Phase 2: Define
After spending time observing and listening to your users in the Empathize phase, you will have gathered a massive amount of unstructured data. The Define phase is where you make sense of that chaos.
Synthesizing the Data
The goal of the Define phase is to synthesize your observations into core problems. You aren't coming up with ideas for features yet because you are simply identifying exactly what problem needs to be solved. If you solve the wrong problem perfectly, your product will still fail.
The Goal of This Phase
In this stage, you distill your research into actionable frameworks that your entire team can rally around. You are defining the boundaries of the playing field.
Common deliverables produced in this phase include:
- Problem Statements: Clear, concise descriptions of the user's core need and the friction they are experiencing.
- User Journeys: Visual maps illustrating the steps a user takes to achieve a goal, highlighting emotional highs and lows.
- Value Propositions: Defining exactly how your future solution will alleviate the user's pain points.
The following chapters will teach you how to translate messy research into crystal-clear definitions.