Frame the problem
Point of view statement
Also called POV statement, Problem statement
A one-sentence problem statement built from a user, a need and an insight, so the team agrees what it is solving before solving it.
- Time20 to 30 minutes
- People2 to 8 people
- Steps4
What it's for
The statement reads: user, needs a way to, because. It forces three choices: who exactly this is for, what they need (a verb, not a feature), and the insight that makes the need interesting. Each part is easy to fudge alone and hard to fudge together.
A good one surprises someone on the team. If it reads as obvious, the insight is missing.
How to run it
Choose the user5 min
Describe a specific person and situation, not a market segment.
State the need5 min
Use verbs: what are they trying to do? Avoid naming a solution.
Add the insight8 min
What did you learn that makes this need matter or surprising?
Write the statement7 min
Combine the three into one sentence and read it aloud.
Tips
- If the need contains a feature ("needs an app that…"), rewrite it as the thing they're trying to do.
- Write a few statements and vote rather than debating one into shape.
Where it comes from
Taught at the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford (the d.school) as the "define" step of its design thinking process.
Pairs well with
How might we
Turn problems and insights into questions that start with "How might we", which invite ideas instead of arguments.
Hypothesis statement
Write an idea as a testable belief: what we'll build, for whom, the outcome we expect, and the signal that will show we were right.
Empathy map
A shared picture of one type of person: what they say, think, do and feel, built from research rather than guesses.