Module 2: Define

Now that our team has an understanding of the problem space, we can attempt to define the problem. Begin by identifying ‘needs’ and ‘insights’. 

Needs are human physical and emotional necessities. Capture the goals and motivations of the person for whom you are designing. Needs should be listed as verbs, not nouns. We are looking for opportunities, not solutions. For example, if we see a man waiting at a bus stop, rather than saying, “He needs to catch the bus,” we might say, “He needs to go somewhere”.

Insights are the ‘why’ responses to the need. We can use our expertise and make inferences. We could also ask questions. If we could ask the man why he is waiting at the bus stop, he might tell us that he was meant to call his partner to pick him up but his phone is dead. This is an insight. He might not need to catch the bus, or a taxi, he needs to make a phone call. Insights give us an actionable direction to go on. Insights have the potential to lead us to truly novel solutions.

Draw on your empathy and research to list relevant needs and insights. There may be multiple needs identified. Your team can decide which need they would like to focus on first. 

Now we can create a ‘point of view’ statement that defines the user, their need, and an insight. We can also write this as a “how might we” statement. A how might we statement is optimistic and collaborative. It’s important to frame your exploration in a positive way.

Now we are ready to begin generating solutions.