Value Design32% of the exam
Challenge statements with How Might We framing
When a challenge is worth framing, how to write and test a How Might We statement that pairs a business objective with a user problem, how to ladder it up or down, and how scoping and Triple Constraint trade-offs follow the framing.
Given a customer scenario, create an effective challenge statement that pairs a business objective with a user problem, to frame the altitude and scope of a design project.
~8 min read · 19 practice questions ·
What the exam expects
- Decide whether a request needs a framed challenge at all.
- Write a How Might We (HMW) challenge statement that pairs a business objective with a user problem.
- Test an HMW against the quality checks and pitfalls, and ladder it up or down.
- Separate framing from scoping, place items in scoping elements, and navigate Triple Constraint trade-offs.
- Key terms: challenge framing (defines the focus of the problem); scoping (the logistical plan for time, people and resources); HMW statement (turns the framing into a question that can be solved); laddering (broadening or narrowing an HMW's scope); Triple Constraint (scope, time and cost).
Key facts
Design thinking
- Detail
- Starts with desirability; iterates rough prototypes; not needed for simpler problems
Framing is the first alignment moment
- Detail
- Defines the problem's focus and creates a shared definition of success
Challenge statement pairing
- Detail
- Business objective plus user problem
No framing needed
- Detail
- Clear fix, evolutionary change, effective team, next-release focus
How / Might / We
- Detail
- Solvable / explore without committing / collaborative effort
Generative check
- Detail
- Five solutions quickly for the intended impact
Accessible check
- Detail
- Someone outside the team can generate solutions quickly
Assumptions element
- Detail
- Hunches: what must be true about users; hypotheses to test
Triple Constraint
- Detail
- Scope, time, cost
- When during prototyping does an HMW statement still earn its keep?
- Why did Cloud Kicks' first statement, about fixing the supply chain, fail its test?
- Which four questions start the framing process?
- Why can the size of the project team illustrate the Triple Constraint?
The questions are free to read. Answers with their sources and self-grading are included with the pack.
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