easily reconnect if a call does drop.
Based on feedback, NPS scores, and customer service chats, patients have complained about an uncomfortable experience when the connection is weak.
We currently have a reach of at least 10k patients every quarter who are experiencing call drops.
The possible impact could be increased patient satisfaction, leading to better customer retention and positive word-of-mouth referrals—however, only 10% of patients who use the app experience call drops.
This might include developing a completely new system to handle weak connections, and the effort and resources required are beyond the team's current capabilities.
After assessing the effort required to solve the problem and the potential impact of doing so, we have relatively low confidence in tackling this problem.
To measure our success, we can use a range of metrics such as the NPS score, patient satisfaction rating, the number of completed sessions, and the reduction in abandoned sessions.
Wow, that’s plenty!
Even if you don't put them into a beautifully constructed sentence, I encourage you to examine the problem you are trying to solve with these three fundamental questions: What problem are we trying to solve for people? How do we know this is a real problem? How will we know if we have solved this problem?
Remember, the most crucial thing is to scrutinize how you think about the problem.
Tip: After thinking logically and accurately for each question, you can use ChatGPT to perfect your problem statement. Use prompt: Check logical and meaning
Find similar resources in my Design Handbook: Frameworks and Tools for Thinking
This handbook offers frameworks and tools to help designers and creatives think critically, generate new ideas, and solve complex problems.
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