Rooting the problem

Organizations, in their pursuit of growth and development in the services and products they offer to customers, periodically require insights into user feedback about their products. This feedback aids in better understanding the real market conditions and facilitating service improvements aligned with market demands, as well as understanding customer needs for future products. Understanding genuine needs and issues is the most vital aspect of studying users. Sometimes, the problems they articulate are not the true underlying concerns, necessitating a deeper investigation into the issues’ roots.

5 Whys Method

Initially, we must understand that the input of the problem definition process comes from the output of the empathy phase with users and customers, which is the first step in the market research stage.

In the empathy phase, all problems and needs have been categorized based on affinity maps and specific topics. Using the “5 Whys” method, the root causes of these defined problems have been identified.

In this method, we define the first “why” for the existing problem, and this path continues up to the fifth “why.” The final answer reveals the fundamental root of the problem.

Ensuring the certainty of each problem’s root allows for the explicit recognition of the core problem statement for ideation. In the field of office furniture, according to the fact that the user personas are using products and services in different specializations and different conditions, it is necessary to reach a point close to their common needs for a solution. The variety of needs and problems based on the expertise of the users makes the research team face a variety of problems. It is essential to understand this issue and the absolute need shared between users at this stage.

The variety of needs and problems based on the expertise of the users makes the research team face a variety of problems. It is essential to understand this issue and the absolute need shared between users at this stage.

House Of Quality

In order to use the “House Of Quality” table, it’s vital to make necessary predictions during the initial stages of the market research process while designing quantitative questions. All questions and responses within the user requirements column directly impact the “House Of Quality”. The “House Of Quality” methodology, derived from user data collected when responding to quantitative questions, has substantially assisted the MAKH team. Moreover, the prioritization of both the customers’ desires and the operational priorities that Farazin company must address to meet these needs, were obtained from this matrix.

This technique is a systematic approach that automatically identifies customer needs’ priorities through predefined operations. In the process of problem root cause analysis, prioritizing the roots and establishing connections between problems and needs is crucial. With the assistance of this method, we found out which needs have positive or negative impacts on each other. In essence, the intelligence of this process emerges when a solution simultaneously addresses two or three common user needs.

In the process of problem root cause analysis, it is important to understand how needs are interconnected. For instance, the users we examined when using their work desks, found it challenging to access power outlets and sockets. Simultaneously, the accessibility of computer case sockets was also investigated. In reality, the root cause for both these issues was the same. Therefore, it is crucial in this phase to categorize, investigate, and analyze needs based on their roots. Addressing real-world problems that users encounter in their daily routines is highly significant. An important point to note is that many times, organizations comprehend problems based on the desires and statements of their audience and proceed to provide solutions without conducting proper root cause analysis. These solutions might seem correct but, due to a flawed problem statement, they lack functionality in the real world, leaving users feeling that the provided solution doesn’t meet their expectations. It is the responsibility of the research and design team to genuinely and accurately discover user needs.