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Problem and solution space exploration

You most likely know that you should know why you’re building something before you start building it. The problem space/solution space concept serves as a great reminder of what that reason should look like and how you can use it to shape what you're building. This week’s resources explain the idea and provide differing perspectives on where to spend most of your time.

Meanwhile, in product news, Airtable added a feature that allows users to do practical things like build apps, and LinkedIn added a feature that allows users to… play games. OpenAI told Google to hold its beer, and Delta is telling CrowdStrike to cough up some cash.

Problem space and solution space. An extremely fundamental concept that is influencing most of Daniel Mescheder’s thinking around software projects is the distinction between the problem space and the solution space. It is one of the best models that Daniel has found so far to think about the software development process on an abstract level. In this article, he illustrates the concept and highlight some examples.

Start with the problem space. You launch solutions, you’re measured by the performance of your solutions, and you even get bonuses for great solutions. So, it’s easy to see why you’re tempted to think you should spend most of your time in the solution space. Think again. Once you explore the entire problem space, you’ll find real problems, you’ll know the whole problem, and you’ll be more creative when you transition to the solution space. And if you don’t, well, Sondra Orozco well tell you about her disasters there, too.

Product managers shouldn't focus on problems when creating new products. Vivek Kumar takes a contrarian view of discovery when he asks “All the product companies follow the playbook of focusing on customer problems, yet very few new products emerge successfully. Why is that?”

Deep-Dive: Behind the product: Amplitude. Our own Mike Belsito sat down with Francois Ajenstat, the Chief Product Officer (CPO) of Amplitude a wide range of topics, including what AI means for the industry and how to implement it in your product, Francois’ “Don’t give a care less” philosophy, what Francois thinks about experimentation (a fan) and frameworks (not so much) and what the next few years will look like.

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The AI Bandwagon

In the tech world, there's a dangerous tendency to get caught up in the latest buzzword or trend. Right now, that trend is undoubtedly AI. Don’t get me wrong – I’m a big believer in the power of AI and am so grateful for all of the AI tools to help me in my day-to-day life. But as we've seen from recent earnings reports, even tech giants are struggling to justify their massive AI investments.​

It does make me wonder if too many companies got so focused on the solution of AI – that they didn’t stop to think about whether the AI products they were building actually solved real problems.

This "solution-first" approach is risky. It's like building a state-of-the-art hammer without knowing what to nail. Sure, you might eventually find a use for it, but at what cost?

I’m not naive to think that the Boards of these companies have been clamoring to get their “AI Strategy” in place. These company executives sometimes feel caught between a rock and a hard place. But it still isn’t an excuse for not taking a problem-focused approach. Doing so has its advantages:

1. It ensures your investments have a clear purpose and potential return.
2. It helps you prioritize which AI applications to pursue first.
3. It makes it easier to measure success and justify costs to stakeholders.

Remember, technology should serve a purpose, not the purpose itself. Might some companies be moving too fast with AI?

Time will tell…

Quieting the Product Mind: Mastering Your Inner Monologue for Better Decision-Making

Wednesday, August 7th @ 01:00 PM EST

In this fireside chat, we'll explore our inner voice's powerful yet often overlooked influence on product management and leadership. We'll discuss how our constant mental chatter affects everything from team dynamics to customer solutions and why product professionals are particularly susceptible to biased internal narratives. Learn practical techniques to identify, challenge, and reshape your inner monologue, leading to clearer thinking, improved decision-making, and, ultimately, better products and healthier teams.

Resources and news curated by Kent J. McDonald.