7 methods to validate and convert Vague brief in to a problem statement

How to really find a clear problem which can be solved. Being a designer, a lot of times we get a vague brief from the customer, from the client, or maybe your business owner, your manager or somebody. Right? So a lot of times the problem, what we wanted to really solve itself is not clear. It's in a very abstract format. How you can really find out whether it is a correct problem or we solve it or how we can structure into a proper method and find out, yes, this is what I'm really solving. And now I'll start my design process. Have you really found out any kind of a method? If not, this podcast is going to give you seven different methods. How you can validate is this a problem? What you're solving, and how you can derive from a vague brief into a clear problem statement to work on the process. Okay, with that we'll be starting this podcast. Welcome guys, welcome. So lot of times the problem is not having clearly defined problems to solve. Right? We work on some random stuffs. People randomly work on needs, wants, feelings, expectations, motivations of their user and think that is a problem. So how do you really structure a clear problem from a vague brief? Right. See, customer will not tell you, your client will not tell you. They don't have the design background. Right. But we have a clarity in our process. We need to develop that skill in order to find that clarity in what problem exactly we are solving. Okay, so the first thing is write this down in a paper. Whatever you're expecting, whatever you're asking from your client or customer, first write it down in your paper pen with your own hands. The act of writing something in your paper will automatically trigger lot of clarity in visualizing the whole problem. Rather than just reading somewhere or listening somewhere, just write it down. Okay, I'm going to be designing a solution for people who are having handicap, people who are having special challenges for them. I need to design a door. It needs to be lightweight, it needs to be more accessible in terms of color, and it needs to come in the weight of less than 10kg. If you're having this kind of a specific clear goals to solve for your thing, then you have found out the right problem. But many times you won't get it. That is why the act of writing down will trigger a lot of open areas to ask. Second is find whether the intuition is going to solve a problem. Whatever the customer is saying, okay, whatever the client is saying, find out the intention. It's not intuition, it's exactly intention whether it is solving a problem or not. See, we can't work in random stuff, right? We need to know whatever we are going to work, it's going to solve some problem. Always solution oriented. Remember, if it is not solution oriented, then you are doing something which is totally irrelevant, which is not related at all. So try to find out, okay? It's leading to solving a problem. Second way is to do that. That is what that is why you can able to ask the questions clearly to your customer, write it down in your paper and make sure whether it's solving any problem or not. Third is you need to have a measurable impact for it by really solving this problem. What kind of a measurable impact can we create? People will have a very healthy life. That's too generic. Can we have more specific? People can live 10 years more if you're. If they're using my health application, whatever I'm designing, people can live. People can lose their weight 20kg in just six months by using my method of diet plan. So that kind of a specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound should be there. I'm going to be solving this problem within six months. That's it. You can't have it for your one year or two year or three years. Right? Then you're not solving really problem. You're just doing your own project. So when you're able to use this smart, specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time, boundaries, clarity for your problem. Yes. You have found out the clear problem. This is the third way to validate. The fourth way to validate is ask your customer and validate with your customer. Once you've made this frame, once you made this framework and idea, show the customer. Yes. Is this what you really wanted to solve? Even the customer will be sometimes not telling you, but he will at least tell you. Okay, I think you're trying to solve the correct thing. This is what we wanted. Exactly. Our business is struggling with this problem only. Yes. Come on. Lot of times he will not tell you at that time. You need to approach your seniors, your experts or the people who did similar projects before. Or you can even conduct a workshop with your customers and clients so that you can extract lot many information from them. This is a great way to engage with your audience to find out a vague brief into a clear problem statement. This is a fourth way to validate it. The fifth way to validate this. It's very interesting guys. JTBD job to be done. See. Identify the core functionality and the emotional needs and wants of the people. I'll repeat again, identify the core Functionality and emotional need that users are really wanting to fulfill. If you are able to find out that 100% you found out the clear problem to solve for, the rest of the thing will automatically fall. See, don't focus on your solutions, focus on the outcome. Clarity in the problem. What is the outcome customers will be going to get? Customer will live a stress free life because of your solution. Don't work on what is the solution. That will come little later once your problem is very clearly identified. Then solutions could be a number. Okay, this is the fifth way you can validate it. The sixth way and the most interesting and my favorite is asking why and why and why and why and why. 5 why analysis like let's say if your customer is saying I wanted to become healthy, why you wanted to become healthy? Because I needed to live a life with my kids, with my parents, with my entire family. Why you wanted to live with your kids? Fam because for me family is important. Why your family life is important? Because I believe whatever professional success is happening, it's only because of family strength and happiness. So why is it really important for you over personal? Because I like my family more than anything else. If you go and ask why, why, why, why why? You will go to the answer. Either it will be because of love or people will tell you answer because of maintaining their status. Either two answers will come at the last. If you go that's the end of the 5y or even you can ask even more why also. Okay, 7 why also. But the thing is the end of the day people will tell you either they are doing it for love or they're doing it for keeping their status. If you're getting that answer, stop it and then think about what they said. Definitely you will find a clear root cause of your problem, what you wanted to exactly solve. This is the beautiful, proven successful method which I've been using for my projects and I recommend to my students to do it also. I do it live this five way analysis with my students in the mentoring session so that they will be able to find out real root cause of their problem in minutes. So this is called five way analysis. And the seventh one is make a flowchart. Create a kind of a rough prototype of this is what your problem is. Show something tangible in your workshop or collaborating with your clients or customers and get their feedback. If they say yes, this is what we are looking for. Yes, if you can able to provide this solution, we'll be more than happy. Then 100% chances are that you have found the exact problem to really solve one. So these are all the seven methods guys, let me repeat upon the first thing is writing down in a paper of what problem you wanted to solve. Second is finding the intention whether it is solving some real problem. If it is a vague brief, if it's really solving a problem, then it's correct. The third thing is measuring that impact using a smart format, smart specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time bound goals. Is it really meeting that thing? Then you are clarifying your problem. The fourth way is asking and validating with your customer. If your customer is not having the clarity, ask your seniors, mentors, experts or even conduct a workshop with your audience. And the fifth is jtbd, which is job to be done identifying the core needs for the people and emotional outcomes so that you will find the clarity in solving that problem rather than focusing only on solution. The sixth way is asking why, why, why, why why? Five why analysis and finding the root cause. And the seventh one is drawing a flowchart or a prototype to showcase to your customer whether whatever you thought is correct or not. So this is how you convert a vague brief into a clear problem statement to really work on. If you're not having clarity in design, guys, I'm sure you will not lead anywhere. You will put a lot of efforts, but you will get only small results. But if you understand the clarity in what you're trying to solve, you put small efforts and then you get greater benefit. You put small efforts but you get greater success. That is the power of having clarity. Okay, I hope this podcast would have given you some clarity if you found this useful. Give me a best training in Spotify and Apple. And if you wanted to take my mentorship to learn these things in a very detailed way to structure your problem to work on a problem. Even in a week's time, me and my students were able to solve problems using proven framework and methodology. What we're working on. If you wanted to really hop on to it, you're more than welcome. You can hit that. What do you think about this podcast? And you can send an email. I'll be more than happy to qualify you. If you're qualified, I'll be taking you for my mentorship program. Thank you so much guys. All the best. Take care. Bye bye.