The framework: five moves
Design thinking is a repeatable way to go from "vague problem" to "tested solution":
- Empathize — understand the people who have the problem (talk to them; Week 2).
- Define — state the problem precisely.
- Ideate — generate many possible solutions before judging any.
- Prototype — make something testable, cheaply and fast.
- Test — put it in front of real people; learn; loop.
The order matters: most bad products come from starting at step 3 (or 4) and skipping 1 and 2.
Problem statements: the define move
A useful problem statement names a person, a need, and a why:
Busy market traders (person) need a way to track daily sales without stopping to write (need) because lost records at day's end cost them real money (why).
No solution allowed inside the statement — "needs an app with a dashboard" is a solution wearing a problem's clothes.
"How Might We" — turning problems into doorways
An HMW reframes the problem as an open, optimistic question sized for brainstorming:
- Too broad: HMW improve commerce? (a company mission, not a prompt)
- Too narrow: HMW add a green save button? (a solution in disguise)
- Right: HMW help traders capture a sale in under five seconds?
Write several HMWs per problem — each one opens a different door on the same house.
Assumptions: name them or be ruled by them
Every framing rests on assumptions ("traders own smartphones", "they want digital records"). List them explicitly — the risky ones become your Week 2 research questions. Designers who write assumptions down get to test them; designers who don't get surprised later.