Overview

Most designers know pretty intuitively the types of questions they need to be asking. Still, there are a few that I’ve identified over the course of my career so far that seem to have an outsized impact on the overall quality of a design team’s final product.

Today, I want to share with you what I call The Big 6, which represent core questions that you need to be asking as a UI/UX designer on a regular basis.

The Big 6

1. What problem are we trying to solve?

This one is pounded into designers’ minds from the second they step into most UX training programs, but it’s absolutely worth repeating here.

If you don’t know what problem you’re really trying to solve, you have little hope of designing a relevant solution for your users.

Make sure you have a good idea of what problem you’re actually trying to solve versus what problem you think you’re trying to solve.

2. Who are we trying to solve it for?

This one is asked less often, and to the peril of most product teams.

“Oh, everyone will use this, we’re designing for everyone.”

No, Jimmy, you’re not. Those who design for everyone design for no one and it is paramount that we understand this as designers. This is not about accessibility, this is about target user base, their predilections, technological proficiency, expectations, and necessary outcomes.

Know your target and plan accordingly.

3. How do we know that it’s a problem?

This one gets asked so rarely that I legitimately wonder sometimes if bootcamps just decided not to include it in their design curriculum to ensure that designers weren’t pissing off stakeholders right out of the gate.

That said, it has to be asked, and for good reason.

You can’t design viable solutions around assumptions. If you only assume that a problem is a problem for your users without checking first to make sure, then your end result is that much more likely to fail on the open market.

Always do your UX research.

4. Why should people care about our solution?

Another fantastic question that normally falls by the wayside in the wake of assumptions. Why should people care?

What does your product or service do for them that no one else does?

• How do you help them feel?
• What do you help them do?
• How easy do you make the process for them?
• How personalized do you make their outcomes?

All of these things feed directly into the success of your users, and thereby into the success of your product as a result.

5. How do we know that people will buy our solution?

I almost never hear anyone ask this question, especially at the stakeholder table, and it’s one of the most important questions that you can ask as a designer.

If you don’t know that people will buy your solution, there’s little reason to actually build it in the first place. People need to get paid, and in order for that to happen, your solution must be commercially viable.

When in doubt, smoke test to be sure.

6. What are we looking to get out of this for us?

Lastly, and this one is for business planning, you need to know what you’re actually looking to get out of your product activities.

• What do you want to see happen?
• Are you looking to make money?
• If so, how much?
• By when?
• What ROI do you need to satisfy stakeholders?
• What’s the mission behind the product?
• How will you know if you succeeded or failed?

All of these things are super important to establish ahead of you actually designing your product, because it sets both the tone and the expectations of the project in its entirety.

Bringing it all together

The Big 6 represent the questions that you honestly need to be asking on a regular basis if you’re not already.

1. What problem are we trying to solve?
2. Who are we trying to solve it for?
3. How do we know that it’s a problem?
4. Why should people care about our solution?
5. How do we know that people will buy our solution?
6. What are we looking to get out of this for us?

By keeping these questions fresh, on deck, and present within your conversations, not only can you help better ensure the overall success of your product, but aid in the interpersonal communication and expectation setting throughout the winding process that this designing a successful product.