How to improve your problem framing skills

Do your innovation projects end with less-than-stellar results? It can often be caused by moving too fast through the 'define' phase of the Design Thinking approach, resulting in vague, undefined problem statements. Organisations must think beyond Design Thinking as just an execution tool, but instead as a constant mindset and practice embedded into daily team workflows, to invite more curiosity and inquiry, and to navigate any business challenge (not just the sexy 'innovation' ones). This talk explores how the value of better problem framing can drive results throughout your organisation at all levels.

Learn how to connect research and ideation better, and extract more innovative ideas using a mix of practical visual collaborative problem-framing techniques
Be better equipped at deciding when to apply different approaches (e.g. Lean Thinking vs. Design Thinking) for better productivity
Improve how to identify and prioritise business opportunities using impact analysis

Transcript

1. If you see something, say something Improve your problem framing skills to unlock better productivity and better solutions BEN CROTHERS Principal Design Strategist
 Atlassian @bencrothers Author
 Presto Sketching and Draw in 4! @prestosketching
2. HOW MANY PROBLEMS DO YOU SEE? Q
4. WHAT IF I ASKED: DO YOU SEE A PROBLEM? ! COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SORT OF RESPONSE
5. What I’d like to cover Designing for business impact What is problem framing Divergent framing Convergent framing 3 things to try
6. Photo: Benjamin Child, https://unsplash.com/photos/GWe0dlVD9e0
7. DESIGN FOR EFFICIENCY DESIGN FOR IMPACT
8. DESIGN FOR EFFICIENCY DESIGN FOR IMPACT ↑ Revenue and profit ↑ Brand equity ↑ Shareholder value ↑ Customer effectiveness ↑ Customer satisfaction ↑ Customer advocacy ↑ Acquisitions and subscriptions ↑ Upgrades and LTV ↓ Churn ↑ Staff satisfaction ↓ Staff churn
9. DESIGN ACTIVITIES FOR GREATEST IMPACT Adapted from: The Business Value of Design (McKinsey) and The Value of Design (Design Management Institute) Analytical leadership Continuous iteration Cross-functional capability Holistic mindset
10. THE MOST CRUCIAL PART FOR DESIGN IMPACT DEFINE EMPATHISE IDEATE PROTOTYPE TEST
11. THE MOST CRUCIAL PART FOR DESIGN IMPACT DEFINE ? EMPATHISE IDEATE PROTOTYPE TEST Also the least understood
12. PROBLEM FRAMING IS IMPORTANT, BUT… What problem are we trying to solve here? JUST ABOUT EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO WIN IN A MEETING “
13. ‘DEFINE’ IS NOT JUST ABOUT PROBLEM FRAMING DEFINE EMPATHISE IDEATE PROTOTYPE TEST
14. ‘DEFINE’ IS NOT JUST ABOUT PROBLEM FRAMING DEFINE Scoping Sense making Goal setting Scenario mapping Problem framing Trust building Scoping
15. SOME PARTS WE’RE FAIRLY GOOD AT… DEFINE Subject matter expertise Research results Lived experience Business goals and targets Other dependent projects Constraints Assumptions Sense making Goal setting Scenario mapping Problem framing Trust building Scoping
16. …OTHERS, MAYBE NOT SO MUCH DEFINE Subject matter expertise Research results Lived experience Business goals and targets Other dependent projects Constraints Assumptions Sense making Goal setting Scenario mapping Problem framing Trust building Scoping
17. PROBLEM FRAMING Problem framing
18. WHAT IS PROBLEM FRAMING
19. HOW WE’D LIKE PROBLEM FRAMING TO BE
20. HOW PROBLEM FRAMING USUALLY TURNS OUT
21. PROBLEM FRAMING PATTERNS MAKE IT EASIER 1 2 3 4 Identify 
 the problem Diagnose 
 the problem Summarise 
 the problem Distil 
 the problem
22. IDENTIFY 
 THE PROBLEM 1
24. Who Who is experiencing this problem? What is their role? Why What is the goal that they are trying to achieve? What What are the specific parts of the problem? When What triggers the problem to happen, or to get worse? Basic pieces of a problem
25. Support calls take too long Why? Who? What? When? ‘REPORTING’ ON FAKE PROBLEMS We need a portal for customers to upgrade their subscriptions We need a wall Who is affected most here? Why now? What metrics do you think will move, if we solve this? What’s at stake if we don’t do anything about this? What are we really optimising for here? Will it scale? Q Q Q Q Q Q
