User-Centered Design: A Problem-First Approach
When designing new products or user experiences, it is essential to start by defining the problem that needs to be solved. Leading with solutions rather than identifying the problem can be a problematic approach to innovation. This approach can result in misaligned outcomes, wasted resources, and missed opportunities. A user-centered design method employs empathy, understanding the needs and challenges of the learners we serve, and imagining how things could be different.
Defining the problem is the first and most crucial step in determining the appropriate solution. It requires empathy and understanding the goals and unmet needs of the people you expect to use the product or engage in the experience you are trying to design —understanding that interplay is the first step in the creative process. It involves a clear description of all available facts, identification of users’ needs, goals, and desires, and a thorough examination of why the situation is considered problematic.
Technology tools alone should not be considered a solution themselves. Still, they represent potential ideas that could provide a solution. For that to be determined, a problem must be identified and well-defined before choosing a possible fit. Designing new products or services without considering the unique challenges faced by adult learners, such as time and financial constraints, deficits in technology literacy, and self-doubt, may lead to ineffective learning experiences. A solution-led approach can overlook underlying issues that need to be addressed, and you may end up with a solution that doesn’t effectively solve the problem, running the risk of causing additional issues and falling short of a resolution.
By identifying the issues first, the solutions developed can be more effective and closely aligned with their needs. It allows you to understand the needs of your users better, explore a broader range of potential solutions, and create a solution that may effectively solve the problem or lead to new solutions that will.
Once the problem is determined, the innovation process becomes a continuously evolving stream of iterations and improvements based on experience from previous attempts. It’s the problem-solving aspect of innovation and solution development that we often overlook, presuming the answers lay in new and emerging technology alone.
Inspiration & Further Reading
Iyengar, Sheena. (2023, June 6). Author Talks: Why problem-solving is the key to innovation. McKinsey & Co.
Maria, Rosala. (2021, Agust 22). Problem Statements in UX Discovery. Nielsen Norman Group.
