How Might We Statement
How Might We questions help to reframe problems as opportunities.
How Might We questions help the team to narrow their focus on what needs are most important to act on, serving as the foundation for the design team’s brainstorming and ideation activities.
What are How Might We Questions?
Once the designers have User Needs Statements completed, they are ready for the exercise of How Might We Questions. How Might We (HMW) questions are short challenge questions that are representative of the user’s needs. The How Might We questions help to reframe problems as opportunities. Additionally, the How Might We questions help to break the larger problem the user is facing into smaller, more manageable, and actionable pieces.
Once the design team has picked 1-3 HMW questions of appropriate scope, the team can begin brainstorming solutions and ideas for improvement. For more information on creating How Might We Statements, please refer to the following video.
Download the Free "How Might We Statement" Template (PDF)
Purchase the template to customize for your own organization
All of our tools and templates are available in Word or PowerPoint format to allow organizations to purchase and customize the templates to their brand standards.
Using the How Might We Statement to explore the customer’s needs are most important to act on is a critical step in ensuring that an organization is aware of what motivates, frustrates, or excites the customer. This topic is a core concept of applying creative problem-solving through design thinking. To learn more about design, please visit our Introduction to Design Thinking Course.
The Design Thinking course teaches a creative problem-solving that will give any professional an advantage in their industry or career.
- Designers or Product Development professionals that are motivated to bring innovative new products and services to their business and customers.
- Consultants who want to offer their clients a model for applying creative problem-solving to help address business challenges.
- Human Resource professionals seeking to develop more human-centered solutions to support workforce members while driving higher levels of employee engagement.
- Members of Leadership who are wishing to gain competitive advantage by differentiating their business’s products and services.
- Individuals or Teams that are searching for new ways to solve complex problems by placing the customer’s needs at the center of their solutions.
This course will help expose the learner to various design thinking tools and mental models – all with the emphasis on innovating through creative problem-solving.
Our objective is to provide the learner with practical tools for applying a versatile 3-step design thinking process within their organizations. Through this framework, the learner will be able to reframe problems from the customer’s perspective. With this perspective in mind, the learner will drive improvements around the customer experience using tools such as deep-dive interview, journey mapping, empathy mapping, and rapid prototyping.
Need help introducing use of a How Might We Statement at your organization?
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