1. Empathize: Understanding Human Needs
Empathy is the cornerstone of human-centered design. According to IDEO and the d.school at Stanford, empathy involves immersing yourself in the user’s world to understand their experiences, emotions, motivations, and unarticulated needs.
“You have to feel the problem before you can solve it.”
— Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO
Key Activities in Empathize:
Ethnographic observation (shadowing users in context)
In-depth interviews (open-ended, non-leading questions)
Empathy mapping (capturing what users say, think, do, and feel)
Journey mapping (visualizing the user’s end-to-end experience)
Goal: Gather qualitative data that reveals latent needs—those users may not even be aware of or able to articulate.
2. Define: Framing the Right Problem
Once empathy data is collected, the Define phase synthesizes insights into a clear, actionable problem statement. This is not about jumping to solutions but reframing the challenge in a human-centered way.
“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”
— Often attributed to Henry Ford (illustrates the danger of surface-level problem definition)
2.1 Definition of the Problem in Product/Service Creation
A well-crafted problem definition guides the entire design process. It should be:
2.1.1 Empathic, Challenging, and Operable Definition
| Criterion | Explanation | Example (Poor vs. Strong) |
|---|---|---|
| Empathic | Centered on the user’s emotional and functional reality. | ❌ “Users need a better app.” “Busy parents feel overwhelmed managing household tasks and need a simple way to coordinate chores without adding mental load.” |
| Challenging | Inspires creative solutions—not too narrow, not too vague. | ❌ “Improve checkout speed.” ✅ “How might we redesign the checkout experience so first-time online shoppers feel confident and in control?” |
| Operable | Actionable for the design team—clear scope, measurable outcomes. | “Make education better.” ✅ “How might we help high school students in rural Mexico stay engaged in online learning when internet access is intermittent?” |
2.1.2 Problem Definition Techniques
1. Insights of the Problem
Insights are non-obvious truths derived from empathy data.
They connect observed behaviors to deeper motivations.
Example: “Users don’t just want faster delivery—they want the peace of mind that their package won’t get lost.”
Tip: Ask “Why?” five times (the 5 Whys technique) to uncover root causes behind behaviors.
2. Kano Model
Developed by Noriaki Kano (1984), this model classifies customer preferences into five categories
| Category | Description | Impact on Satisfaction |
|---|---|---|
| Must-be (Basic) | Expected features; absence causes dissatisfaction | No delight if present |
| One-dimensional | Performance features; more = more satisfaction | Linear satisfaction |
| Attractive (Delighters) | Unexpected features; create excitement | High delight if present |
| Indifferent | Features users don’t care about | Neutral impact |
| Reverse | Features that annoy users | Decrease satisfaction |
Use in Define Phase: Helps prioritize which user needs are essential vs. opportunities for innovation.
Example: In a food delivery app:
Must-be: Accurate order tracking
Delighter: Surprise free dessert on rainy days
3. Value Creation: Pains, Gains, Delights (Inspired by Value Proposition Canvas – Osterwalder et al.)
This framework helps articulate what users truly value:
- Pains: Frustrations, risks, obstacles (e.g., “I waste time comparing prices”)
- Gains: Desired outcomes, benefits (e.g., “I want to feel I got the best deal”)
- Delights: Unexpected joys that create emotional connection (e.g., personalized thank-you note from seller)
Design Implication: A strong problem definition addresses core pains, enables key gains, and ideally introduces delightful moments.
4. Point of View (POV) Technique
A POV statement is a structured, human-centered problem definition format used by Stanford d.school:
[User] needs [Need] because [Insight]
Components:
User: Specific persona (not “everyone”)
Need: A verb-based, emotional or functional need (not a solution)
Insight: The deeper “why” revealed through empathy
Examples:
❌ “Students need an app to study.”
✅ “First-year engineering students need a way to quickly clarify lecture concepts because they feel lost after class and are too shy to ask questions.”
Best Practices:
Avoid solution language (“app,” “website,” “AI”)
Use active verbs (“feel,” “connect,” “understand,” “achieve”)
Keep it concise (1 sentence)
Academic Source: Kelley & Littman (2001) emphasize that a strong POV constrains the problem enough to be solvable but leaves room for creativity.
Synthesis: From Empathy to Actionable Definition
| Step | Output | Tool/Technique |
| 1. Gather raw data | Interview notes, photos, videos | Ethnography, interviews |
| 2. Identify patterns | Affinity diagrams, quotes | Thematic analysis |
| 3. Extract insights | “Users feel X because Y” | 5 Whys, insight statements |
| 4. Frame the problem | POV statement | Point of View template |
| 5. Validate scope | Kano + Value Map | Prioritization matrix |
Recommended Academic Sources
Brown, T. (2009). Change by Design: How Design Thinking Creates New Alternatives for Business and Society. Harper Business.
Osterwalder, A., et al. (2014). Value Proposition Design. Wiley.
Kano, N., Seraku, N., Takahashi, F., & Tsuji, S. (1984). Attractive Quality and Must-Be Quality. Journal of the Japanese Society for Quality Control.
Stanford d.school. (n.d.). Design Thinking Bootleg. https://dschool.stanford.edu/resources