Define a clearly articulated problem statement
Define a clearly articulated problem statement
The MURAL Problem Statement Template, created by the Design Sprint Academy, helps you to better define the problem you are solving for your customers based on a deeper understanding of their needs.
The template is divided into two parts: The first section is built to collect your ideas across four categories:
Once you’ve conducted this part of the exercise, it’s time to craft your problem statement. Use the feedback you’ve gathered and fill in each prompt in the second section of the template as clearly and concisely as possible to create your problem statement.
A problem statement is a brief description of a problem that needs to be solved. It should be specific and focused, and it should state the problem that needs to be solved without going into too much detail. A problem statement should be no more than a few sentences long.
Creating a problem statement is part of Design Thinking methodology, which emphasizes understanding and empathy for your customers so that you can create experiences that address their needs.
The first step in creating a problem statement should be to conduct user research. This gives you direct feedback from your customers that keeps guesswork out of your process and informs your framing of the problems facing your users at every stage.
Creating a problem statement is an important step in the process of solving real-world problems. By carefully considering the problems your customers face, you gain a greater understanding of context. When you create a problem statement, it allows you to gather and organize your feedback into clear categories, building the foundations for actionable next steps.
To use the template, gather all stakeholders together and fill in the information for each section. The sections of the problem statement template are:
Once you have filled out all of the sections of the template, you will have a clear and concise problem statement that you can use to guide your work.
The five steps are:
Problem statements allow you to clearly define, communicate, and scope solutions that directly impact your customers. By creating problem statements, you will have the opportunity to more thoroughly examine your customers’ needs, and build empathy and understanding, which are the foundations of great products.