Ingredient 16. Pitch the Problem

101 Design Ingredients to Solve Big Tech Problems — by Eewei Chen (24 / 125)

👈 Simplify Your Business Model | TOC | Sell It in One Sentence 👉

Don’t solve problems that don’t exist.

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”
— George Bernard Shaw, playwright, and cofounder of the London School of Economics

The Problem

Teams end up solving the wrong problems because they didn’t clarify what the problem was in the first place.

The Solution

Identify a problem and agree that it exists before going any further.

• Back it up with data. Analyze usage data and market research to highlight where problems actually exist. Identify key metrics that need improving, and get the business to agree on the most important ones.
• Gain empathy. Get stakeholders and investors to identify with the problem as if it were their own.[42] Explain the risks and the rewards and show how stakeholders can personally get involved and reap the rewards. Let them hear testimonials and watch usability-testing videos to connect directly with customer needs.