Problem Statements
Problem statements help focus your project on the problem you’re trying to solve, as well as for your potential users/customers. It’s a great way to bring your persona to life in the context of your project, and only takes a few minutes. A good problem statement is focused and states the problem. It doesn’t attempt to outline a solution—that comes later.
[The name of your proto-persona]
needs a way to [user’s need]
because [insight]
We will know this to be true when we see [this quantitative / qualitative measure].
Charlotte (Financial Analyst)
needs a way to regularly track details of projects that involve multiple teams
because she works remotely and asynchronously with her team
We will know this to be true when we see that Charlotte can view the overall progress of her projects to make sure they are being finished on time.
Now that you’ve identified the problem, you’re ready to create a hypothesis statement. This is your first attempt at solving the primary problem of your persona. Don’t worry too much about getting the solution right the first time, it’s still early in the project. Simply use this as an opportunity to explore one potential solution.
We believe that by [doing this / building this feature / creating this experience]
for [the name of your proto-persona], we will achieve [this quantitative / qualitative outcome].
We believe that by creating a visually-oriented interface for project tracking across multiple teams instead of a text-based interface
for Charlotte, we will achieve having 20% more of Charlotte’s projects meet their deadlines.
Why did we have to brainstorm where they hang out and get their information from online? Niche communities, forums, group chats and FB groups are the best place to find people who are already researching about their problem or how to learn a specific place. There's a belief that posting frequently to Instagram daily will find you learners. Most Instagram users are not using the app to reach their learning goals and solve their problems. Focus on finding places where people are already researching a specific topic.
Define your 'Space'