Problem statement examples for design thinking. 12 worked HMW questions and POV templates across healthcare, education, fintech, and sustainability.
The problem statement is the hinge of the entire design thinking process. Get it right and everything downstream (ideation, prototyping, testing) flows naturally. Get it wrong and you will build a brilliant solution to the wrong problem.
Design thinking uses two complementary problem statement formats, each serving a different purpose:
The POV grounds you in user reality. The HMW opens up solution space. You need both.
POV: A newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes patient needs a way to understand which daily decisions affect their blood sugar because they feel overwhelmed by conflicting information from doctors, websites, and well-meaning family members. HMW: How might we help newly diagnosed diabetes patients connect their daily choices to their health outcomes so that they feel empowered rather than overwhelmed?
POV: Elderly patients managing multiple prescriptions need a way to keep track of which medications to take and when because existing pill organizers don't account for changing dosages, refill schedules, or drug interactions. HMW: How might we simplify medication management for elderly patients with complex prescriptions so that they can follow their regimen confidently without caregiver assistance?
POV: High school students in large lecture-style classes need a way to stay engaged during lessons because they feel invisible in a room of 35+ students and have no way to signal confusion without public embarrassment. HMW: How might we create low-friction channels for students to signal confusion or interest during large-group instruction so that teachers can adapt in real time?
POV: First-generation college students need a way to explore career paths connected to their major because they lack the professional networks and family precedents that guide career discovery for their peers. HMW: How might we give first-generation students the career exposure and mentorship that professional networks provide organically for other students?
POV: Young professionals living paycheck to paycheck need a way to build an emergency fund because traditional savings advice ("save 20% of income") feels impossible when rent takes 40% of take-home pay. HMW: How might we make saving feel achievable for people whose fixed costs leave almost no discretionary income?
POV: Small business owners with seasonal revenue need a way to manage cash flow across lean months because they understand their annual revenue is sufficient but can't bridge the gaps between busy periods. HMW: How might we help seasonal businesses smooth their cash flow so that slow months don't threaten their survival?
POV: Families of four need a way to reduce food waste because they buy groceries with good intentions but lack the planning tools to use perishable items before they spoil. leading to guilt and wasted money. HMW: How might we help families plan meals around what they already have so that less food ends up in the trash?
POV: Suburban commuters who want to reduce their carbon footprint need alternatives to single-occupancy driving because public transit doesn't reach their neighborhoods and carpooling requires coordination they don't have time for. HMW: How might we make shared commuting as convenient as driving alone for people in transit-poor areas?
POV: Remote team members across time zones need a way to maintain the informal knowledge-sharing that happened naturally in offices because important context is now trapped in private Slack threads and undocumented meetings. HMW: How might we recreate the serendipitous knowledge-sharing of physical offices for distributed teams without adding meeting fatigue?
POV: New hires at fully remote companies need a way to build relationships with colleagues because the onboarding process focuses on systems and processes but neglects the social connections that drive retention and engagement. HMW: How might we help new remote employees build genuine team relationships in their first 30 days without forced social activities?
The quality of your problem statement depends entirely on the quality of your empathy research. If your POV feels generic or obvious, you haven't gone deep enough. Go back to your empathy maps and look for the surprising insight, the thing that contradicts your initial assumption.
Three tests for a good problem statement:
For the full process of moving from empathy research to problem definition, follow the structured stages in Design Thinker Labs.
Related guides: design thinking templates · design thinking tools and software · usability heuristics
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