PROBLEM DEFINITION IN THE DESIGN THINKING PROCESS

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Problem discovery

Problem discovery is the process of identifying and understanding the problems and needs of customers that a company is trying to satisfy through its products or services. This process involves in-depth and continuous research to obtain relevant information about customers and their needs. In the problem discovery phase, entrepreneurs focus on finding out what problems their customers have and what their unmet needs are. This information allows them to develop products or services that satisfy their customers' needs more effectively and efficiently.

Problem discovery also allows entrepreneurs to avoid making the mistake of developing a product or service that does not meet the needs of their customers, which can lead to business failure. Moreover, by focusing on customers' problems and needs, entrepreneurs can improve the user experience and increase customer loyalty. It is important that you understand that it is a need or a problem (see+), this guy can help you a lot.

Why is Problem Discovery important in entrepreneurship?

The Problem Discovery is crucial in entrepreneurship because it allows entrepreneurs to identify and understand the real needs and problems of their potential customers before launching a product or service on the market. By understanding customers' needs and problems, entrepreneurs can create solutions that actually solve those problems and meet those needs, which increases the likelihood of success for their business. In addition, Problem Discovery, helps entrepreneurs avoid investing time and resources in developing solutions that no one needs or wants, which can result in wasted time and money. In short, Problem Discovery helps entrepreneurs create solutions that really matter and have a significant impact on the market.

Steps to apply problem discovery

HERE ARE THE STEPS TO APPLY PROBLEM DISCOVERY:

1. Identify the problem: the first task in problem discovery is to identify the problem. Entrepreneurs must begin by understanding the problem they are trying to solve. It is necessary to analyse the market, research consumers and understand customer needs.
2. Establish a team: it is necessary to assemble a team of people who can bring different perspectives to the table. It is important to include those who are familiar with technology, design and business strategy.
3. Create an action plan: Once the problem has been identified and the team has been assembled, an action plan should be created. The plan should include short- and long-term objectives, as well as a detailed timeline.
4. Research: additional research should be carried out to better understand the problem and the customer's needs. This may include interviews with potential customers, competitor analysis and market testing.
5. Validation: After collecting information and analysing the data, it is important to validate the problem. Validation involves getting feedback and opinions from potential customers and seeing if the problem is important enough to solve.
6. Solution: Once the problem has been validated, work on the solution can begin. The team must work together to create a solution that is effective and solves the problem efficiently.
7. Prototyping: After creating a solution, a prototype should be created. The prototype can be used to obtain additional feedback and opinions from customers.
8. Implementation: Once all of the above stages have been completed, the solution can be implemented. It is important to continue to gather feedback from customers and make adjustments as necessary.

It is important to remember that the problem discovery process is not linear and there may be a need to adjust the process as new information is obtained.

What tools can be used in the Problem Discovery process?

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF TOOLS THAT CAN BE USED IN THE PROBLEM DISCOVERY PROCESS, AMONG THEM:

1. In-depth interviews: is a research technique that provides in-depth knowledge of the needs and problems of potential customers.
2. Focus groups: are focus groups that allow valuable information to be obtained from participants about their needs and problems.
3. Surveys: are questionnaires used to collect information from a wider group of people.
4. Social network analysis: allows you to analyse customer behaviour patterns and opinions on social networks.
5. Empathy maps: are visual tools to understand the emotions, thoughts, behaviours and needs of customers.
6. Competitive analysis: This is a technique that allows one to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the competition and how they can be used to improve one's own product or service.
7. Trend analysis: allows you to identify trends in the market and anticipate future customer needs.

These tools can be used in a complementary way to obtain valuable information about customers and their needs in order to develop products and services that truly meet their demands. The definition of the problem is the second step, Define Stage, in the Design thinking process. Once we have identified the causes in the previous step of empathising (see link), it is time to establish a clear statement of the problem faced by the client. As entrepreneurial design thinkers we must cover all the answers obtained in the empathy phase. A good capacity for synthesis is necessary, gathering all the answers and bringing them together in a simple and coherent statement of the problem. It is a phase in which it is necessary to focus, while in the empathy phase you have learnt as much as possible, in this one, we analyse, synthesise and make decisions.

Why define?

