Problem framing workshop
Turn a vague or contested concern into an evidence-backed problem the team can act on.
Product discovery · 45 min · Standard · 16 questions
Current evidence
What is happening today?
Who encounters the difficulty?
What are they trying to accomplish when it happens?
What could cause the current symptom?
What evidence would distinguish the possible causes?
What is explicitly inside and outside the problem boundary for this workshop?
How often does the problem occur?
What does the problem cost the affected user?
What does the problem cost the business?
Frame selection
Why is this problem worth solving now?
Which stakeholder interest could bias how the group frames the problem?
Which proposed solution could narrow the problem frame too early?
What new evidence would most strongly confirm or overturn each leading frame?
What problem statement will the group carry forward?
Which evidence must remain attached to the problem statement?
Which uncertainty must remain explicit in the problem statement?
How to use this brief
Use this brief as a bank of questions for the conversation. Choose what is relevant, mark covered questions as you go, and skip anything that has already been answered.
Use this brief when...
Use when you need to turn a vague or contested concern into an evidence-backed problem the team can act on.
Best used as: Workshop
- Category
- Product discovery
- Discussion time
- 45 minutes
- Depth
- Standard
- Last updated
- Jul 21, 2026
- Scope
- Design briefs
- Best used as
- Workshop
- Design roles
- Product designer
- Audience
- Product designersProduct managersDesign leadsFounders and operators
- Platforms
- Cross-platform
- Company type
- StartupB2BB2CEnterprise
- Product stage
- IdeaEarly-stageGrowthMature product
- Tags
- product-discoveryproblem-framing-workshopresearch-and-evaluationvague-requestconflicting-explanationsprioritization