Back in my university days, my Marketing Research professor made a point that has stuck with me through my career: are you addressing a problem or a symptom?
In this particular instance, he was referring to how to pose a research question for a focus group; however, this is significant irrespective of discipline or project stage. In the (phenomenal) Startup Study Group Slack, one of my fellow students asked if pivoting multiple times before launching was a bad thing. Of course it isn’t! We rushed in to assure him that it’s a natural thing to do, but was there more actionable advice that could be given? I thought so.
A very helpful member noted that the focus should be on the problem, rather than the solution. I instantly recalled those words of wisdom from school: focus on the problem, not the symptom.
But what is the difference?
What is a symptom?
A symptom is anything that happens as a result of a problem. You can get quite meta if you abstract too far (i.e. pain is a consequence of life, therefore life must be erradicated — slow down Terminator) so it’s important to set some bounds around your focus.
Example time!
You go into the doctor with a headache. You are having some trouble with your vision. You are running a fever.
If these are the things you tell your doctor, and she is symptom oriented, she might say: Here is an aspirin. Wear these glasses. Put this cold cloth over your forehead.
Problem solved? Heck no!
Recognizing that you are dealing with a symptom can sometimes be difficult, especially when you are approaching a problem from a new angle. Many startups enter a space claiming to solve the same problem, or a slightly reframed problem, as their competitors. While it’s fine to enter a space as a competitor, it’s difficult to build a unique selling proposition when you are, essentially, selling the same thing repackaged!
Identifying A Symptom
The most tried and true method is the 5 whys method. It helps you cut through the horseheck of what your consumer says his problem is and gets you closer to the problem.
Identifying a problem simply means you can’t go deeper or it isn’t significant to move any further without addressing a particular symptom. Wait — so now a symptom can be a problem? Remember that meta thing we talked about earlier? All problems are entangled in this cause-effect chain; in effect, pretty much everything we deal with will be a symptom, but some symptoms are significant enough that you cannot further diagnose until remedying. To make things easier, we will call these immediate problems.
It’s example time again!
Doctor! I ahlakhlalihglanlkckajlg *vomit emoji*.
You what? I cannot get to the root of your issue if you keep throwing up the contents of your stomach onto my otherwise pristine floor. — saith said doctor.
Doctor Dooverylittle has run into an immediate problem here! If he doesn’t stop the vomiting, he won’t be able to diagnose any further.
How Do I Solve Problems?
In this information rich age, many patients aren’t going to the doctor to let them know that they have a headache, unclear vision, and a fever. They are going to the doctor to let them know they need aspirin, glasses, and a cold cloth.
It is up to you to work backward from proposed solution to symptom to the root of the problem. When your client tells you the color they chose 4 months ago needs to change, perhaps it’s just being used too much or too little. When your customer tells you there need to be more checkout lines and staff, perhaps the scanning and bagging process can just be made more efficient.
Oftentimes, you don’t have the resources to ask 5 whys from the same user or you can’t achieve a sample size that is large enough to return significant data. It’s important to develop personas and think critically about how different people can approach a problem and what symptoms might arise. This goes well beyond UX Designers. Content creators, teachers, and street performers need to ask why people aren’t reading to the end, students aren’t retaining information, or pedestrians aren’t putting you on their Instagram Stories. And keep asking why. Ask until you hit a roadblock! Usually that’s the time to start thinking of solutions.
Don’t apply bandaid solutions to surgery problems.
If you can take a “why first” approach to problem solving, you’ll see sudden and significant changes in your solution generation phase. I recognize that it’s a very simple methodology that just seems to good to be true, but is it easier to question your initial impression, colleague, your boss — or is it easier to assume the problem and prioritize a quick solution. I can tell you from experience that one is more costly.
Stay curious and, as always, hit the 💚 and share Share SHARE if you like what you read! Thanks for allowing me to be part of such an amazing Medium community, my fellow readers. 🙏🏾
