Problem solving - Start with WHAT?
In product development, we always need to understand the “WHY” behind everything.
But in big corporations, most initiatives come from top-down decisions — and suddenly, we are surrounded by thousands of “why” questions without clear answers. Hell yeah, ambiguity hits from every direction: business goals, stakeholder expectations, technical constraints, even customer problems. So… where do we start?
Design thinking
- Human — all design is fundamentally social and human-centered
- Ambiguity — design thinking doesn’t remove ambiguity; it embraces it
- Re-design — most design processes are actually re-designing existing systems
- Tangibility — making ideas tangible helps teams communicate and align faster
But wait…
We don’t always have the luxury of time, budget, or resources. We need faster and cheaper ways to solve problems without over-romanticizing the design process.
Don’t wait for your “designer soul” to magically appear.
Here are a few practical approaches I use — painful sometimes, but gold when it works.
Design tactic: Start with WHAT
The strive goal is to understand the impact at every level. ALIGNMENT is the key.
Without alignment, teams can easily spend weeks on analysis, research, and “beautiful” designs that are completely out of scope or disconnected from real business objectives.
Here are the key things to focus on at the start:
- Rapidly map the Customer Journey: identify customer needs, pain points, and moments that impact business goals. Where are the real opportunities for growth or improvement?
- Build solid hypotheses backed by evidence and measurable outcomes.
- Define clear Design Criteria — a shared language that helps teams align and make decisions faster.
- Prioritize collaboratively with stakeholders to balance customer value, business impact, and technical feasibility.
Once the foundation is clear, your team can move with more confidence, communicate ideas more effectively, and gain stronger stakeholder buy-in.
Disclaimer: this approach requires being highly proactive and willing to challenge assumptions. Conflicts with stakeholders are normal — and often necessary. Healthy tension helps teams understand business requirements more deeply and make decisions with greater clarity and confidence.
