Design Thinking 101 · book page 108

Problem Statement

A canvas with the W questions (who, what, when, where, why, how) to formulate a shared problem statement and a baseline for measuring.

When to use it

In the empathy phase, when first research findings need to become a common understanding of the problem and the critical assumptions.

How to start

1. Answer the W questions: who has the problem, what is known, when and where it occurs, why it matters and how it is solved today.
2. Formulate the statement: How might we (re)design … for … so that … is satisfied?
3. Record the confidence level and the critical assumptions as a baseline for measuring progress.

The book explains the tool step by step, with examples of measurements.