Myself and Luis Medeiros moderated a discussion on Clubhouse around the topic of Problem Framing and Reframing, with useful tips on how to write better problem statements, how to ensure you’re solving the right problems, and raise the awareness of decision biases.

2. Problem Framing
If you’ve been working on team, you have
most likely at some point in your career asked
people around you what is the problem we
are trying to solve here?
Created by Itamar Medeiros @designative www.designative.info
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The Problem with
Problem Statements
We tend to jump to quickly into solutions,
and not spending enough time contemplating
the problem.
We also often make the mistake of putting
ourselves into a corner by framing problems
around solutions.
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You have 2 minutes to
design a vase
design a better way
for young families to
enjoy flowers in their
home
Rettig, M., (2010) “Design a Vase”, in "An evening of conversation about Design, Interaction, Work and Life“,
May 25th, 2010, IxDA Gathering, 399, Pu Dian Road, Pudong New District, Shanghai, 200122, P.R. China
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5. Created by Itamar Medeiros www.designative.info
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Is this really the
problem or are we
Just treating the
symptoms?
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#letstalkdesignstrategy
Design a way to
stop bicycles from
falling while kids are
still learning how to
ride one.
Design a better
way for kids to
master balancing
while they are still
learning how to
ride a bicycle.
Product or Task Focus Experience or Outcome Focus

8. Created by Itamar Medeiros www.designative.info
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Is this really the
problem or are we
Just treating the
symptoms?
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9. Created by Itamar Medeiros www.designative.info
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#letstalkdesignstrategy
§ The Framing Trap occurs when
we misstate a problem,
undermining the entire decision-
making process
§ The Overconfidence Trap makes
us overestimate the accuracy of
our forecasts
§ The Prudence Trap leads us to be
overcautious when we make
estimates about uncertain events.
§ The Recallability Trap prompts us
to give undue weight to recent,
dramatic events
§ The Anchoring Trap lead us to
give disproportionate weight to the
first information we receive
§ The Status-quo Trap biases us
towards maitaining the current
situation – even when better
alternatives exist
§ The Sunk-Cost Trap inclines us to
make choices in the way that
justifies past choices, even when
these were mistakes
§ The Confirming-Evidence Trap
leads us to seek out information
supporting an existing predilection
and to discount opposing
information
Hammond, John S., Ralph L. Keeney, and Howard Raiffa. "The Hidden Traps in Decision Making." Harvard
Business Review 76, no. 5 (September–October 1998): 47–+.
Decision Bias

10. Problem Reframing
Sometimes, to solve a hard problem, you have
to stop looking for solutions to it. Instead, you
must turn your attentions to the problem itself
– not just to analyze it, but to shift the way
you frame it.
Created by Itamar Medeiros @designative www.designative.info
#letstalkdesignstrategy

11. Created by Itamar Medeiros www.designative.info
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The Elevator
is too slow
The waiting is
annoying
Make it faster
Upgrade the motor
Improve the algorithm
Install a new elevator
Put up mirrors
Install Hand sanitizers
Play music
Make the wait
feel shorter
Wedell-Wedellsborg, T., (2020) “The Elevator Problem”, in What's Your Problem?: To Solve Your Toughest
Problems, Change the Problems You Solve, 215 pages, Publisher: Ingram Publisher Services (17 Mar 2020)

12. Created by Itamar Medeiros www.designative.info
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Thank you!
If you enjoyed this discussion, don’t forget to
follow us on Clubhouse:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/@designative
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/design-strategy
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/experimental-voices
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