What is Problem Framing?

Let’s start with a question: How often do teams dive into solving problems without fully understanding them? Too often, right? That’s because today’s fast-paced environments push us toward action before reflection.

Here’s the issue: We’re solving problems, but are they the right ones? Misaligned priorities, stakeholder disagreements, and superficial understanding of user needs can derail even the best efforts.

This is where Problem Framing comes in. It’s not just a process; it’s a strategic reset button. It challenges teams to pause, think critically, and align before rushing to solutions. Problem Framing ensures that our energy, time, and resources go toward solving what truly matters.

Why Problem Framing Matters

You’re leading a project, juggling deadlines, and trying to align your team, but it feels like everyone’s speaking a different language. Sales wants one thing, engineering is pulling in another direction, and stakeholders are fixated on their own priorities. Sound familiar?

If you’re a product leader, innovation manager, consultant, or workshop facilitator you know this scenario all too well. Balancing business objectives, customer needs, and team execution isn’t just challenging—it can feel overwhelming.

• Misaligned Priorities: You’re pulled into meeting after meeting where stakeholders argue over what matters most, but no one can agree on a direction.
• Siloed Teams: Sales, marketing, and engineering are working hard—just not together. It’s like everyone’s rowing, but in opposite directions.
• Feature Factory Syndrome: Your team is cranking out features, but they’re not solving real user problems—and worse, they’re not moving the needle on business goals.

But here’s the thing—these aren’t just random issues. They’re symptoms of something deeper: a misaligned strategy. Without clarity at the top, everything downstream—from roadmaps to execution—becomes a tangled mess. This is where Problem Framing steps in. It’s like switching on a light in a dark room—suddenly, you can see where you’re going. Problem Framing helps you cut through the noise and focus on what really matters by:

✅ Getting everyone—yes, even that one stubborn stakeholder—aligned on a shared strategy.

✅ Bridging the gap between what users need and what the business wants to achieve.

✅ Bringing clarity and focus to your team before they dive into building the next big thing.

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_{👉 Watch the full video to learn why Problem Framing is essential [free lesson from our Problem Framing Masterclass]}

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Do You Need Problem Framing?

You might be thinking: “This all sounds great, but when do I actually need Problem Framing?” Here’s the reality—most teams don’t realize they need it until they’re already in trouble. You’re feeling like you should have clarity by now—but you don’t. And that’s when it hits you.

So, you’re in this meeting room, surrounded by whiteboards filled with scribbles. Stakeholders are voicing strong opinions. The team’s been working hard, but the results? Not so great. Deadlines slip, products don’t resonate, and despite all the effort, success feels just out of reach. Ever happened to you?

This is where Problem Framing steps in—not as another box to check, but as the lens that helps you see what’s really going on. It’s the moment you stop asking, “What are we doing wrong?” and start seeing, “Ah, we were solving the wrong problem all along.” Because sometimes, that breakthrough doesn’t come from moving faster—it comes from realizing you’ve been on the wrong path all along.

Let’s break it down using a simple two-axis framework—but don’t worry, this isn’t just theory. It’s a reflection of the situations you’ve likely faced.

Now, let’s step into each of these quadrants. You’ve probably been in all four at some point.

1. Bottom-Left: “HIPPO Guesswork”
   Wrong Problem + Stakeholder-Driven
   You’re in a meeting, and the loudest voice—usually from the highest-paid person in the room—decides the direction. There’s little evidence to back it up, but the team marches on. Months later, the product flops. Sound familiar? Decisions made from gut feelings, without user insight, often lead to wasted time, resources and missed targets.
2. Bottom-Right: “Misplaced Empathy”
   In some organizations, the focus is on delivery rather than discovery. Continuous discovery isn’t on the table because you’re under pressure to move fast. You have plenty of hypotheses and a mandate to deliver quickly, with stakeholders on board. But that means your odds of solving the wrong problem can skyrocket. Or you’re laser-focused on the user, but despite your best intentions, you might find yourself buried under piles of data, unsure how to synthesize it. Or you can’t quite connect the dots between customer needs and business value. So yes, you might successfully engage stakeholders—but around the wrong priorities. The deeper pitfall is that by the time you realize it’s the wrong problem, you’re already too far in. The business case was approved, budgets were allocated, and teams were assembled. Hitting the brakes now feels unthinkable—it might even cost you your job. That’s the heartbreak of “Misplaced Empathy”: your user-centric passion is genuine, but you’re headed in the wrong direction, and the cost of pivoting feels higher than the cost of pressing on.‍
3. Top-Left: “Ivory Tower”
   Right Problem + Stakeholder-Driven
   At first glance, “Ivory Tower” might look promising because you’ve identified the right problem from a business perspective—usually leveraging internal metrics, market data, or strategic objectives. However, the decision-making is driven primarily by leadership and internal teams, with minimal direct input from actual users. While you’re clearly aligned on a genuine business challenge, you risk missing the real-world nuances of user needs. So, yes, it’s “data-informed,” but from the top down. Without user validation, even the best business insights can lead to a product that ultimately falls flat in the market.‍
4. Top-Right: “Sweet Spot”
   Right Problem + User-Centric
   This is where the magic happens. You’re not just identifying a real business opportunity; you’re also validating it with direct user insights. Think of it as the best of both worlds: top-down data confirms the business value, while bottom-up research ensures that you’re addressing real user needs. Because both perspectives shape your decisions, you avoid the pitfalls of “Ivory Tower” (no user input) and “Misplaced Empathy” (no business grounding).

