March 9, 2021
Framing UX Problems: How to (Re)Frame Your Problems to Find the Right Solutions
By Ward Andrews
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Reframing a problem before jumping to solutions is the step most product teams skip -- and it's the one that separates good solutions from the right ones. By deliberately stepping back and questioning how you've defined a problem, you open up better paths forward that pattern-matching and gut instinct will cause you to miss.
What Is Problem Framing in UX?
Problem framing is the practice of defining -- or redefining -- a problem before attempting to solve it. The frame you put around a problem shapes everything: what solutions you consider, what you ignore, and what you ultimately build.
Get the frame wrong, and even a well-executed solution misses the mark.
Why Do Our Brains Make Problem Framing So Hard?
Have you ever shopped for a certain model of car and then started seeing it everywhere? Or learned a new word and suddenly it's popping out of mouths left and right?
That's the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon -- also known as frequency illusion. It's a form of selection bias that tricks our brains into thinking something we've just learned about is suddenly appearing everywhere out of the blue.
In reality, you're not seeing more cars of a certain model. You're putting a mental frame around those cars that causes you to notice them more often.
Our brains are great at tricking us. That's why we need to be crafty about getting around those tricks -- and why problem framing takes deliberate effort.
How Does This Show Up in Product Development?
Let's say you have a big internal stakeholder or client asking for a solution to a big problem. You've done your due diligence and identified the root cause so you don't waste time with temporary band-aids. This root cause reminds you of other projects you've worked on, so you're already brimming with ideas of how to solve it.
But there's one more step you need to take before jumping into a solution -- and that step is backwards.
We need to make sure we're not only seeing what our brains want us to see. Investing time upfront to frame (or reframe) a problem can lead to better solutions.
What Problem Framing Methods Actually Work?
These are tried and true methods we'll be walking through this month. Each one is designed to pull you back before you push forward.
Identify the Obstacles in Your Way Surface what's actually blocking progress -- not just the symptoms, but the structural and perceptual barriers underneath them.
Gain a New Perspective Deliberately seek out viewpoints outside your own. Different vantage points reveal different problems, which lead to different (often better) solutions.
Re-Map Your Users' Journey Go back to how your users actually move through an experience, not how you assume they do. The gaps between those two things are where real problems live.
These exercises are just a sampling of options when it comes to problem framing. But they'll give you a sense of how true innovation comes from drawing backwards.
FAQ
What is the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon and why does it matter for UX? It's a cognitive bias where something you've recently learned about seems to appear everywhere suddenly. In UX and product development, it explains why teams latch onto familiar solutions -- your brain frames the problem in a way that makes known answers feel like the obvious ones.
Why should you reframe a problem before designing a solution? Because the way you define a problem determines what solutions you'll consider. A poorly framed problem leads to well-executed solutions that solve the wrong thing.
What's the difference between identifying a root cause and reframing a problem? Identifying a root cause tells you why a problem exists. Reframing challenges whether you've defined the problem correctly in the first place. Both matter -- but skipping the reframe means your root cause analysis starts from a potentially flawed premise.
When in the product development process should problem framing happen? Before you generate solutions -- ideally as early as possible. The further into development you get with a misframed problem, the more expensive it becomes to course-correct.
Can problem framing methods be used for any type of UX challenge? Yes. Whether you're designing a new product, improving an existing feature, or responding to user feedback, these methods apply. The specific technique you use might change, but the underlying principle -- step back before you step forward -- holds across contexts.
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