Insights & Strategy

Design Strategy

Translating research into actions is often more art than science. We have found “how might we” questions to be useful tools.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Delve's experts in insights, strategy, design, and engineering can guide you through an end-to-end innovation process that delivers results.

Our Services Page: Product Design and Development (text only)

<h2>What is a 'How Might We' question?</h2>
A "how might we" is&nbsp;a question used to facilitate brainstorming. It&nbsp;prompts the group to consider future possibilities within an opportunity space.&nbsp;
This approach can help teams begin to move from insights to ideas. This article will introduce you to key components that are helpful when building a HMW question.
<h2>When to use 'How Might We' questions?</h2>
After completing field research and uncovering insights and opportunities, the design team can begin to write how might we—HMW—&nbsp;questions to synthesize the research.&nbsp;
These HMW questions frame possible&nbsp;new solutions. The team can imagine what the future state could look like within these frames.&nbsp;
Identifying the frame with the correct focus is key. The&nbsp;the wrong frame can exclude potential solutions or create solutions that do not address the problem at hand.

For example, if we have been doing research on dog accessories, an insight might look something like this:
<ul><li>"Dog owners want to walk their dogs in all types of weather because the dogs have to go to the bathroom and get exercise, but when the dogs come back inside, they leave the floors dirty, which is time consuming to clean."</li></ul>
And the HMW that we create from this insight could look something like this.
<ul><li>"How might we … create an accessory that helps dog owners, whose dogs go outside in all types of weather, address dirty paw prints on clean floors?"</li></ul>

The JOC method lets you move into ideation confident that you're working from something more than a hunch.

Don't Miss: Use ‘Jobs, Outcomes, and Constraints’ to Exploit the Pause Between Research and Ideation

Rainy dog

<h2>How to frame a 'How Might We' question</h2>
HMW questions are challenging to write well because there is no one way to measure or judge the quality of the question. Is it good, bad, or terrible? What makes it that way? How can the quality of the HMW be known before the ideation session?
Getting to the right level of information—not too broad, wherein you run the risk of "boiling the ocean," or too narrow, which could limit the team's ideas—is the first challenge in writing HMW questions. 
To continue with the dog accessory theme, an example of too broad might be something like this.
<ul><li>"How might we … create a dog accessory to clean floors?"</li></ul>
This question is too broad to focus the team specifically on what the research says is important. The question does not say who you are designing for, which is crucial to know when creating any sort of design.
So what does too narrow look like? It might be something like this.
<ul><li>"How might we … create a new mop for dog owners that better cleans muddy dog prints on rainy days?"</li></ul>
This question is incredibly specific which will limit the amount of ideas created from the question. This will focus the team on reworking a mop, when in reality designing booties or creating something completely new could get you a similar or better result. The HMW should drive at the purpose of the solution, not a specific solution itself.
So, what is needed to write an HMW question?

Jahsie ault i hbxoj Ir o unsplash

<h2>The 4 key elements of a 'How Might We' question</h2>
HMWs have four key components that make the question viable for a productive brainstorm. These components should be supported by the analysis of both qualitative and quantitative research.
Imagine we are writing a HMW question to inspire ideation around cleaning dog messes. Think about the first HMW example shared in the beginning.
<ul><li>How might we…create an&nbsp;accessory&nbsp;that helps dog owners, whose dogs go outside in all types of weather, address dirty paw prints on clean floors?</li></ul>
Using this as an example, we can deconstruct the key elements of a good HMW question:

To understand the critical importance of user research and strategy for businesses, it's helpful to look at real-world examples.

