Week 29 - 💡 A Step-by-Step Guide to Crafting Killer 📝 Problem Statements
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Writing a problem statement is like trying to explain why your computer is broken to your grandparents. You know something's wrong, but you're not quite sure how to articulate it
POLL
💯 Framework // Concept // Mental Model
Product management is a complex and challenging role that involves many different tasks and responsibilities. One of the most critical tasks of a product manager is to frame a problem statement, which serves as the foundation for the entire product development process. In this blog post, Let’s go through a detailed overview of what framing a problem statement means, why it is essential for product managers, and the steps involved in creating an effective problem statement.
The Importance of a Problem Statement
Before we dive into problem statement templates, let's briefly discuss why a problem statement is essential. A problem statement defines the problem space and sets the foundation for the entire product development process. It helps to ensure that the product is developed with a clear understanding of the customer's needs and pain points. Without a well-defined problem statement, the product may not effectively address the customer's needs or be commercially viable.
Thumb of rule for a problem statement
One simple rule of thumb for writing a good problem statement is to avoid mentioning your product, service, or solution. If your problem statement includes any of these, then it's not a customer problem, and you risk developing a product that does not address a real need or pain point.
Bad Problem statement Vs Good problem statement
Bad Problem Statement
💡 Customers want to be able to pay bills using their smartphone camera.
This problem statement is not well-defined and lacks specificity. It is not a customer problem, but rather a feature request. It does not provide any insight into the current process or the limitations that customers face. Moreover, it assumes that the solution involves the smartphone camera, which may not be the best solution.
Good Problem Statement
💡 Customers who use their mobile phones for banking find paying bills tedious and the process of entering the details for each bill cumbersome, error-prone and time-consuming.
This problem statement is well-defined and provides specific information about the customer and their pain points. It identifies a specific problem with the current process and highlights the negative impact it has on the customer. It does not presuppose a solution, but instead directs the project to solve the underlying problems.
Let's take a closer look at what makes a good problem statement and how it differs from a bad problem statement.
The Characteristics of a Good Problem Statement
🤔 It Does Not Presuppose a Solution A good problem statement does not make assumptions about the solution. Instead, it focuses on describing the problem and its impact on the customer. By avoiding any preconceived notions of a solution, product managers can remain open-minded and receptive to new ideas.
👥 It Targets a Specific Customer Group A good problem statement identifies a specific customer group with whom the product manager can build empathy. It helps to understand the customer's perspective and tailor solutions that meet their specific needs. This approach can lead to more effective solutions and better customer satisfaction.
👀 It Reflects the Actual User Experience A good problem statement reflects the actual user experience and highlights the pain points that customers face. It helps to provide context and clarity around the problem, making it easier to identify and address the root cause.
🎯 It Directs the Project to Solve Underlying Problems A good problem statement helps to direct the project towards solving the underlying problems. By identifying specific obstacles and limitations that customers face, product managers can develop solutions that address those problems directly.
📈 It Provides Measurable Obstacles A good problem statement provides measurable obstacles (problems) to overcome and thus a way to measure the success of your proposed solutions and learn how to improve them.
The Characteristics of a Bad Problem Statement
🔒 It Presupposes a Solution A bad problem statement presupposes a solution, which can lead to a narrow-minded approach to problem-solving. It assumes that a specific solution is the best way to solve the problem, without considering other alternatives.
🙅♀️ It Is Not Customer-Focused A bad problem statement is not customer-focused and does not reflect the actual user experience. It lacks specificity and does not provide any insight into the customer's pain points or limitations.
🤷♀️ It Is Not Well-Defined A bad problem statement is not well-defined and lacks specificity. It may be too broad or too narrow, making it difficult to develop effective solutions. It does not provide enough context or clarity.
Types of Problem Statement Templates
There are several types of problem statement templates that product managers can use. The most common types include:
1️⃣ The Five W's: This template is based on the journalistic principle of asking the five W's (who, what, when, where, why) and one H (how). The template asks questions such as "Who is the problem affecting?" and "What is the impact of the problem?".
