IA Day 6 — Problem Statement & Specifications
Lock Criterion B into a clear, research-driven direction before serious ideation begins.
Can another designer understand exactly what must improve—and why?
The goal is to leave class with visible evidence—not just ideas in your head.
Criterion B has two evidence strands.
Define the current situation, current problem and research-based opportunity.
The strongest work explains key redesign opportunities informed by the task analysis and intended persona.
Turn research into essential + desirable requirements.
Requirements should be relevant, detailed, traceable to research and useful for judging later ideas.
A strong problem statement answers three questions.
What is happening now?
Describe the current situation and intended user/task context.
What is the current problem?
Identify the pain points and product weaknesses that make the redesign worthwhile.
What research proves this is appropriate?
Synthesize evidence from user research, task analysis and existing-product analysis.
Every important requirement needs a reason.
| Weak | Stronger | Why stronger? |
|---|---|---|
| “The product should be comfortable.” | “The grip should fit the intended users’ measured hand-width range and avoid pressure points during a 5-minute task.” | Specific, testable and linked to user evidence. |
| “It should look modern.” | “The visual language should match the user preference evidence for minimal controls and low visual clutter.” | Aesthetic choice is justified by research. |
| “It must be safe.” | “No exposed edge should create a foreseeable contact hazard during normal use.” | Turns a vague value into a design criterion. |
Not all requirements have the same status.
The redesign fails without it.
Core user need, safety condition, function, major constraint or performance requirement.
Improves the solution but is negotiable.
Additional preference, secondary feature or enhancement that may be traded off if evidence supports it.
Check whether your specification covers the design context.
Experience + performance
What should it do, feel like and enable?
Boundaries + context
What limits the solution or changes how it must work?
Product realization
What must the product contain, communicate or be capable of becoming?
Leave class with Criterion B substantially complete.
Problem statement
Write / revise current situation, current problem and research justification.
Requirements
Build essential and desirable specifications from evidence.
Trace evidence
Add research references and make vague criteria testable.
Audit
Ask: could another designer use this to generate and judge ideas?
Before you leave…
Ideation — Generating Distinct Solutions
Keep the evidence chain moving: user → research → decision → test.
B2.1.8 problem statement · B2.1.9 research-based essential/desirable design specifications · IA Criterion B.