Problem Framing isn’t just a workshop—it’s your guide out of the traps of “HIPPO Guesswork” and “Misplaced Empathy.” It helps you escape the "Ivory Tower -we know best” mindset, where even good problems get bogged down by top-down thinking. Instead, it propels your team toward the “Sweet Spot,” where validated problems meet user-centric solutions—the perfect formula for products that make a real impact.

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Why Do Teams Skip Problem Framing?

Despite its benefits, many teams skip the Problem Framing stage, rushing straight to solutions. But let’s be honest—it’s not hard to see why. We’ve all been there, feeling the pressure to deliver fast, stay comfortable, and keep things moving. So why exactly does this happen?

“We already know what the problem is.”

It’s tempting to jump straight to solutions when the symptoms are obvious. But here’s the thing—treating the symptom isn’t the same as solving the core problem. We’ve all experienced projects where we fix what’s visible, only to see the issue resurface in a different form.

“It’s uncomfortable and it's hard work.”

Let’s face it—sitting with ambiguity isn’t easy. Digging into root causes and questioning long-held assumptions can feel like standing on shaky ground. We’re wired to crave certainty and quick wins, not prolonged discomfort. But it’s in that discomfort where the breakthroughs lie.

“It’s the way we’ve always done things.”

Comfort zones are hard to leave. Who doesn’t love the satisfaction of checking off easy tasks or avoiding the tough, messy decisions? It feels good to keep things moving smoothly, but real growth often requires letting go of what feels safe. Big bets come with risk—but also with the potential for big rewards.

“I need to meet my deadlines—that’s how I keep my job.”

In today’s fast-changing environment—with AI transforming industries and competition accelerating—the instinct to cling to what feels secure is strong. Meeting deadlines, avoiding conflict, and playing it safe might seem like the path to success. But here’s the catch: sticking to the status quo can leave you stuck, missing opportunities for real progress.

“My calendar is filled with meetings. I feel busy, I feel important."

Let’s be honest—having a calendar packed with meetings, pitches, and demos feels productive. It gives us a sense of importance and status. But being busy isn’t the same as being effective. To make meaningful progress, we need to carve out time for focused work, challenge our beliefs, and engage in the hard, uncomfortable process of reframing problems.

Skipping this step might seem efficient and comfortable in the short term. But here’s the reality: it almost always leads to wasted resources and solutions that miss the mark.

‍The path to big wins isn’t paved with shortcuts—it’s built on the courage to slow down, dig deep, and solve what  matters.

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What is Problem Framing?

Problem Framing is a structured system to uncover, define, and prioritize challenges. It connects business objectives with customer needs and helps leaders align on a clear direction before diving into execution.

Think of it as your team’s compass—it points everyone toward a shared understanding of what’s worth solving and why.

The magic of Problem Framing lies in its simplicity. It asks:

• What’s the challenge?
• Why does it matter?
• Who are we solving it for?
• What’s the most impactful way forward?

It sounds simple, but the impact is profound. With Problem Framing, teams don’t just react—they respond with purpose.

At its core, Problem Framing combines product discovery with a strategic decision-making process. It ensures teams align on the right problems before diving into solutions.

Here’s how it works:

1. Discovery:
   • Identify opportunities, define your audience, and gather data to map the problem space. This phase typically takes 1–3 weeks.
2. Workshop Preparation:
   • Organize and visualize insights, identify decision-makers, and prepare for stakeholder alignment.
3. Workshop Facilitation:
   • Bring stakeholders together to define clear, actionable problem statements based on data and user insights.

Let’s break down the first two phases in detail—because if we don’t get these right, we set ourselves up for endless guesswork and rework.