THE DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM IN THE DESIGN THINKING PROCESS IS JUSTIFIED FOR MANY REASONS:

• It clearly places the problem to be defined in the right focus.
• It is an activity that inspires the team.
• It provides us with references that help us to develop further ideas.
• It places the team in a common framework that allows the team to make decisions in parallel.
• It attracts will and generates positive emotions around the project.
• You learn while you act (learn by doing (ver+)).
• Focus on innovation and creativity. 

Techniques for defining:

We review a number of techniques useful for problem definition in the process of Design Thinking (see+).

UNDERSTANDING THE EXPERIENCE

The first step is to understand in depth what has happened in the previous phase (see+).

SHARING STORIES

Share what we have experienced in the previous phase. Post-its are particularly helpful in this phase. If possible, put verbatim sentences from the interviewees. A distinction must be made between the opinions of the interviewees and those of the interviewers. We will highlight the profound why of the interviewees (clients) in relation to what they do and what they feel. 

SATURATE AND CLUSTER

Avoid repetition or similarity of answers. Refine by grouping responses into categories. (Also called clustering). This does not mean that we should waste the nuances we get in the answers. So don't throw away any post-its!!! We are in a phase in which interaction between people and intuition play an essential role. There are no absolute truths and divergent criteria may appear when it comes to grouping and none is better than the other. So, there must be a collaborative spirit. In any case, it is not advisable to spend too much time on this activity.

Identify the user (customer):

PERSONS

To identify the user we can resort to a technique similar to that of the buyer persona when we define a target audience in the marketing plan. The idea is to imagine characters inspired by real characters with similar profiles and behaviours. It is a useful formula when analysing several groups of users. Each person is assigned an image and a name, and underneath, we explain what the character does and what he or she feels in relation to the problem we want to solve.

• Example: 

• • In a hospital dialysis department the users are the patients, the nurses, the doctors.
  • The characters we identify are "Francisco" a patient who is always angry and does not see the future with optimism, "Juana" is also a patient, but optimistic and very vital, "Pedro" a nurse who loves his job and is always very attentive to his patients, "Antonio" is a doctor about to retire. 

END USERS

In this case, we resort to the same person technique. This exercise is very interesting and consists of coming up with characters that, although they do not represent the average, can provide us with very interesting ideas.

• For example:

A doctor who has had a personal experience with his father takes special care of his patients.  

HIGHLIGHTING THE NEEDS

It consists of reproducing the empathy map for each of the people identified in the previous point: common user and extreme user. Once chosen we consign with TIPs what he thinks, what he says, what he does, what he feels.

ARTICULATING INSIGHTS

It is a key moment in the process of defining the problem in Design ThinkingWe have to extract all the insights.

"Insight is "a penetrating and often sudden understanding, as of a complex situation or problem".

An insight is a unique and relevant point of view of the user. 

• For example:

In a session aimed at improving the quality of life of caregivers, the following insights emerged:

• • "This has altered my life plans".
  • "My life is not going the way I wanted it to go".
  • "I am very angry.
  • "I left my boyfriend to take care of my grandfather".
  • "It's not just my problem, it's my family's problem".

These are phrases that help us to get to know the customer and their needs more deeply. It also brings out hidden aspects of people's way of thinking. Insights are the key to finding solutions to problems. They are the basis on which that the product or service is built. 

POINT OF VIEW, POV

HOW THE STATEMENT OF AN INSIGHT IS CONSTRUCTED IS AS FOLLOWS:

The (customer/user) wishes/needs (desire/need ) because (insight).

• One example:

"The customers of this restaurant (users) need information on the ingredients used in the menus. (need) because they are afraid of possible allergic reactions (insight). From this structure, we can play on a whiteboard making different combinations of users, needs and insights. In the end we must ask ourselves questions that trigger the creative process: What can we do to ensure that the customers of this restaurant can place their orders in a relaxed manner and without fear of allergic reactions?

It is important to keep in mind that the creative response we give in the future varies depending on the wording of the POV.

It is not the same to say that: "pensioners in this school should take vitamins because it is good for their health".

What to say: "the pensioners of this school should take vitamins because it will make them healthier and more beautiful.".

These different responses may lead to different strategies. So much for the problem definition step in the process of Design Thinking (see+). Let's move on to the ideation phase.