Don't Miss: The ROI of Research and Strategy

<h3>1. Target user for problem solving</h3>
Who is the user you are designing for?The ideating group needs to design for the specific user. Remember if designing for all, the design is really for no one. Help the ideating group focus on their specific user by including them in the question. There should only be one target user per HMW (e.g. a dog owner).<h3>2. Goal of the project</h3>
What is the goal the group is trying to achieve?This should be pulled from the original statement of work to make sure the ideas stay within the scope of what is feasible for the effort (e.g. create a new accessory for our dog line that eliminates/addresses dog messes that are the most frequent or the most disruptive).<h2>3. Current state problem</h2>
Why is this an issue for this user today?
This should come from the research to ensure the effort is addressing the key issues the user is having today (e.g. dogs creating dirty floors after coming in from outside). 
<h3>4. Key design criteria</h3>
What was found to be crucial when researching this problem?
What did the solution have to address?
This should also come from research. Design criteria will be used to reinforce the key insights and drive success to the solution (e.g. address messes from all weather types).
<h2>Putting it all together</h2>
Now revisit the HMW we deconstructed earlier to get these pieces:
How might we…
<ul><li>create an accessory (goal of the project)</li><li>that helps dog owners, (target user)</li><li>whose dogs go outside in all types of weather, (design criteria)</li><li>address dirty paw prints on clean floors? (current state problem)</li></ul>
The way the information is organized can change based on how the team decides to phrase the question. The HMW could also be phrased like the following:
How might we…
<ul><li>help dog owners, (target user)</li><li>whose dogs go outside in all types of weather, (design criteria)</li><li>by creating an accessory (goal of the project)</li><li>to address dirty paw prints on clean floors? (current state problem)</li></ul>
HMWs are a great tool, and when done right, can be a great catalyst for insight-based innovation. To be successful, they have to frame the research properly to allow the transition from research to design.
This article was written by Shannon Ingles.

Delve's Design Strategy Team uses proven tools and methods to frame innovation opportunities, architect a plan to get there, and guide clients through the rollercoaster of innovation.

Services Page: Strategy - Inspiration and Direction for Design, Innovation, and Business

Learn more about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.delve.com/services/strategy/design-strategy" target="_blank">Delve: Product Design Strategy Services for Businesses</a>.

SEO Text: Design Strategy Services

Newsletter Signup: Product Innovation (icon visual)

Denise jans v Ca S7 SA qw8 unsplash

Translating research into actions is often more art than science. We have found “how might we” questions to be useful tools. Here's how to write one.

Contact Us | General (Let's build something together)

Industrial / Commercial Products

Consumer Products

Home

Insights

How to Write 'How Might We' Questions for Product Strategy

Breadcrumbs

A full-service product design and strategic innovation consultancy.

Delve

Translating research into actions is often more art than science. We have found “how might we” questions to be useful tools. Here's how to write one.

description

generator

kSwNn6qD4B-4HloWnWMUBWQNpBx2_mPi3nMqgsh6ato

google-site-verification

questions, research, actions, we”, useful, translating, science, “how, tools, here's, write

keywords

https://cms.delve.com/assets/images/_1200x630_crop_center-center_82_none/denise-jans-vCaS7SA-qw8-unsplash.jpg?mtime=1605048251

https://linkedin.com/company/delvedesign/

https://www.delve.com/insights/key-components-of-a-how-might-we

referrer

robots

twitter:card

twitter:creator

twitter:description

https://cms.delve.com/assets/images/_800x418_crop_center-center_82_none/denise-jans-vCaS7SA-qw8-unsplash.jpg?mtime=1605048251

twitter:image

twitter:image:alt

twitter:image:height

twitter:image:width

twitter:site

twitter:title

{"title":{"title":"How to Write 'How Might We' Questions for Product Strategy | Delve"}}

Predict the Future

Privacy Policy

FCOI Policy

Services

Case Studies

Testimonials

What We Do

About Us

Our People

Join Our Team

Careers

Newsroom

Who We Are

Boston

Madison

Philadelphia

San Francisco

Our Studios

Partner with Delve

Contact Us

Contact

Vamsee Pamula, Founder &amp; President, Baebies

Read informative articles from Delve's team of experts. Discover innovative strategies and insights about product design, engineering, and development.

Delve Insights: Product Innovation & Development Blog

innovation, product, design, advice, development

https://cms.delve.com/assets/images/_1200x630_crop_center-center_82_none/Delve_titlecard.png?mtime=1654035558

https://cms.delve.com/assets/images/_800x418_crop_center-center_82_none/Delve_titlecard.png?mtime=1654035558

How to Write 'How Might We' Questions for Product Strategy

How to Write 'How Might We' Questions for Product Strategy

Related Insights