Phase 1: Discovery (1–3 weeks)

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from research—and from watching teams grapple with uncertainty—it’s that you can’t skip the Discovery stage if you want to avoid expensive guesswork. This is where you systematically explore data, uncover opportunities, and define the real problems worth solving. Here’s what it looks like:

1. Identify a range of potential opportunities.
   Not all problems are created equal. Your goal is to prioritize those with the highest potential impact—opportunities that align with both business objectives and user needs.
2. Define your Minimum Viable Customer Segment (MVS).
   Who exactly are you solving for? Get crystal clear on your target users, their needs, behaviors, and pain points. This is where you map out the most critical jobs-to-be-done, pain points, and decision triggers that will shape your problem definition.
3. Validate your chosen opportunities and customer segment needs with existing data.
   Before making assumptions, gather proof. Chances are, someone in your organization already has research, customer feedback, or analytics that can guide you. If you still have gaps, conduct targeted qualitative interviews to confirm—or challenge—your assumptions. The goal is to reduce uncertainty before moving forward.

By the end of Discovery, you’ll have a structured, data-backed understanding of the opportunities worth pursuing—and, just as importantly, the ones to discard. Think of it as drawing a map of the terrain before deciding which path to take.

Phase 2: Workshop Preparation

Now, let’s talk about Workshop Preparation—the phase where you take all those insights from Discovery and shape them into an actionable narrative. If you’ve ever scrambled to present research findings and had them fall flat because no one understood them, you’ll appreciate this step. It’s about ensuring your insights actually drive decision-making.

To make that happen, you need two key things:

1. Get the right stakeholders in the room.
   No matter how solid your insights are, your decisions will stall if the right people aren’t involved. Make sure every major technical, strategic, and financial decision-maker is at the table. Remember, alignment is way easier to achieve if everyone with veto power hears the same data at the same time.
2. Turn your research into clear, visual diagrams.
   Data needs to be digestible, not just dumped into a deck. Use Customer Journey Maps (CJMs), personas, and pain point visualizations to shift the conversation from opinions to facts. When you make data visible and tangible, stakeholders are far more likely to engage—and far less likely to argue based on gut feelings.

By preparing clear, compelling materials before the workshop, you ensure that decisions will be based on evidence, not the loudest voice in the room. This is where you start transforming “We think” into “We know.”

Phase 3: Workshop Facilitation

This is where everything comes together.

Problem Framing is not about brainstorming—it’s about making decisions.

Too many workshops fail because they rush into solutions or rely on open-ended discussions that go nowhere. This process ensures that every decision is grounded in business needs, customer insights, and structured facilitation.

To achieve that, we follow a proven four-phase process that balances divergence and convergence, business priorities and user needs, structured frameworks and collaboration:

01. Contextualize the Problem

Every stakeholder brings a unique perspective—and alignment starts with making them feel heard.
Before jumping to solutions, we set the stage for alignment by asking stakeholders to share:

• Their understanding of the current situation
• The challenges they see
• What’s working—and what isn’t

By externalizing these viewpoints, teams are naturally more open to prioritization and compromise. This is critical: people buy into decisions they helped shape.

02. Justify the Business Need

What makes a problem worth solving? It’s not just about the challenge itself, but the value it creates for both the business and the customer.
In this phase, stakeholders diverge by sharing their vision of the future:

• What are the key business priorities?
• What does success look like?
• What metrics or strategic objectives should guide us?

Then, they converge—prioritizing shared goals and defining what measurable value looks like. This step shifts the conversation from abstract ambition to concrete, quantifiable impact, ensuring alignment on what matters.

03. Understand the Customer

Stakeholders often believe they already understand customer needs. That’s why data isn’t just presented—it’s experienced.
Instead of passive presentations, we use interactive exercises that force engagement with real user insights:

• Customer journey maps to visualize pain points and opportunities
• Personas to humanize decision-making

Stakeholders don’t just absorb data—they interact with it, interpret it, and debate its implications. This approach ensures decisions are evidence-based, not assumption-driven.

04. Define the Problem Statement

By now, stakeholders have a shared understanding of both business goals and customer needs.
Now, they connect the dots:

• How do the customer’s problems impact business success?
• Where do business and customer priorities align?
• What is the clearest, most actionable way to define the challenge?

The outcome? A well-defined problem statement that highlights mutual value—for the customer and the business alike.

_{👉 Learn more about this structured approach in this free lesson from our Problem Framing Masterclass:}

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When to Use Problem Framing: Four Key Scenarios

Knowing when to use Problem Framing is just as important as knowing how to use it. Whether you’re launching a new product, prioritizing features, or trying to align your team, Problem Framing can make the difference between floundering and flourishing.

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01. Launching a New Value Proposition

You’ve done your homework—researched the market, explored potential opportunities, and refined your thinking. But now, you’re struggling to convince your stakeholders that you’ve identified the right opportunity, the right target segment, or even if your idea is solving a meaningful problem. Without their buy-in, you can’t move forward with validation.