26. DIAGNOSE 
 THE PROBLEM 2
27. 5 Whos Perspective analysis Diagnose the problem 5 Whys Root cause analysis 5 So whats Impact analysis
28. Who is experiencing the problem? What are they saying, doing, thinking, and feeling about this problem? 5 WHOS - PERSPECTIVE ANALYSIS Say Do Think Feel
29. What are the consequences for each person? Find connections to known metrics and business goals. 5 SO WHATS - IMPACT ANALYSIS
30. MAP YOUR PROBLEM SPACE
32. MOVING FROM SEEING THE PROBLEM TO SAYING THE PROBLEM 1 2 3 4 Identify 
 the problem Diagnose 
 the problem Summarise 
 the problem Distil 
 the problem
33. SUMMARISE 
 THE PROBLEM 3
34. MAKE CONNECTIONS, TELL STORIES
35. User type wants to goal. To achieve that, she has to task(s). But when trigger happens, she has problem. There’s an impact, and it has this effect on her. SUMMARISE THE PROBLEM AS A PROBLEM STORY
36. PROBLEM STORYTELLING CAN UNITE ALL THESE ACTIVITIES Sense making Goal setting Scenario mapping Problem framing Trust building Scoping User type … …wants to goal. To achieve that, she has to task(s). But when trigger happens… There’s an 
 impact, and it has this effect on her. …she has a problem.
37. EXAMPLE: UNKNOWN DEPENDENCY PROBLEM Sense making Goal setting Scenario mapping Problem framing Trust building Scoping Project manager … …wants to know how her project will be affected by other teams’ projects. To achieve that, she: - Searches on Confluence and Jira for project plans - Pings several people to find out who is best to ask But when search function yields nothing, and people don’t answer on chat straight away… If there are delays, or she upsets others, she takes her frustration out on giving us - Low NPS score - Low ‘top task’ score …she faces delays, or just has to guess and move on.
38. DISTIL
 THE PROBLEM 4
39. User type has problem when trigger. REFINE THE PROBLEM INTO A SUCCINCT STATEMENT Making It Right, by Rian van der Merwe
40. THE PROBLEM STATEMENT IS THE POSTCARD OF THE HOLIDAY Scoping Sense making Goal setting Scenario mapping Problem framing Trust building Scoping User type has problem when trigger.
41. BUSINESS STRATEGY WON’T WAIT FOR OUR DEFINE STAGE
42. SPREAD THE ‘DEFINE’ LOVE AROUND
43. Design as a SERVICE MAP YOUR DESIGN MATURITY Design as a FACILITATOR Design as a PARTNER Design as a NAVIGATOR IMPACT OF DESIGN ADOPTION OF DESIGN
44. EXPOSE THE FAKE PROBLEMS OPTIMISE FOR TRUST TELL STORIES IN METRICS
45. 3 THINGS 
 TO TRY
46. 3 THINGS TO TRY Use the 4Ws as a conversation Try the Who, What, Why and When as a dialogue, to expose fake problems, and clarify focus. Do a ‘problem sprint’ Give yourself and your team 1-3 days to go deep on 
 5 Whos, 5 Whys, and 5 So whats. Make connections, tell stories, talk about the problem in different ways. Break your groupthink Invite someone else outside of your regular group, and hear their perspective: help desk, customers, anyone! Step-by-step problem framing play Google this
47. Do a ‘problem sprint’ Give yourself and your team 1-3 days to go deep on 
 5 Whos, 5 Whys, and 5 So whats. Make connections, tell stories, talk about the problem in different ways. Break your groupthink Invite someone else outside of your regular group, and hear their perspective: help desk, customers, anyone! Google this Type this in Step-by-step article Use the 4Ws as a conversation Try the Who, What, Why and When as a dialogue, to expose fake problems, and clarify focus. 3 THINGS TO TRY
48. Do a ‘problem sprint’ Give yourself and your team 1-3 days to go deep on 
 5 Whos, 5 Whys, and 5 So whats. Make connections, tell stories, talk about the problem in different ways. Break your groupthink Invite someone else outside of your regular group, and hear their perspective: help desk, customers, anyone! Google this Type this in Just do this Use the 4Ws as a conversation Try the Who, What, Why and When as a dialogue, to expose fake problems, and clarify focus. 3 THINGS TO TRY
49. BEN CROTHERS Principal Design Strategist
 Atlassian Author
 Presto Sketching and Draw in 4! @bencrothers @prestosketching