Unit 2 · Lesson 8 of 20
Frame a problem worth solving
Write a focused problem statement from patient and staff evidence.
01 / Learn
Learn the method
Fictional case
The team has mapped the task, observed patient questions, and checked receipt and staff queue timing.
Terms for this lesson
- Problem statement
- A concise account of the affected person, task difficulty, and consequence.
- Evidence ledger
- A record of observations and sources supporting the statement.
- Scope
- The people, situations, and service steps covered by the work.
A problem statement gives a team a shared account of who is affected, which task matters, what difficulty appears, and why the difficulty matters. It describes the current experience in a way that permits several possible solutions. The statement can guide further research and design discussion.
Build the statement from evidence already gathered. In this case, Mira receives a kiosk message before reception sees her arrival. During the delay she asks whether check-in succeeded. Staff spend time verifying her status. The service receipt, queue timestamp, and field note establish different parts of this sequence.
Name the consequence in terms of the task. Mira remains uncertain about her next step, and staff handle a verification request. Record the remaining uncertainty separately: the team still needs to learn how often the delay affects patients and how lobby signage shapes their expectations.
A focused statement makes the next design stage easier. It identifies an experience to improve while leaving room for message changes, queue changes, and a staff-support route. Revise the statement as the team learns more about the service.
Use the method
- Name the person and the task they are trying to finish.
- Describe the observed difficulty and its consequence.
- Attach supporting evidence and a question that can refine the scope.
A strong problem statement describes an observed task difficulty and its consequence while leaving solution options open.
- Nielsen Norman Group: Problem Statements in UX Discovery ↗Frame affected people, the problem, and consequence while leaving unproven causes open.
- GOV.UK Service Manual: User research in discovery ↗Explore current behavior and the full service before proposing a solution.
- GOV.UK Service Manual: Analyse a research session ↗Move from notes to observations, findings, and actions in clear steps.
02 / See the reasoning
Worked example
The team writes: 'Patients who check in at the kiosk may seek staff confirmation during the interval between a service receipt and the staff queue update. This creates uncertainty about where to wait and adds verification work for reception.' They attach the field note and timestamps. They also record a research question about how often this interval produces a reception visit across different clinic sessions.
Try a decision →03 / Decide
Guided decision
Which statement gives the design team the most useful starting frame?
Feedback on your choice
What could change the answer: Observation across quieter sessions may show a different reception pattern and narrow the problem to specific times or patient groups.
Use this feedback to examine your choice and written reasoning.
Build your case file →04 / Build the case
Your case file
Fictional case update
Reception staff also report that the entrance sign directs some patients toward the desk before they reach the kiosk.
Evidence and constraints
- Fictional observation: Mira asks reception for confirmation after reading Done.
- Fictional log: the service receipt arrives in three seconds and the staff queue updates 70 seconds later.
- Fictional operations note: reception staff answer check-in status questions during the queue interval.
- Fictional setting: the entrance sign directs arriving patients to reception.
Revise the problem statement to include the sign as a possible influence. Keep the current evidence and the next research question visible.
Create: A concise problem statement with an evidence ledger and one priority research question.
The statement names the patient task, the observed difficulty, the consequence, and a meaningful uncertainty.
- The statement uses supplied facts.
- The consequence includes the patient and staff experience.
- The next question can refine the scope of the problem.
The problem statement gives the design unit a clear target and room for several possible responses.
Unit complete
You completed diagnose and frame problems.
You finished this unit's four case-file tasks. The next unit builds on the evidence and decisions you made here.
05 / Keep working