Delimit the situational boundaries in both space and time and make the context specific.
In other words, clarify where and when the situation occurs, and describe the context (when and where the unmet/unrealized need or desire occurs, and the current approach/workaround and its result) precisely. Doing so narrows the focus of the problem so tightly that it is already halfway to being solved.
**The context layers you need:**
**THE WHO**
*Name, role, location, and any other helpful background information of the person with the unmet/unrealized need or desire.*
**THEIR CURRENT APPROACH**
*Current solution/workaround/compensating behavior and when and where it happens (and if possible, what they were doing before and when they switched to what they are doing now).*
**THEIR RESULT**
*Current result from the current solution/workaround/compensating behavior.*
**THEIR DESIRED OUTCOME**
*Their desired outcome before (and after) they started with their current approach (when they switched from what they were doing before to what they are doing now).*
**Two solution-agnostic requirements examples:**
```
When I’m in a rush, I’m starving, need something I can eat with one hand while on the go, and I’m not sure when I’ll be able to eat again, and most options are too slow, too messy, or not filling enough, help me get something hot, fast, and satisfying that I can eat on the move, so I can curb my hunger quickly, stay on schedule, and avoid crashing later.
```
```
When I’m (software development agency owner) under time pressure and discover work has been sitting idle—delaying billing and causing cash flow problems, and the only way to track progress is by chasing people for updates, which is slow and unreliable, I want a system that notifies my team the moment work is ready so I can keep the workflow moving, hit project milestones faster, and smooth out my billing and cash flow.
```
Narrowing down the problem isn’t an either/or proposition — it’s not that you either get all the behavior you want, or just one small piece. Finding a foothold can solve a real problem, produce a meaningful win, and pave the way for more opportunities, both expected and unexpected.
Good explanatory problems move from what’s happening and has this happened multiple times to what underlying network structure causes these patterns, and what beliefs led to this structure.
**Additional tips:**
- Tackle the most unknown slices first.
- Not every slice of a larger problem calls for the same level of finish.
- Limit who you’re solving for.
**Critical questions to ask about the problem:**
- What happens if we do nothing?
- What is/are the input signal/s and the output response we want to measure and observe?
- Is the cost of the failure higher than the cost of the solution?
- Before committing to a path to solve a problem (*pre-mortem*): Why did this fail?
- What’s happening? Has this happened multiple times? What underlying structure causes these patterns? What beliefs led to this structure (Where is this intuition coming from)?
- What missing information would lead to making a different decision?
- What is *not* part of this problem?
**Five key ways to unpack demand when interviewing:**
- Context first: anchor to moments in time. “What was happening the week before?” “Who was there?” The irrational becomes rational with context.
- Contrast: ask “Why this and not that?” “What did you choose away from?” Contrast reveals boundaries and value code.
- Reference point: there’s no fast, only faster than… get the comparison people are holding in their heads.
- Energy cues: listen for emphasis, pauses, sighs. When you hear energy, stop and dig. “Say more—why is that important?”
- Down to action: keep probing until you hit “the edge of articulation,” then switch to examples or analogies to make it tangible. “Show me,” “Give me an example,” “What’s not that?”