How to Craft a Problem Fit Solution?

Have you ever thought customers often don’t care about your solution (the product you’re developing)?

Founders emphasize solutions and communicate to customers through them—what their product can do, what it is solving, how it outperforms competitors, and how it’s better than the competitors.

They hardly spend time communicating the problem because they believe customers are already aware of it.

That’s why when building a new product or idea, the natural instinct might be to jump straight into crafting a solution. They fall in love with it before fully understanding the problem.

Instead of focusing on the solution, devote the energy to deeply understand the problems you aim to solve.

The Problem-First Approach

This mindset shift can be transformative, leading to innovations that truly matter and resonate with your target audience. But how do we put this into practice?

Start by diving deep into the problem space. Ask yourself and your potential customers these open-ended questions:

1. Why does this problem exist? While building our Marketing audit system it was important to understand and get the validation of the idea by knowing the problem I’m trying to solve and why it exists. It’s not enough to identify a problem on the surface; you need to dig deeper to understand why it exists in the first place. It also helps you identify any underlying issues or trends.
2. How are people solving it now? If you know there is this problem and know why it exists, you also need to find out all the possible ways your customers are solving it. You’ll know what’s working, and what’s not and identify gaps which will help you bring the difference - it will give you ideas on how to build innovative solutions and what will make the customers onboard your product.
3. How urgent is it? It's important to recognize that not every problem is urgent. If a problem is urgent, people will pay for a solution because it's actively affecting their lives, and they’re already looking for something better. Urgent problems usually have a ready market since people are eager for solutions. If the problem isn’t urgent, it might not be a priority, and we may not need to address it.
4. How well do you understand the problem? This question is about self-reflection. It’s easy to assume you understand a problem fully, but until you’ve explored it from multiple angles and gathered feedback from those affected, you may have only scratched the surface. Maybe you face the problem yourself or people really close to you.

Learn more about the problem who face it

One of the most effective ways to gain this deep understanding is through customer interviews, particularly with those who potentially face the problem you're trying to solve. These conversations offer a window into the real-world experiences, frustrations, and needs of your target audience.

Remember, people don't connect with solutions; they connect with the problems they face. By focusing on the problem, you're not just building a product – you're creating a connection with your potential customers.

For example, when I first started building Marketing Audit System, I wasn't sure who it should be for—companies, marketers, or founders. However, I realized I needed to figure out who really struggles with this issue and who actually conducts marketing audits.

This led me to focus on marketers like me.

As I dealt with the challenge of unorganised, outdated information and unreliable data within startups for marketing audits, I knew other marketers were likely facing the same problem.

By conducting open-ended interviews with them, I gained a clear understanding of the problem and identified the best solution to meet their needs.

Did you know that 48% of ideas struggle to gain customer attention because they fail to clearly communicate the problem they're solving?

When you can articulate the problem in a way that resonates with your audience, you've already won half the battle.

When you know the problem, you can

1. Develop a solution that truly addresses user needs
2. Communicate the value of your solution effectively
3. Iterate and improve your product based on real user feedback
4. Build a strong connection with your target audience

Remember, get crystal clear on the problem, and the solution will follow. This increases the chance to create something that genuinely improves people's lives.

The next time you're struck by a brilliant idea, resist the urge to dive straight into solution mode.

That’s what most people do.

Instead, take a step back, immerse yourself in the problem, and let your understanding of the challenge guide your path to innovation.