2️⃣ The Business Case: This template focuses on the financial impact of the problem. It asks questions such as "What is the cost of the problem?" and "What is the potential revenue opportunity?".
3️⃣ The User Persona: This template focuses on the user and their needs. It asks questions such as "What are the user's pain points?" and "What are the user's goals?".
4️⃣ The SMART Problem Statement: This template focuses on creating a problem statement that is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. It asks questions such as "What is the specific problem?" and "What is the timeline for solving the problem?".
Let's take a look at some example products and go through different types of problem statement templates for each of them.
1️⃣ The Five W's Template
Example product: SpotHero.
The SpotHero app helps commuters reserve and pay for parking spots ahead of time, reducing the time spent looking for a spot.
Who: Commuters What: Difficulty finding parking at train stations When: During peak commuting hours Where: Train stations in urban areas Why: Inefficient parking management can lead to missed trains and late arrivals at work How: By developing a mobile app that allows commuters to reserve and pay for parking spots ahead of time, reducing the time spent looking for a spot.
💡 🧐 Problem Statement: Commuters face difficulty finding parking at train stations during peak commuting hours in urban areas, which can lead to missed trains and late arrivals at work.
2️⃣ The Business Case Template
Example product: SwipeSense.
SwipeSense is a hand hygiene monitoring system that tracks staff compliance and identifies areas for improvement in hospitals and healthcare facilities to reduce hospital-acquired infections during a patient's stay.
Who: Hospitals What: High rates of hospital-acquired infections When: During the hospital stay Where: Hospitals and healthcare facilities Why: Hospital-acquired infections can result in patient complications, longer hospital stays, and increased costs How: By developing a hand hygiene monitoring system that tracks staff compliance and identifies areas for improvement.
💡 🧐 Problem Statement: Hospitals have high rates of hospital-acquired infections during a patient's hospital stay, which can result in patient complications, longer hospital stays, and increased costs.
3️⃣ The User Persona Template
Example product: MyFitnessPal.
MyFitnessPal is a fitness tracking app that allows users to set goals, track progress, and receive personalized recommendations.
Who: Fitness enthusiasts What: Difficulty tracking progress towards fitness goals When: During workouts Where: In the gym or at home Why: Inefficient tracking can lead to discouragement and abandonment of fitness goals How: By developing a fitness tracking app that allows users to set goals, track progress, and receive personalized recommendations.
💡 🧐 Problem Statement: Fitness enthusiasts face difficulty tracking progress towards their fitness goals during workouts in the gym or at home, which can lead to discouragement and abandonment of fitness goals.
4️⃣ The SMART Problem Statement Template
Example product: Spotify
Spotify is a music streaming platform that provides users with access to millions of songs, podcasts, and other audio content from around the world.
Who: Music lovers and users of the Spotify app What: Difficulty discovering new music and creating personalized playlists When: During music listening and playlist creation sessions Where: In the Spotify app Why: Inefficient music discovery and playlist creation can lead to user frustration, decreased user engagement, and lower customer retention rates How: By developing an advanced music recommendation algorithm that takes into account user listening history, user-generated playlists, and other relevant data to generate personalized music recommendations and improve playlist creation tools. Example product: Discover Weekly and Daily Mix playlists on Spotify.
💡 🧐 Problem statement: Spotify users struggle to discover new music and create personalized playlists efficiently, leading to decreased user engagement and retention. By improving the music recommendation algorithm and playlist creation tools, Spotify can provide users with better personalized music recommendations and help them create playlists more easily, improving user engagement and retention.
By using problem statement templates, product managers can create effective and targeted solutions for a wide range of problems. These examples demonstrate how problem statement templates can be applied to real-world products to improve the customer experience and drive business success.
🎧 Podcast
https://podcast.thebrieflab.com/episode-159-crafting-a-clear-problem-statement/
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