In the Design Thinking process, sometimes the problems that the creators and researchers are working to solve can seem out-of-focus and blurred. Our scope can be too big and too vast for us to focus on. We have to be able to concentrate our attention on specific needs to help solve the bigger problems of design.
It’s kind of like solving a puzzle. You can’t solve the puzzle without taking a look at the little pieces that make up the entire picture first.
This is where problem statements can come into play. Problem statements can help teams focus on simpler parts of the problem, rather than focusing on the problem as a whole. The problem statement can help spark other ideas formed by the research team during the Ideation stage of the Design Thinking process (Dam & Siang, 2020). The Ideation stage follows the Define stage.
According to Dam & Siang, a problem statement should be human-centered, broad enough for creative freedom and narrow enough to make it manageable. The problem statement should be centered around your users, and it should be balanced around a central idea that is not too specific or broad.
Problem Statements: Undercover Boss
Frontier Airlines – Season 2, Episode 4
A few weeks ago, I analyzed an episode of Undercover Boss to dive into the Empathize step of the Design Thinking process. The episode I chose was about Frontier Airlines and its CEO, Bryan Bedford, who went undercover to see the ins and outs of his airline’s operation. Below, I have created five problem statements for the characters of the episode as they relate to their jobs.
Problem Statement 1: Cleaning the airplanes fast is a challenge for Sue because there is only a certain amount of time given to her to clean.
This problem statement is about Sue, who is an aircraft appearance coordinator. She cleans the planes once they dock at the terminals. She is always very rushed to clean the planes because she only is allotted 7 to 9 minutes to clean. The time she is given is not enough time to truly clean the plane. Yes, she is able to get the garbage up and straighten the chairs and seating, but she is not deep cleaning the plane between flights, which can cause more problems for the next crew or passengers.
In the episode, a passenger had gotten sick on the plane, and Sue had to clean it as other passengers were loading the plane. This isn’t sanitary and can lead to problems with other passenger’s health and satisfaction of wanting to travel on Frontier Airlines again.
Problem Statement 2: Maintaining a polished work appearance is a challenge for Valeria because she is working two jobs in different climates.
Valeria is a cross-utilization agent at Frontier. This means she helps marshal the plane to dock at the terminal, unloads the baggage once the plane lands and also checks customers into their flight inside at the check in station. This job is tough for Valeria because she moves back-and-forth from each jobs without much of a transition or break. In the episode, Valeria was working on a hot day and got sweaty as she was working outside. She then came back inside and worked at the check-in desk, but customers could tell she was hot and sweaty, which is not what you want for a check-in employee. This problem statement leads us to believe that this position should be split into two different jobs.
Problem Statement 3: Providing for his large family is a challenge for Tui because of the 10% pay cut that Frontier initiated.
Tui explains to undercover Bryan that he is having a tough time making ends meet for his family of eight. He works six days a week and is barely getting by. He explains that this is a challenge for him because of the pay cut. He isn’t asking for much more from Frontier, but if they could reinstate the 10% pay back, it would give him a little more peace of mind.
Problem Statement 4: Maintaining a positive attitude is a challenge for Hector because he is having a hard time paying for his son’s college.
Hector brought a great attitude to the day when Bryan was working with him. He is a great teacher and helped Bryan through the process of unloading the waste form the lavatory. Hector tries to keep spirits high when he is at work. He says that him and his co-workers try to work as much overtime as they can. He advocates from his fellow employees and states that a little goes a long way with them and himself. He is currently trying to pay for his son’s college but is having a hard time.
Problem Statement 5: Being successful in the different roles he takes on is a challenge for Bryan because he has never had to work those types of jobs.
Bryan is the CEO of Frontier, and when he goes undercover, it is apparent that he has never really had to work a blue-collar type of job. He does not learn quickly and has a difficult time adjusting on the fly. He quickly learns that his employees are great at what they do, but with a little help from the upper management, their jobs can be done more efficiently and, in some cases, more safely. In the end, Bryan is able to help meet the needs of the employees he interacts with, and he begins working on a plan to reinstate the 10% pay cut to the employees’ salaries.
MAGGIE PRUITT 