Establish a viewpoint

A point of view (POV) captures the essence of the problem from the user's perspective, based on the insights gathered during the investigation stage. A well-structured POV generally follows this format:

USER_GROUP needs NEED because REASON

  • USER_GROUP: the collection of individuals who share common characteristics and needs—for example, blind users.

  • NEED: the verb that denotes an action or goal that the reasoning addresses—for example, to access information available from online videos.

  • REASON: the clarification of why USER_GROUP has the NEED. It provides the context that makes the need relevant and important—for example, how-to video guides are an increasingly important medium for learning.

Components of a POV

Here's a breakdown of each component of the POV:

  • User: define the specific user or group of users you are focusing on. Be descriptive. Instead of users, think blind professionals or elderly patients with limited mobility. This is often informed by the user personas you might have developed.

  • Need: identify a crucial need the user has, expressed as a verb. It should be an actionable need that your design can address. Avoid stating the need as a solution—for example, "needs an app to order food". Instead, focus on the underlying requirement—for example, "needs to access nutritious meals quickly".

  • Insight: articulate the compelling and surprising insight you've uncovered about the user and their need. This is the most critical part, as it provides the "why" and often reframes the problem in a non-obvious way. It should be based on your investigative work, not just a guess.

Formulate multiple POV statements

Based on your synthesized data, user, needs, and insights, draft several potential POV statements. Don't settle for the first one. Exploring different angles can lead to a more powerful and effective POV.

Evaluate and select the best POV

Review your drafted POV statements against the following criteria:

  • Impact: does it have the potential to create a transformative experience for people with disabilities?

  • User-centric: does it focus on a specific user and their needs?

  • Actionable: does it suggest a direction for potential solutions without being overly prescriptive?

  • Insightful: does it incorporate a compelling and non-obvious insight?

  • Narrow enough: is it focused enough to guide ideation effectively, but not so narrow that it limits creativity?

  • Broad enough: does it allow for a variety of potential solutions?

  • Inspiring: Does it motivate the team and spark creative ideas?

Select the POV or a refined combination that best meets these criteria. This will be your guiding problem statement.

What's next