What is a Problem Statement?

TL;DR

• A problem statement defines what is wrong before the team decides how to solve it.
• It should identify the user, context, problem, and impact.
• A problem statement should not hide a preferred feature inside it.
• Good problem framing creates room for multiple solutions.
• Evidence should support the statement.

What does a problem statement look like?

Weak: We need a smarter onboarding wizard.

That is a solution statement.

Stronger: New workspace admins abandon setup when they are asked to configure permissions before they understand what each role means, delaying activation and generating support requests.

The stronger version tells the team who, where, what, and why it matters.

What should a problem statement include?

• the user or segment
• the task or context
• the current problem
• evidence
• the impact on the user or business

Problem statement vs. solution statement

“Users cannot understand why their payment failed” is a problem.

“Add a retry button” is a proposed solution.

Keeping the two separate prevents teams from locking into an answer too early.

How do you write a problem statement?

1. Start with observed evidence.
2. Name the affected user precisely.
3. Describe the situation where the problem occurs.
4. Explain the consequence.
5. Remove feature language.
6. Check whether multiple solutions could address it.
7. Validate the framing with product, design, and engineering.

Common mistakes

Making the statement too broad

“Improve onboarding” is an ambition, not a defined problem.

Using unsupported assumptions

Separate what the team knows from what it still needs to learn.

Embedding the solution

A problem statement should make exploration easier, not close it.

The bottom line

A problem statement asks: who is struggling, in what situation, what is happening, and why is it worth solving?

Related terms

User need · Pain point · Product discovery · Jobs to be Done

Relevant Figr resource

Read UX Design Process Steps for how problem framing fits into discovery and design.