Unlocking User Insights
Mastering the Art of Hypothesis Creation
In this article, we will explore hypothesis statements. What they are and why they are useful in building your product.
Before we go ahead, it would be useful if you read the article about problem statements if you have not already.
We’ll wait 😴
Welcome back! Let's get started
What is a hypothesis statement?
This is the third step in learning about the customers.
In the first step, you emphasize the customers learning as much about them and their pain points. The second step is all about defining a problem statement — a clear description of user needs and pain points to be addressed.
A hypothesis statement is an educated guess about what you think the solution to a problem might be. It is about considering how your designs can alleviate their pain points.
Hypothesis statements don’t have a single standard formula to follow, but there are two common methods you can use.
- if / then format
For example: if Katie downloads the wedding planning app, then she can quickly pick her perfect venue.
Another way to frame the problem :
- we believe format
For example, we believe that easy access to venues for Katie will increase her satisfaction
These might seem similar but there is a subtle difference.
If/then statements focus directly on the needs of the user, while we believe statements also take the perspective of your team in the account.
Note that you might encounter situations where there are multiple hypothesis statements for one problem and that's fine. Each problem might have more than one solution.
What makes good hypothesis statements?
Not all hypothesis statements are created equal.
- Keep it human—centred. We are not making stuff for machines… Yet 😐
- Don’t be too narrow. It should be broad enough to allow some freedom and experimentation
- It does need to be narrow enough to be solved by a practical design solution.
You want to frame the problem but let the team do whatever they feel is needed within that framing.
How to create a hypothesis statement
Try writing these in three easy ways:
- Determine an action that could be taken to solve your user’s need and enter this as the “action” in your template.
- Specify the outcome that you expect from the “action” and enter it as the “outcome” in your template.
- If necessary, reword your if/then statement to make your hypothesis more flexible.
If Katie downloads the wedding app, she can filter by the venue mood and location to the station.
Instead of using this if/then statement, you could also write the hypothesis statement in a more flexible way, like:
Katie needs an app that allows her to check the distance to train stations and check the vibe of the place.
Note: Both of these assume that Katie ( or equivalent) has said that venue’s vibe and is close to the station were important.
Here you go. Hypothesis statements are crucial for understanding the problems of the user.
Thanks for sticking to the end ! Let me know what you think.
This is a work in progress and your feedback is SUPER important! ♡
Read the next step here:
