Chapter 3: Problem Discovery
Entrepreneurs often begin by noticing something that is not working well. A problem may look obvious at first. But what you see is not always the whole problem. Problem discovery helps you move from guessing to knowing by using questions, research and evidence. In this lesson, you will identify problems you care about, and choose one problem to explore further.
Complete each section as you move through the steps, then submit the finished document at the end.
Step 1
Identify Problems
Start by noticing a gap between what is happening and what people need, expect or are trying to do. This may be your first signal that a problem exists.
Takes too long
Feels unfair
Leaves people out
Costs too much
Is difficult to find
Is confusing
Is harder than it needs to be
Does not work properly
Your Turn
Identify five problems you genuinely care about.
Is this a problem I really care about?
Is it a real problem that people genuinely experience?
Complete Activity 1
Example
Topic: Transportation
Clear problem: Some teenagers cannot attend community programs because they do not have reliable transportation.
Before You Decide What the Problem Is
What you notice is not always the whole problem. Separate what you can observe from what you are assuming.
Observation: something you can see, hear, count or verify.
Assumption: something you think may be causing the problem but have not confirmed yet.
Example
Observation: Customers are waiting a long time.
Assumption: The seller is too slow.
Question the Problem
Before you investigate, write one question that helps you understand what is really happening.
Core Investigation Question: a clear, focused question you can investigate without blaming anyone or naming a solution.
Example
Why are customers waiting a long time to receive their order?
Your Turn
Identify five problems you genuinely care about.
Is this a problem I really care about?
Is it a real problem that people genuinely experience?
Complete Activity 1
Example
Topic: Transportation
Clear problem: Some teenagers cannot attend community programs because they do not have reliable transportation.
Step 2
Who Experiences the Problem?
A problem becomes clearer when you know who experiences it. Use only the details that actually help explain the problem.
Age
Sex
Language
Location
Current situation
Religion or faith
Race, ethnicity or cultural background
Connection to the problem
Your Turn
Complete the Who Experiences the Problem? section for each of your five problems.
Then combine the relevant details into one clear Who Description.
Complete Activity 2
If a category does not help explain who experiences the problem, write “Not relevant.”
Investigate the Problem
Once you know the problem you want to understand and who may experience it, gather evidence before deciding what is really happening.
Who?
Who do you need to learn from?
What?
What information do you need?
How?
How will you collect it?
Where and When?
Where and when does the problem happen?
Target population
The full group connected to the problem.
Sample
The smaller group you actually learn from.
Use More Than One Kind of Evidence
Qualitative evidence tells you what people say, experience or do. This can come from interviews, conversations and observations.
Quantitative evidence gives you numbers you can count or measure. This can include surveys, frequency, wait times or records.
Your Turn
Plan how you will investigate your selected problem.
Who is your target population?
Who will be in your sample?
What qualitative evidence could you collect?
What quantitative evidence could you collect?
Complete the Investigate section
After Investigating
Analyze What You Find
-
What keeps coming up?
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Where do experiences differ?
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What seems to create or worsen the problem?
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What is still missing or unclear?
Be willing to change your mind.
Your evidence may support your first assumption, challenge it or reveal something you did not expect.
Your Turn
Review your evidence and record:
the strongest patterns
important differences
contributing factors
anything that challenged your original assumption
Complete the Analyze section
Step 3
Assess the Problems
You have questioned the problem, gathered evidence and looked for patterns. Use what you found to decide whether this is a problem worth exploring further.
Score each problem from 1 to 5. A score of 1 means very low. A score of 5 means very high. Base your judgement on the evidence you collected, not only on your first impression.
Frequency: How often does the problem happen?
Scope: Who is affected and how many people may be affected?
Impact: What difficulty, harm, risk, unfairness or disruption does it create?
Duration: Is it temporary, recurring, seasonal, growing or long-standing?
Risk: What could happen if the problem continues?
Evidence strength: How consistent and reliable is the evidence you collected?
Current response: What are people doing about the problem now?
Remaining gap: What is still not being addressed?
Can I clearly identify who experiences it?
Is this problem connected to my interests, experiences, skills or community?
Can I realistically continue to research and understand it?
Choose Thoughtfully
Look at the total scores, but also ask:
Is this problem connected to my interests, experiences, skills or community?
Choose the highest-scoring problem unless you have a clear reason to select another.
Complete Activity 3
Step 4
One Minute Problem Pitch
You have selected one problem. Now bring together what you have learned so you can explain it clearly.
Who experiences it?
what the evidence shows
Why it matters
Keep it objective. Use only what your evidence supports. Do not blame people, exaggerate the problem or include a solution.
What is still missing?
What is the problem?
What is happening
Your Complete Pitch
The problem I will explore further is __________.
The people who experience the problem are __________.
It matters to me because __________.
Right now, people deal with it by __________.
But that does not work well because __________.
What is still missing is __________.
Complete Activity 4
Final Step
Submit Your Problem Discovery Activity
You should now have one completed document showing how you moved from five possible problems to one problem you are ready to explore further.
What Comes Next?
Solutions Discovery
You now have a problem you understand well enough to explore further.
Next question: What could make this situation better?