Problem statement definitionTaya Page

About me

Product director at Artsy

10 years product experience in marketplaces, mobile security, ed tech

Former front end engineer, UX designer

Fine art & computer science degree from the University of Chicago

ENTJ

Reasonable sentiments are plentiful

Product managers find opportunities in feelings

The “opportunity statement” is a framework for defining user needs, validating assumptions, proposing specific solutions, and hypothesizing about measureable outcomes.

We have observed that _____.

We believe that if we _____.

Then our users will achieve _____.

We have observed that...

Specific problems or opportunities backed by quantitative or qualitative data.

User experience interviews

Product metrics

Support tickets

Market research

Surveys & focus groups

Looking for evidence in product data

We have observed that in the last 6 months, 60% of our users applying to jobs have not heard back from a single employer.

We believe that if we...

User-centric solution that is hypothesized to address the observation.

“5 Whys”

“How might we…”

“I wish…”

Happy path sketching

Analysis of similar products

Using the “5 Whys” to hypothesize

Users aren’t getting interviews… Why?

Because they’re applying for jobs that aren’t a good fit… Why?

Because they think the more jobs they apply for, the better their chances…

Why?

Because they don’t know that recruiters only have time for candidates who already have all the necessary skills and experience…

Why?

Because job sites let users search for and apply to any job, without consideration for fit.

Aha!

We have observed that in the last 6 months, 60% of our users applying to jobs have not heard back from a single employer.

We believe that if we showed users a list of job openings where the required skills and experience matched those on their resume…

Then we will achieve...

Projected measurable improvement defined in advance of the project.

Addressable universe

Ecosystem assets

Impact of similar features

Data science projections

Addressable universe

We have observed that in the last 6 months, 60% of our users applying to jobs have not heard back from a single employer.

We believe that if we showed users a list of job openings where the required skills and experience matched those on their resume…

Then users would be deterred from applying to jobs for which they are not qualified and would receive an initial phone screen for at least 25% of submitted applications.

Why define opportunity statements?

● Reduce wasted development time

● Structure, rigor, and actionable tasks to ideation and design exercises

● Shared conversation about prioritization

● Improved collaboration between product, design and engineering.

● Alignment to higher level business goals.

No opportunity is a 100% safe bet

Were our assumptions about user needs correct?

Is this solution feasible?

Execution matters!

1. Opportunity statement definition

2. Design studio & user testing

3. Requirements definition & feasibility assessment

4. Engineering production & launch

5. Product metrics tracking