Write a testable problem statement

Lesson objective

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to write a user-centered problem statement with no hidden solution, and state the evidence that supports it or would contradict it.

Topics covered

• problem statement
• product discovery
• user problem
• product framing
• hypothesis testing

Where it fits

Understand the problem

Which problem, for whom, and what evidence do we have?

Lessons in this module

1. Write a testable problem statement (this lesson)
2. Run and synthesize discovery interviews, with AI
3. Evidence-based personas and job stories
4. Choose an opportunity and its riskiest assumptions

What you will learn in the course

This lesson is part of the course Design and validate a product experience with AI

• Write a user-centered, testable problem statement backed by discovery evidence.
• Prepare, run and synthesize unbiased discovery interviews, using AI for preparation and synthesis without delegating judgment to it.
• Build a persona and job stories grounded in real quotes, then choose a target opportunity in an opportunity solution tree.
• Map a flow with its edge cases and turn it into low-fidelity wireframes that cover every screen state.
• Choose a prototype's fidelity and tool (including an AI prototyping tool), run a usability test and prioritize the problems observed.
• Prioritize a backlog with an explicit method (RICE, MoSCoW, value / effort), making the score's assumptions visible, and justify the trade-off.
• Build an outcome-based roadmap with success criteria, and write a handoff spec with acceptance criteria.

Related courses

• Write specs that developers and AI agents understandAdvanced · ~2 hr 30 min
• Instrument a product and use data to make decisionsAdvanced · ~3 hr 30 min
• Prioritize and build an outcome-based roadmapAdvanced · ~2 hr 30 min