CX Strategic Knowledge · CX Methods
Problem statements (not user stories)
If your solution doesn't solve the problem statement, you're solving the wrong problem.
Problem statements are solution-agnostic, evidence-based, short, and specific, covering who, what, where, when, why, and how. Unlike user stories, they hold teams to the actual problem and give a validation test for every proposed solution.
A good problem statement carries no solution inside it. It is evidence-based, short, and specific, and it answers who, what, where, when, why, and how. That discipline keeps teams from smuggling a favorite feature into the problem definition.
Consider a membership service where a credit card expires: the account closes, there is no self-service way to update the card, the customer is forced through support, and the result is frustration and cost. Stated that way, the problem points to what any solution must fix, without prescribing one.
The statement then becomes the validation rule. If your solution doesn't solve the problem statement, you're solving the wrong problem.
Apply this
Reading about problem statements (not user stories) is one thing. Seeing where it applies in your journey is the useful part.