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A well-framed problem is the key to a successful solution. Even a slight adjustment in how you look at a problem can lead to a completely different outcome. The Speed Boat exercise is a practical tool that helps teams surface the real obstacles standing between them and their goals, so they stop solving problems that don't exist.
This is Part 1 in our series sharing several of our tried and true methods for helping teams frame problems.
What Is the Speed Boat Exercise for Problem Framing?
The Speed Boat exercise is a team activity designed to identify the obstacles, blockers, and advantages affecting your ability to reach a goal. It works by mapping your project onto a simple visual metaphor: a boat trying to reach an island.
The first step in effective problem solving is recognizing what's in your way. We all have blind spots, individually and as teams, that prevent us from seeing everything holding us back. This exercise is designed to help with exactly that.
How Does the Speed Boat Exercise Work?
It starts, of course, with a speed boat. The boat is your means of getting across the water, in other words, your product or service. There are several things both attached to the boat and in its immediate environment that either help or hurt its progress toward the island, which is your goal.
There are many ways to structure this exercise, but here's how we usually break it down:
The Boat
Your initiative, project, product, or service. It's important for the team to agree on what should be the focus of the exercise and to give it a clear name.
The Island
Your goal. What does success look like for the boat? It's best if this can be clearly stated as a single goal, but you might have a few things that need to fit on your island.
The Sails or Motor
Your propellants. What is working for you and helping you move toward your goal? This could include:
- Environmental factors that come and go (like the wind in your sails)
- External resources (like the gas in your engine)
- Other teams and support (like rowers on the boat)
- Your own internal motivations and skills (your engine)
The Anchors
Your dead weight. What is dragging you down and preventing you from moving forward? Maybe you set an anchor for a good reason, to pause and get your bearings, but you have to remember to pull those anchors back up before you fire up the engines.
The Waves
Your outside obstacles. What are the obstacles the boat will need to overcome? These are the external environmental factors that you may or may not be able to control but which you can't avoid on your path to the island.
Why Does This Exercise Work So Well for Teams?
The beauty of the Speed Boat exercise is that you can customize it for any situation. As a team, you identify the name of your boat and the island and brainstorm the other elements so everybody has clarity and a shared vision of the path ahead. You can even ask the team to estimate how much faster the boat would go if the anchors and waves were gone, or if the sails or motor were more efficient.
As you go through the exercise you'll start to see recurring themes. You'll also have revelations and insights as you see things you never considered before. But it's important to remember this isn't supposed to be a gripe session. The purpose of this activity is to get a new perspective that inspires and empowers the team to create a better way around their challenges.
We've used the Speed Boat exercise with many clients across a wide variety of contexts. It almost never fails to help resolve conflicts over what solution is most urgent or which direction is the right way forward. This simple exercise can help you get clarity on the real problems you need to solve.
This is just one part of our comprehensive design thinking process for building meaningful experiences. Let's talk about how we can work together to get your team unstuck and back on the path toward your goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is problem framing in UX? Problem framing is the process of clearly defining what problem you're actually trying to solve before jumping to solutions. A well-framed problem points you toward the right solution. A poorly framed one sends you in the wrong direction entirely.
What is the Speed Boat exercise used for? The Speed Boat exercise is used to help teams identify what's helping them move toward a goal (sails, motor) and what's holding them back (anchors, waves). It creates a shared picture of the real obstacles so teams can prioritize what to fix.
How long does the Speed Boat exercise take to run? It depends on team size and complexity, but most sessions run between 30 and 60 minutes. The goal is to generate clarity and shared understanding, not to fill a calendar slot, so let the conversation guide the time.
Can the Speed Boat exercise work for any type of project? Yes. The exercise is flexible enough to apply to product development, service design, internal process improvement, or any initiative where a team needs to align on goals and obstacles. You define what the boat, island, and anchors represent for your specific context.
What's the difference between anchors and waves in the Speed Boat exercise? Anchors are internal blockers, things within your team or project that are slowing you down. Waves are external obstacles, outside factors you may not be able to control but still need to navigate. Both are worth surfacing, but they call for different responses.
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