Design thinking, as many of you might recall, stands out as a human-centered approach within user experience design. This methodology revolves around developing an understanding of the people who will be using the product or service. By emphasizing empathy, collaboration, and iteration, design thinking allows designers to create user-centric solutions that are not only functional but also resonate with the needs, desires, and challenges of the end users.
Central to design thinking is the ability to frame problems. This is where both problem statements and point of view statements come into play. Problem statements act as clear, concise, and actionable pointers to challenges users face. This is similar to identifying the pain points of the users. These statements don’t just present the problem, they capture the underlying issue which helps direct designers towards viable solutions. Point of view (POV) statements are insightful interpretations of the problems that users face. They take gathered information and refine it into a focused directive that provides designers a clear and focused direction for ideation. Overall, both of these statements ensure that our designs remain rooted in empathy and ultimately lead to solutions that genuinely appeal to our users and reflect their interests and preferences.
App Point of Views
To help us understand and practice creating POV statements, we engaged in an exercise that mirrored real-world user experiences by having us translate real user feedback into actionable insights. The App Point of Views assignment had us delve deep into actual app reviews, sorting them into three categories: positive, negative, and suggestive. This structure didn’t just provide us with user sentiments but also taught us to frame these findings systematically, which would offer a clear blueprint for both designers and developers. The formula we were given for our POV statements was:
[User…(descriptive)] needs [need…(verb)] because [insight…(compelling)].
This structured POV statement formula is effective due to its simplicity and focus. It synthesizes feedback into a concise directive by identifying the users, their specific need, and the underlying reason or insight behind that need.
For my assignment, I examined three video game companion apps: PS App (PlayStation), Xbox App, and Nintendo Switch Online App. I sourced the reviews from the Google Play Store, which is a digital storefront for Android apps. You can find a detailed breakdown of my findings here: App Point of Views Presentation.