Framing Your Insights With a “How Might We” Statement (Part 2)

Design Thinking is an iterative process that designers use to generate design solutions to problems. By understanding this process, you can expand your offering to clients. The process is visualized by the Design Council’s Double Diamond. The overall process combines identifying the user’s needs and pain points, then solving them based on what’s technologically feasible and commercially practical.

In last month’s Monthly Dose of Design, we introduced the topic of Design Thinking. In the second installment of our four-part Design Thinking series, this month we’ll discuss the process’s ‘Define’ phase. Here we’ll discuss how to form a ‘problem statement’ and a ‘How Might We’ statement. Combined, these statements lead to brainstorming and eventually creating ideas. The Define phase shapes the entire problem-solving process. This then enables researchers to successfully exit the first diamond and begin innovating.

 

 

What is the Define Phase?

The Define phase forms the brief for the next phases. You start by gathering the research collected in the previous Discover phase. You then synthesize it into a problem statement – a statement that clearly defines the challenge you’re trying to solve. A clear problem statement means you, your team, and your stakeholders can align on a user-centric, common goal.

How to write a problem statement

There are no specific steps to writing a problem statement. However, there are areas which you should identify with based on your research. For example:

Youths

Persona, character, role

Need to be online

Action, situation

Because they enjoy being connected and having fun

Aim, need, outcome

But they also realize that the internet can be addictive and is a place where bullying occurs, causing anxiety and low self-esteem.

Restriction obstacle, friction

A Problem Statement’s Common Areas Are:

1. Persona – The persona is your problem statement’s focus. Essentially who you’re designing for. For example, businesses, people, products.
2. Action – Based on your research, list what tasks the persona is trying to accomplish or the situation that requires completion. For example, increasing revenue, eating ice cream, improving an existing platform.
3. Need – Why does this action matter and what leads to these needs that the persona is looking to accomplish? From here try to understand the importance of why this problem needs to be solved, and what value a solution to it will bring the persona. For example, income, happiness, useability
4. Obstacles – What’s the problems and pain-points? Stating the obstacles helps you look in-depth at what you must overcome and parameters to operate in. For example, a competitive market, health problems, budget.

Defining the challenge – ‘How might we’

Once you know what the problem is, you must construct a ‘How Might We’ statement to frame the design challenge that’ll solve your problem. This means questioning your insights and framing them to uncover and explore new ideas.

These are often used to launch brainstorms and generate ideas in Design Thinking’s Develop phase. By asking a How Might We statement, you can generate alternative ideas for tackling a problem.

“Every design challenge at IDEO begins with a “How Might We?”
Navigating between the overly general and too specific.”
Tim Brown, Executive Chair at IDEO

How to form a ‘How might we’ statement

There are no specific steps to forming a How Might We statement. However, the width of framing the problem is vital.

A properly framed How Might We statement doesn’t lead you towards an intended solution. However, it gives you the perfect space and parameters to think creatively. The challenge of creating a How Might We question lies in framing your design challenge in its sweet spot.

If the design challenge is framed too broadly, there’ll be too many factors in place. This will make your problem too difficult to solve. However, if the design challenge is too narrow, it hinders the new idea’s development. For example (in the context of youth cyberbullying):

Framing your problem too wide: How might we help youths be relaxed
This statement is too wide as too many factors are involved. Furthermore, it has no stated medium that narrows down where youths want to relax.

Framing your problem too narrow: How might we control and lock phones of youths to prevent anxiety
This statement is too narrow as it’s confined to locking and controlling phones. This will limit your ideas to this small space and gives limited creative freedom to come up with new ideas.

The sweet spot: How might we help youth be conscious while being connected
This statement is just right. You know you’re working in space where youths are being connected – narrowing the focus to several devices. Furthermore, the decision to state the challenge to “help youth be conscious” could range from controlling them to educating them.

Conclusion

As simple as a ‘How Might We’ statement might be, the value it provides is to give you focus and a unique perception of the problem to help you generate ideas creatively and effectively in the Develop phase of the Design Thinking process.

Next month…

In next month’s Monthly Dose of Design, we will explore the next phase of the double diamond, Develop, and discuss key tips for idea generation.

Header Image: Silvan Arnet, Unsplash