Problem rundown activity

Your team like to jump to solution? Use this activity to reflect together

Our brain is intrinsically lazy due to the history of evolution. We tend to conserve energy by avoiding decisions or rushing to a solution. The psychologist has a name for this: law of least effort.

People with no problem-solving skills will think about the solution by default. Some companies "have a long list of features, and when it launches, and nobody uses it, people are scratching their heads wondering why," said Chris Carter, the founder of MeYou Health.

The alternative is to reflect with the team, which I call this activity a problem rundown. By reflecting with the team, the dynamic is less your thinking vs. their thinking. But it's our thinking. Here's what it looks like:

Our users are _____(users)___
Their goal is ____(job to be done)____
Their struggles are ____(pain points)____
We know this true because ____(data / observation)____
Solving this will be great for our users because ________
and also benefit our organization because ________

Going through this statement exposes the team to reality. When I facilitated this on one of the teams, a product manager told me that he suddenly realized his team never knew the users' struggles. 

The activity leads to an alignment of the problem.

Now, go. Break down your problem with the team.

How to scope product design work

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