In the discovery phase of a UX project, a problem statement is used to identify and frame the problem to be explored and solved, as well as to communicate the discovery’s scope and focus. The better a problem is articulated, the easier and more effectively it can be solved.
What’s a Problem Statement?
A concise description of the problem that needs to be solved.
- It’s a helpful scoping device, focusing the team on the problem it needs to explore and subsequently solve.
- Problem statements are also great communication tools; well-written ones can be used to gain buy-in from stakeholders on why it’s important to explore & solve the problem.
How to Use Problem Statements
Use your problem statement as the starting point for structuring your discovery work
- Once you have a discovery goal, it becomes easier to know what unknowns need research
- As you begin discovery, you can always revisit the problem statement and refine it
- Update it if the discovery changes direction or if new areas of interest are highlighted through exploratory research
Problem Statements
A concise description of the problem to be solved
How to Write a Problem Statement
Include the background of the problem
- Which organization or department has the problem and what is the problem?
- The people affected by the problem.
- How the problem affects the users
- If the problem is not fixed, what will be the effect on the organization? What can be the reputational damage to the company?
Problem Statements Don’t Need to Be Negative
Opportunity statements can also be used
- In an opportunity statement, we need to highlight the gap between where we are now (the present state) and where we want to be in the future (the desired state)
- A good question to ask to highlight this gap is: What do you want to achieve?
