The solution is the problem.
Early on in the program, our mentor shared that we are deeply ingrained to provide a solution before we have a good understanding of the problem that we are attempting to solve. We jump to conclusions. We want to show that we are quick-witted and intelligent.
How true is that? His comments brought back memories of how I prepare for exams and how I did in exams during my first year of university. I majored in Mechanical Engineering at NUS. Most of the time it would be the norm to not finish answering all the questions, let alone answer all the questions correctly.
I thought to overcome the time constrain, I’ll train myself, such that I go into this “click, whirr” mode, where I assume what the question was trying to ask by recognizing only keywords in the problem statement and, within the shortest time possible, jump into answering the questions. In my preparation, I would practice several past year papers and time myself while doing them. It worked for some but not for all. Our professors were creative, they crafted the scenario of the problem similar to past year papers and intentionally tweak the question only slightly. Because of my “click, whirr” mode, I manage to answer all the questions, but they were mostly wrong.
Right now, as we are conducting interviews for market validation purposes and to build a business model for our idea, I realize I have a strong tendency to trigger that “click, whirr” mode again. I came up with so many ideas but, at the end of the day, they don't all seem to be very relevant. Now, what makes the situation so much worse is that the problem is not as clearly defined by someone else from the get-go as in the exam papers. If it was in the exams, we can always refer back to the question and spend time to understand the problem. Now, I have to define the problem and find a solution to the problem.
How to define the problem?
Find a possible customer segment. Conduct desktop research. Then conduct interviews. From the desktop research, gather background information about the industry and the customer. Then, use those background information to create conversation starters or an ‘excuse’ to reach out to the customer. The pieces of information gathered from online reports are not enough to define a problem, they tend to be generic which covers the broad strokes of the industry. It is important to get feedback from the ground.
During the interview, ask questions, stay open-minded, and listen. Most importantly, refrain from providing any solutions. As the customer begins to open up and share more about themselves and their business, the problem should become clearer. The customer can help to define the problem.
Defining the problem is an iterative process, not a linear one.
