In the second step of the design thinking process, Define, UX designers take the insights gathered during the Empathize step and use them to clearly articulate the problem they aim to solve. As Uijun Park emphasizes in his book “Introduction to Design Thinking for UX Beginners,” framing the right problem is more complex than creating a visually appealing design. Without a well-defined problem, even the most beautiful product may fail to provide meaningful value to users.
During the Define step, designers review the pain points and issues that users experience, which were uncovered during the Empathize phase. This often results in a broad range of problems that need to be addressed. However, attempting to solve all these problems simultaneously is usually not feasible due to limitations in time and resources. Therefore, designers must prioritize and decide which issues to focus on first.
Park recommends involving team members from various disciplines, such as developers, product managers, or clients, in the prioritization process. This collaborative approach ensures that different perspectives are considered and helps to build consensus around the most critical problems to address. For solo projects, designers should still prioritize problems based on their potential impact on users and the feasibility of developing solutions within the given constraints.
In addition to defining the problem, the Define step also involves identifying the target user. If the product already exists, this may simply require reaffirming the existing target user profile. However, when creating a new product, designers must invest time and resources into developing a clear understanding of their intended audience based on the information gathered during the Empathize step.
To illustrate the Define step in practice, Park continues the case study of the shoe-shopping app introduced in the previous chapter. Based on user interviews, the designer identifies several issues, such as limited product photos, lack of customer reviews, and unclear shipping costs. The team then prioritizes these problems and decides to focus on addressing the limited product photos first, as they believe this will have the most significant impact on users’ purchase decisions.
By the end of the Define step, the designer has a clear problem statement: “Users who want to buy shoes can only see one shoe photo on the product detail page, making it difficult to make a purchase decision.” They have also confirmed that the target users are tech-savvy individuals in their twenties and thirties who live in cities.
Defining the right problem and target user lays the foundation for the next step in the design thinking process: Ideate. With a clear understanding of the issue at hand and the audience they are designing for, UX professionals can begin to generate innovative solutions that address users’ needs effectively.
In the upcoming section, we will explore Step 3: Ideate, where designers brainstorm and generate a wide range of potential solutions to the problem identified in the Define phase. Get ready to unleash your creativity and think outside the box!