Entrepreneurship and Small Business (ESB) Certification Practice Exam

At what stage in the design thinking process is a problem statement formed?

1. Empathize

2. Ideate

3. Define

4. Prototype

The correct answer is: Define

In the design thinking process, the formation of a problem statement occurs during the Define stage. This stage is crucial because it synthesizes the insights gathered from the Empathize phase, where the team gains an understanding of the users and their needs. By analyzing this information, the team can articulate a clear and actionable problem statement that reflects the core challenges faced by users. Crafting an effective problem statement helps to focus the team's efforts in a direction that is grounded in the users' experiences and pain points. This clarity is essential as it lays the foundation for the subsequent Ideate stage, where brainstorming and generating creative solutions occur. The Define stage is instrumental in ensuring that the solutions developed later are relevant and address the actual needs identified from user interactions. In contrast, the Empathize stage is primarily about observation and understanding users rather than defining problems, while the Ideate stage is focused on brainstorming solutions, and the Prototype stage involves creating tangible representations of those solutions. Thus, the correct identification of this stage as when the problem statement is formed underscores its importance in guiding the overall design thinking process.