Defining the User Problem
A Crucial First Step in Crafting a Seamless User Journey
In this article, we will look into one of the stages of designing products and experiences for users- defining the problem.
Start with the why.
Why is it important?
A good problem statement establishes clear and concise goals. At this point, you should have researched and talked to many users and summarised the feedback.
The next step, and where the problem statement comes in, is refining the problem that your particular product will solve.
Put simply your product cannot be everything to everyone.
In many cultures, there is an equivalent of saying that when you try to catch two birds with a stone you won’t get anyone.
That's exactly the same — if you focus on too many things, you risk diluting whatever you are building to the extent where it is okay for many customers, but not a great solution for anyone.
Defining the problem has another aspect. When done well it clearly defines constraints- i.e it tells you where to stop.
It is extremely tempting to get ahead of oneself and t continue to add just one more feature or do one more xxx. However, you might soon find that the project is outside of scope, late and expensive.
If we have not already convinced you with the arguments so far, defining the problem will also define the deliverables or the benchmark for success.
After all, you cannot decide if something worked or not if you do not have a measure for success.
How to define the problem
The best way to define the problem is through the problem statement. It should be like this:
[USER NAME] is a [CHARACTERISTICS] who needs [WHAT THEY NEED] because [INSIGHT]
This should give a clear description of the user’s needs. For example:
Sarah is a young professional who needs to sign up for a gym class because the spaces fill up quickly and she needs to plan her weeks.
What to look out for in problem statements
Align the problem statement to a particular pain point that you discovered through the research or user interviews. Unless you do, you might be solving a trivial problem for the user — a nice to have, and not a must-have.
Pain points are any UX issue or friction that frustrates the user and blocks them from getting what they need. Minimizing pain points keeps users happy and encourages them to keep interacting with the product. So, how do UX designers find and define pain points?
Often, if you ask the user themselves they might not beware of what these are. That’s where the assessment of interviews and active listening come in.
In general pain points fall into one of four categories:
- Financial, or money-related pain points.
- Product, which are pain points related to quality issues.
- Process, which are pain points related to the user’s journey.
- Support, which are pain points related to getting help from customer service.
For example say you have an executive, who is trying to find a dog walker but has trouble using the app. In this case, his pain-point would be process driven — ie unfamiliarity with tech.
Consider these points below when forming the problem statement.
These will help you understand the pain points from user’s perspective.
Who is experiencing the problem? Knowing your users and their background is key to creating successful solutions for them.
What are the pain points you’re trying to solve? Determining a user’s pain points early allows you to answer the rest of these questions and clarify the context of the pain points.
Where is the user when they’re using the product? A user’s physical context matters to your design.
When does the problem occur? Maybe it’s right after the end of a long and tedious process, or maybe it’s something that happens daily. Knowing when the problem occurs can help you better empathize with the user’s feelings.
Why is the problem important? Knowing how this problem affects your user’s experience and life will help to clarify the potential consequences.
How are users reaching their goals by using the product? Understanding how users reach their goals allows you to map the user journey that they take through your product.
To sum up the impact of problem statements
Problem statements provide clarity about your users’ goals and help identify constraints that prevent users from meeting those goals.
They can also be used to measure success
Understanding the exact problem points will help to make a product that your customers would want to interact with every day.
Thanks for reading! What are your thoughts?
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