There is an existing solution for everything that a person wants to do or accomplish.
But, there is no such thing as a perfect solution.
Every solution has some kind of trouble that must be dealt with in the user experience.
Trouble is not the same as a Problem.
Trouble is not a Pain Point.
Trouble is an effect that is caused by a problem, experienced at a point in time during the user experience.
Trouble is an indication that something isn’t working for the user and they are not OK with it, causing both a cognitive and emotional response.
Trouble with an existing solution can be:
- an unsatisfying event (something is difficult to do or understand)
- too much variance (three different kinds)
- a breakdown
- too much uncertainty
- unrealized benefits
- unresolved challenges
- a constraint
- an anomaly
- something unusual, unexpected, or peculiar enough to be noticeable
- a paradox
- a situation that is difficult to understand because it has opposing factors
Identifying problems worth solving requires understanding the type, severity, timing, and frequency of the trouble being experienced by the user of an available solution.
Trouble focuses the Innovator on the need and urgency for changing the available solution.