1. Start with the need

This standard links to two Principles for Digital Development: Design with the User and Understanding the Existing Ecosystem.

Building something that is not needed is the most significant risk in digital. Most technology startups and products fail. This is not because the technology doesn’t work.

It’s because they have built something that people don’t need or can’t use. 

By understanding the needs of real people, UNDP can ensure that we do not make this mistake. More of our projects will have a real and lasting impact.

Don’t start with a solution or technology and then search for a way to use it. Start with a clear understanding of the challenge you address. Understand your intended user’s needs, context, and technology constraints.   

Only then,  focus on solutions that address the problem. There’s no such thing as a perfect problem statement, but there are definitely good and bad examples. A good problem statement should be clear, concise, and specific. It should be achievable and relevant to your company or organization. On the other hand, a bad problem statement can be vague, overly ambitious, or simply irrelevant. 

It can also be too specific, making it impossible to solve. If you're not sure whether your problem statement is good or bad, ask yourself these questions:

1. Is the problem statement clear and concise?
2. Is the problem statement specific?
3. Is the problem statement achievable?
4. Is the problem statement relevant?

Here are two examples of problem statements:

• Bad: Slow humanitarian response after earthquakes
• Good:  Humanitarian community lacks on the ground information at the start of a humanitarian crisis because of limited and infrastructure communication networks. The implications are slower response and a lack of coordinated effort.

You cannot understand user needs in isolation by sitting in meetings and debating. Someone needs to speak, early and often, to the precise set of people who experience the problem and those already trying to solve the problem.

A significant amount of qualitative insights will emerge based on these conversations.  

Be careful not to put too much significance on the potential solutions at this point. People often do not know the scope of available solutions, and you could be side-tracked.

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” Henry Ford

The priority is to create alignment around the problem definition at this stage. Everyone on your team should understand and be able to articulate the problem(s) and unmet needs. Why is the problem worth solving?

The better your understanding of the problem and the users, the more likely you will create an impactful solution.