Sept 16, 18 — Building in community...

How Might We

From Universal Methods of Design: 100 Ways to Research Complex Problems, Develop Innovative Ideas, and Design Effective Solutions by Bella Martin and Bruce Hanington

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To encourage the healthy exploration of ideas and potential concepts, start problem statements with “How might we…”

It can be tempting—especially for anyone new to the design process—to jump to solutions. However, solutions can be limited in their scope because we are focusing on the symptoms of a problem, not the root. An alternate framing of what we’re trying to solve can lead to more creative exploration of multiple solutions. An approach that can help is by rephrasing the problem through the statement, “How might we?” The statement is often abbreviated as HMW.

The method helps to set the stage for brainstorming, and is most often used following exploratory and generative research to advance from insights to potential concepts. Common steps of HMW are sequenced as follows:

( 1 ) Specify the material you are exploring (e.g., a design brief, a problem statement, or insights collected from your research).

( 2 ) Reframe the problem or insight into one or more “How might we” statements, iterating on them until there is team consensus on the right one.

( 3 ) Brainstorm solutions in response to the HMW statement, allowing creativity to flow for a range of ideas generated by individuals and the team.

( 4 ) Work to prioritize the ideas, recognizing that this is a first step toward further creative exploration and iterative development of concepts, gradually moving to solution.

There is subtle nuance to the phrasing. In fact, Tim Brown of IDEO suggests each word has a powerful meaning:

• “How” provides confidence in asserting that there are potential solutions out there.
• “Might” suggests that those ideas might succeed, or they may not, but there is merit in exploring them through creative iteration.
• “We” indicates that this is a collaborative effort, strengthened by building on each other’s ideas.

The HMW statement simultaneously narrows and broadens the design direction, taking the team from convergent to divergent thinking.

On one hand, through careful and iterative wording, it consolidates research into a unified direction. On the other, it enables vast exploration of possibilities for how to move in that direction. It’s critical to allow the statement to evolve as new information is collected and assessed, and as design concepts begin to emerge. While early statements may be aspirational to foster creative brainstorming, eventually they may become more concrete and realistic. When they reach this point, the HMW statement can be effectively used to assess design outcomes, mapping proposed solutions back to the intended goal.