problem-definition
Help users articulate problems clearly before pursuing solutions, using frameworks from 91 product leaders.
- Guides users through understanding current framing, identifying struggling moments, separating problems from solutions, and validating problem urgency
- Covers eight core principles including avoiding the shiny object trap, prototyping to define problems, and spending more time on problem understanding than solution design
- Includes diagnostic questions to uncover user context, workarounds, and specific moments of pain, plus flags for common mistakes like solution-first or technology-first thinking
- Distinguishes between business problems and customer pain points to prevent misaligned product decisions
Problem Definition
Help the user define problems clearly before jumping to solutions using frameworks from 91 product leaders.
How to Help
When the user asks for help with problem definition:
- Understand the current framing - Ask how they're currently thinking about the problem
- Dig into the struggling moment - Help them articulate the specific context where users feel stuck
- Separate problem from solution - Ensure they haven't conflated a desired feature with the underlying need
- Validate the problem matters - Help them confirm the problem is urgent and widespread enough to solve
Core Principles
Digitizing analog isn't enough
Bret Taylor: "Why use this instead of the Yellow Pages? It was a digital version of something that had come before." Simply digitizing an analog predecessor often fails because it lacks a native reason to exist on the new platform. Ask "why should a customer give this the time of day?"
Prototype to define the problem
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