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 with an existing solution can be:

• an unsatisfying event (complicated = something that is difficult to do; or complex = something that is difficult to understand)
• too much variance (three different kinds)
• a breakdown
• too much uncertainty
• unrealized benefits
• unresolved challenges
• a constraint
• an anomaly
  • something unusual, unexpected, abnormal, or peculiar enough to be noticed
• a paradox
  • a situation that is difficult to understand because it has opposing factors

Trouble is not the same as a problem.

Trouble is an effect that is caused by a problem.

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).

Identifying problems worth solving requires understanding the type and severity of the trouble being experienced by the user of an available solution.

Trouble focuses the Innovator on the need and desirability for changing the available solution.