How Might We: Frame Problems, Not Solutions
“How Might We” questions turn research insights into broad prompts for brainstorming. Use them after user research to frame design challenges before ideating. The biggest footgun is embedding a solution in the question, which kills creativity.
Why it exists
Teams often jump from a user problem straight to a favorite or obvious solution without exploring other possibilities. This premature convergence can lead to building the wrong thing. HMW questions were created to intentionally delay solutioning and force a period of divergent, creative thinking based on real user needs.
The mental model
Think of a "How Might We" question as a lens, not a map. A map tells you the path. A lens helps you see the landscape of possibilities more clearly. It reframes a problem ("Users are confused") into an opportunity ("How might we make users feel confident?"), opening up many potential paths instead of dictating one.
How it works
After a discovery research phase, the team synthesizes its findings into key insights or problem statements. For each key insight, the team collaboratively generates HMW questions. The structure is simple: start with "How might we," then state the user-centric goal. For example, the insight "Users aren't aware of all our product offerings" becomes "How might we increase awareness of the full product offerings?" The team then uses these HMWs as prompts for a brainstorming or ideation session.
When to use it
Use HMWs at the transition point between research and design. It is the perfect tool for a workshop setting after you have completed user interviews or synthesized usability test findings. It helps a cross-functional team (product, design, engineering) align on what problems are most important to solve before anyone gets attached to a specific solution.
When not to use it
Do not use HMWs if you don't have solid research insights to base them on; they will become generic and useless (e.g., "How might we improve the UX?"). They are also not a replacement for prioritization; you still need a separate process to decide which of the generated ideas to pursue. Finally, they are less useful for problems with a single, clear, technical solution.
One canonical example
A team's research finds that users are often unsure which tax form to use. A bad HMW would be, "How might we tell users which form to complete?" This suggests a solution (communication). A better HMW is, "How might we make users feel confident they are filing their taxes correctly?" This is broader and solution-agnostic. It opens the door to ideas beyond better instructions, such as automatically selecting the form for the user or redesigning the system to use a single, adaptive form.
Interview question
Which "How Might We" (HMW) question best adheres to the principle of framing problems, not solutions?
- a.How might we add a new feature to address user complaints?
- b.How might we improve the user interface's visual design?
- c.How might we make users feel more confident when completing tasks?Correct
- d.How might we implement a chatbot for customer support?
Why? this is the answer
The correct answer focuses on a user-centric problem or feeling, allowing for a wide range of potential solutions. The other options prematurely suggest specific solutions (adding a feature, improving visual design, implementing a chatbot) rather than broadly framing the underlying challenge.
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