PROBLEM DRIVEN APPROACH
"The Mom Test" by Rob Fitzpatrick is definitely an eye-opener for anybody who practices agile. It proposes a unique approach to get the most out of customer interviews. It examines bad interview questions, and explains why constructing good questions can help you pull the truth from your customers.
After understanding the concept, I began observing how colleagues and other startups begin their service design journey. I was amazed to see many people begin their journey by proposing a solution. The solution can never be a solution unless you can identify the problem and find the right people.
So before you put yourself in a wrong position, here is a guide that can help you get back to the track. I call this "Problem Driven Approach."
PROBLEM DRIVEN APPROACH
RULES:
- If you can't give clear answers, then the chance is you're not all that familiar with the problem, or it's too big to solve. If that's the case, you either need to go do some more research or break down the problem into smaller pieces (e.g. by segmenting the users).
- If you can't find any problems, then go find a bigger problem. Don't tell me there is none, because I know world hunger hasn't been solved yet.
QUESTIONS:
- Identify the Problem
- What is the problem?
- Who is having the problem?
- How are people avoiding or resolving the problem currently?
- What is the acceptance criteria?
- Quantify the Benefit of Resolution
- How many people are having the same problem?
- How often does the problem occur?
- Will the resolution bring other benefits? (Optional)
- Find the Cost of Resolution
- How many people are required to resolve the problem?
- How much time is required to resolve the problem?
- Will the resolution bring other problems? (Optional)
- Prioritize the Problem
- Evaluate the priority based on the benefit and cost.
It's interesting to note that none of these questions ask you "how to solve the problem." This is exactly the point of this exercise: it derails you from the track of "Solution Driven Approach."
