In the world of UX design, defining a problem sounds like a piece of cake, but knowing the right problem to address takes a bit of work. This is where point of view statements come into play.

A point of view (POV) statement is an actionable problem statement that allows you to ideate in a goal-oriented manner. Your POV captures your design vision by defining the right challenge to address in ideation sessions. The three key components that go into a POV are the user, need, and insight. By combining what you know about the user, what needs they are seeking to be met, and the insight you can contribute through research are a perfect recipe for defining a clear problem that can be addressed.

This week, I completed an activity doing just that; creating point of view statements based off user reviews. I chose three competitor apps, Starbucks, Dunkin’, and Dutch Bros, that all aim to serve their users in similar ways. By reading the reviews left under each app, I was able to learn why people love, hate, or tolerate them; this step helped me gain empathy for these users, too!

For each app, I pulled three reviews for each of these categories: positive reviews, negative reviews, and suggestive reviews. I found that the suggestive reviews are most likely to address problems that have a potential solution.

Positive reviews are from users who enjoy the app’s design enough to share their experience, negative reviews are often written in anger due to a particular issue they have with the app, and suggestive reviews state that the app is good, but could use work in certain areas. The latter is usually constructive and explained clearly, which helps designers identify problem areas and define specific issues.

After gathering several reviews for each application and addressing patterns I found within them, I can successfully create POV statements for problems brought up by the users. To put my statements into clear, simple terms, I used this structure: [User . . . (descriptive)] needs [need . . . (verb)] because [insight. . . (compelling)]. Two POV statements for each app are shown below.

The use of these statements allows me to define problems that focus on user challenges in a concise way. These statements ensure that designers are relevant and aligned with what users actually need.

To view my POV statement project in full, click here.