Design Better How Might We Statements

It is widespread for us all to wrestle with the DEFINE stage of design thinking as we try and seek out a well-defined how might we statement. This might be true of your team, or perhaps your students struggle with writing a clear How Might We (HMW) statement.

If we have fully committed to the previous EMPATHY stage, we have a bucketload of data and insight for our design challenge. We are also switching our thinking mode and mindset from divergent to convergent. That change can often be tricky. We are attempting to make sense of the information we have gathered. The DEFINE phase brings clarity as you make connections and see some directions to explore.

But how do we know we have clearly defined a problem? What makes a good HMW statement from a great one? What should we focus on when offering critique to improve them? What do we know works best in this phase?

In this post, I have gathered together some of my key recommendations to improve your problem defining efforts. These are my top strategies and tactics for navigating the DEFINE stage of design thinking and creating compelling how might we statements.

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Is The Problem Worth Solving?

We develop how might we statement in the DEFINE stage of design thinking. The problem should clearly state and define a genuine need or issue. Whatever happens next has to be worthy of your time and creative effort. Your defined problem should coherently represent the issue you are addressing and the learning you have experienced so far.

Once you have some examples, a good question is: How do we know this is the issue we need to resolve? This question will force you to connect back to the previous work and justify your choices.

The Goldilocks Problem

My standard approach to developing an HMW statement, or critiquing them, is to use the Goldilocks Principle. You can use this to offer feedback and review the versions and ideas you have created. We are looking for a balanced problem statement. Not too narrow and not too broad. It has to be just right.

A narrowly scoped challenge won’t offer enough room to explore creative solutions. And a broadly scoped challenge won’t give you any idea of where to start.

(DesignKit)

Consider the following HMW statement about adapting and changing the physical learning environment. Notice the different versions and how each iteration broadens or narrows:

HOW MIGHT WE change the classroom to provide my students with more opportunities for choice in their learning? (Too broad)

HOW MIGHT WE change the room layout and types of chairs to provide my students with more opportunities for choice in their learning? (Too narrow)

HOW MIGHT WE make small changes to my learning space this term to provide my students with more opportunities for choice in their learning? (Just right)

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Start and Iterate

Developing a powerful HMW question is an iterative process and takes tweaks and many versions. It is easy to get stuck wondering where to start. Perhaps you are looking at all the interviews you did or student data you have gathered and begin to feel overwhelmed. My best advice is to get started writing some HMWs down, and then you can refine and iterate as you go.

What is your 4th Word?

Focus on the fourth word. The imperative, the fourth word, signals the action. We use the How Might We structure, so the fourth word is the first choice you have in crafting a problem. Consider what action you want from this creative problem-solving process.

Is this aligned with what we are trying to achieve? Is it aligned with the needs of the people we have interviewed? “How might we encourage” is very different from “How might we direct.”

Language Inspiration

Explore word banks and vocabulary sets to support students with fourth-word choices. I sometimes use Bloom’s Taxonomy verbs as a good starting point.

Explore the verbs from the taxonomy. There is plenty of inspiration and options to consider.

It is powerful to have alternatives to our stock language: create, help, support, make, implement. Sometimes more nuanced word choice helps capture our intentions better.

Breadcrumb Trails

Keep it connected to the EMPATHY phase. Ask yourself: where is the evidence for this focus in the data we gathered? Which insight or experience tells me this is a real need? Force yourself to articulate the breadcrumb trail back to the EMPATHY stage again and again. That will help you develop a rigorous and well-defined problem, not just something in response to your bias or interpretation.

Stick to a Template

Use the HMW template to help comprehensively build each element of the statement. Explore the quality of the different parts as well as the overall idea and how it reads. What are we trying to communicate with each element? Who are we helping?

Focus on Your Intended Impact

Pay attention to the part of the statement that signals your intended impact, the “In order to…” element. What change are you looking for? Share feedback about the desired effect we are seeking from this process. Consider how it is aligned to the needs of the people at the centre of the issue.

A great provocation for problem framing is to finish the sentence, “It’s not right that.” This helps us focus on impact, unmet needs and genuine problems people are facing. Thanks to Annie Parker for teaching me this back when I ran the Google Teacher Academy in Sydney in 2014.

It’s not right that________

Fill in the blank

Resist Excessive Wordsmithery

Try not to wordsmith the problem statement too much. We can easily get bogged down in the language and start to split hairs over small changes. Yes, I know this might seem to contradict the use of word banks – design thinking is full of tensions.

Remember this problem definition phase is there to help you. We are not writing to impress others. Be clear and concrete in your writing style and try to avoid too much jargon and abstractions. Does it represent the needs of the people we have connected with? Is our intention clearly stated?

Take the time you need

Please don’t rush this phase, as it will have a knock-on impact on the remaining process. I have seen many design thinking processes grind to a halt because of a lack of investment in the DEFINE phase. There is no need to rush to ideas. Take your time to identify a significant unmet need and define it clearly.

A clearly focused problem statement invariably yields both greater quantity and higher quality solutions.

(Stanford d.school)

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One of the most powerful ways to know whether you are on the right track with the problem DEFINING phase is to listen to your team’s reactions and trust your judgment. If the problem you have defined is a genuine reflection of the needs of the people you are trying to help, you now have the responsibility to CRACK ON and figure it out.

Let me know what resonates, and if you would like some independent critique on your ideas, email me your HMW statements. I would be happy to help.

Some other readings worth exploring

• Download the PDF template guidelines and ensure each step has been explored thoughtfully. (See below)
• Design Kit (including a short video link) 
• Stanford d.school – Method – How Might We questions.
• “How Might We” Notes – Yasith Abeynayaka – Medium.
• Framing and Re-framing the problem
• Up and Down the Ladder of Abstraction

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Download a FREE Problem Framing Resource (PDF)

I have updated and refreshed my popular Problem Framing Resource, which hundreds of design thinkers use to support their work in the DEFINE stage of DESIGN THINKING. You can download a FREE copy of the PDF below.

Download a free copy of my Design Thinking – Problem Framing resource by subscribing to my small but perfectly formed newsletter, the Dialogic Learning Weekly – ideas and insight about Innovation, Leadership and Learning.

• Step by step process and detailed instructions for you to follow.
• Key provocations to challenge your thinking.
• Space to iterate and create multiple versions.
• A tried and tested template for writing HMW statements.
• Graphic organiser structure.

Download your PDF

Featured photo by Thanos Pal on Unsplash