Problem Statement: Understanding its Role in Web Experimentation

This blog post discusses how problem statements can be used in web experimentation. It highlights the purposes and contexts in which this tool is used and emphasizes the importance of focusing on the needs and goals of users in experimentation to improve the overall user experience and achieve business objectives.

Problem statement - an issue that needs to be addressed

A problem statement is a concise description of an issue or challenge that needs to be addressed. It typically outlines the problem, its impact, and the desired outcome or goal of any proposed solution. Problem statements are commonly used in research, project management, and other fields where critical thinking and problem-solving skills are required.

In web experimentation, a problem statement can help define the specific issue or challenge that the experiment is intended to address. This can help ensure that the experiment is designed to test a specific hypothesis or answer a particular question, rather than simply generating data without a clear purpose.

A well-crafted problem statement in web experimentation might include:

  • A description of the specific problem or challenge that the experiment is designed to address.
  • A clear statement of the hypothesis being tested, and how the experiment will measure success or failure.
  • A description of the expected impact of the experiment on user behavior or other relevant metrics.
  • Any relevant background or contextual information that will help stakeholders understand the importance of the problem and the need for experimentation.

Example: A problem statement related to signing up for an account on a website

"Users are experiencing high levels of frustration during the account creation process, leading to a significant drop-off in completed sign-ups. We need to identify and address the specific pain points in the process to reduce user frustration and increase sign-up completion rates."

This problem statement could be used to guide web experimentation focused on improving the account creation process. For example, the company could create experiments to test different variations of the sign-up flow, such as reducing the number of form fields, simplifying the design, or changing the order of the steps. They could also experiment with different messaging or incentives to encourage users to complete the sign-up process.

Conclusion

Overall, a problem statement can be a useful tool for ensuring that web experiments are designed with a clear purpose and that they are conducted in a way that generates meaningful data that can be used to improve the user experience or achieve other business goals.