How Problem Framing Helps:

• Involves stakeholders in prioritizing opportunities that align with business goals—so you don’t have an uphill battle with them later.
• Forces you to find proof that the problem really exists for your customers—so you’re not building based on assumptions.
• Ensures early stakeholder buy-in on the problem statement—so all key decision-makers are on the same page from the start.

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‍02. Agile Development & Feature Prioritization

You’re deep in Agile development—sprints are moving fast, but priorities keep shifting. Stakeholders push for competing features, leadership wants to chase the latest competitor launch, and customer needs get lost in the chaos. You’re being pulled in multiple directions at once, constantly reprioritizing, but without a clear direction, everything feels urgent—and nothing feels strategic.

How Problem Framing Helps:

• Brings all stakeholders together at the same table—so instead of reacting, they align on what truly matters.
• Uses data to drive decisions—so prioritization isn’t based on opinion or gut feeling, but on real customer needs.
• Creates a clear, structured prioritization process—so teams focus on impactful features, not just the loudest requests.

With Problem Framing, you stop chasing and start leading—prioritizing with clarity.

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03. Fixing the Innovation Funnel

You’re leading innovation programs or managing an innovation portfolio—and you definitely don’t lack ideas. Ideas are everywhere. But despite the novelty and excitement, something is missing.

• Many concepts feel disconnected from business strategy, making it hard to secure leadership buy-in.
• Different leaders have different perspectives, making it difficult to distinguish between “just interesting” and high-impact ideas.
• Alignment is a challenge—there’s no clear way to decide what moves forward. The risk? A graveyard of brilliant ideas that never get built because leadership couldn’t agree on how they tied to the right problem or business goals from the start.

How Problem Framing Helps:

• Creates a systematic way to prioritize and filter ideas—so resources are focused on high-impact opportunities, not just the loudest voices.
• Aligns leadership on decision criteria—so innovation isn’t stalled by competing perspectives.
• Ensures ideas are tied to real business problems—so leadership sees a clear case for investment.

With Problem Framing, you don’t just collect ideas—you build a strategic pipeline that turns innovation into real business impact.

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04. Before Running Design Sprints

‍Design Sprints are a powerful tool for rapidly prototyping and testing ideas, but here’s the catch: design sprints are a problem solving method, they are not a problem definition one. Before you dive into solution mode, you need to ensure that you’re solving the right problem—and that’s where Problem Framing comes in.

You’ve gathered a cross-functional team, you’re ready to prototype, but you’re not entirely sure if everyone agrees on what the real challenge is. Maybe stakeholders have different definitions of success, or the problem space feels too broad. Without alignment, even the best-designed sprint can miss the mark.

How Problem Framing Helps:

• Clarifies the problem space before the sprint begins—so your team focuses on the most meaningful challenges.
• Aligns stakeholders on key objectives and success metrics—ensuring everyone is on the same page.
• Identifies assumptions and gaps early on—so the sprint team isn’t blindsided mid-process.

With Problem Framing, you set the foundation for a Design Sprint that’s not just fast, but effective—delivering solutions that solve the right problems.

These scenarios show that Problem Framing isn’t just a one-time process—it’s a versatile tool that can be applied across different stages of product development, innovation, and team alignment. Whether you’re refining a value proposition, navigating Agile chaos, managing an innovation pipeline, or prepping for a Design Sprint, Problem Framing ensures you’re always solving the right problem—the first time.

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How to Get Started with Problem Framing

Problem Framing is powerful, but it doesn’t need to be overwhelming. Start with these three steps:

Prioritize Opportunities with the 4U Workshop:

Use the 4U framework (Unworkable, Unavoidable, Urgent, Underserved) to evaluate and prioritize challenges. This ensures your team focuses on the problems with the greatest impact.

👉 Try the 4U Workshop Template.

Reframe Your Challenge from Business and User Perspectives:

Use the Problem Framing Canvas to analyze your challenge through both business and user lenses. This step helps you question assumptions, uncover insights, and rethink opportunities.

👉 Explore the Problem Framing Canvas.

Gather Stakeholders and Align on the Target User Segment:

Run the Problem Statement Workshop to build consensus on your primary user segment and the problem you’re solving. This ensures alignment and sets the stage for effective solutions.

👉 Discover the Problem Statement Workshop.

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Ready to Master the Process?

Curious about taking your skills to the next level? The Problem Framing Masterclass is a complete end-to-end system for mastering this approach. Led by me and John Vetan, CEO of Design Sprint Academy, this course equips you to:

• Conduct effective discovery work to identify opportunities and gather insights.
• Prepare and organize data for stakeholder alignment.
• Facilitate workshops that lead to actionable problem statements and stakeholder buy-in.

_{👉 Watch the video to learn more about the course:}

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Every great innovation, every transformative product, starts with one thing: a clear understanding of the problem. Problem Framing isn’t about slowing down—it’s about ensuring that when we speed up, we’re going in the right direction.