Last week we created problem statements utilizing our knowledge about our scope and project. Instead of using a group brainstorming method where we all put sticky notes on the board, we individually wrote problem statements and then shared them with someone in a different group for feedback.
I found this to be a very helpful way to move forward in the project without judgment and explore where I thought the project could go. I think our problem statements ended up reflecting either insights from people we interviewed, gathered observations from, or the part of the paper we were ‘owners’ of. For example, I immediately defined the user or consumer as a social, but introverted. This reflected one of my interviewees. This choice focused on people who would be less likely to meet people in a new city in their day to day lives – either in a bar, coffeeshop, or just on the street. This addition of introvertedness drew the scope back to the housing industry. The rest of the user description was a basic description of our scope which was that they are recent grads who have recently moved to a new city.
From there my teammates and I took different paths. During the last phase, personas and journey mapping, our project took a shift and we began to look at commuting and work life. My teammates took this route, while I again wanted to hone in on fostering community at home, especially for an introvert who may be less likely to want to leave their neighborhood after a long day. So, my need statement became: need a way to create and maintain lasting relationships in their neighborhood.
Finally, came the why – because they crave community and feel like they lost that after moving away post-grad. Apart from the first week of college or so, throughout young peoples’ lives they are constantly surrounded by people they love and a sense of community. Going from this to being alone in a city and needing to completely start over, I wanted to focus on a sense of loss.
Sharing our problem statements with people in different groups was a really fun and helpful exercise. I found that I was helpful to my teammate because while she had been working on her topic and scope for months, I was out of the loop. I helped her clarify things I was confused about because I wasn’t in her group. I also found it helpful to answer her questions and to explain my thought process behind each phrase to hone in on what I would need to explain to my own teammates.
My refined problem statement
Introverted, but social, recent grads who’ve recently moved to unfamiliar cities need a way to create and maintain lasting relationships in their neighborhoods because they crave community and feel like they lost this after moving away post-grad into lonely apartments.