Some teams generate HMWs that are not specific to what they’ve learned. For example, How might we improve the user experience of the product? is not specific to what you might have uncovered in your discovery research. This question can result in ideas that don’t address the root problems and the insights you uncovered. Once you and your team have carried out your discovery research, agree on what the top findings were. Use these to craft HMW questions

Tips on Writing Good HMWs: Start with the Problems

A How might we (HMW) question can generate lots of creative ideas. Here are some examples of How might we questions:
<ul>
<li>How might we ensure more people pay their taxes before the deadline?</li>
<li>How might we help employees stay productive and healthy when working from home?</li>
<li>How might we make customers feel that their information is safe and secure when creating an account?</li>
</ul>
The How might we template was first introduced by Procter & Gamble in the 1970s and adopted by IDEO. The technique has become popular in design thinking and is used by design teams worldwide.

The HMV (How Might We) Question

Spend time with your team writing and selecting your HMWs before you begin ideating. You can have everyone contribute an HMW; then go through the following checklist to select or improve the best version:
<ul>
<li>Is it based on an existing problem or insight?</li>
<li>Does it track the desired outcome?</li>
<li>Is it written positively?</li>
<li>Is it broad enough to ensure many creative ideas?</li>
<li>Does it suggest a solution?</li>
</ul>

Write and Choose HMWs with Your Team

In our course on discoveries at our UX Conference, we talk about the importance of solving the right problem. Discovery research commonly results in learning about the problem space. This knowledge should be used to generate solutions that solve real user problems.
Ideally, the team should come together, agree on the top things it found out, and use this knowledge to frame design challenges. To prevent individuals from suggesting their pet solutions, which might have little resemblance to the problems found, construct How might we questions that frame the problem(s) for ideation.

Solving The Right Problem

It can be easy to limit your thinking and embed solutions in your HMW questions. But doing so restricts the pool of possibilities, and fewer ideas are generated. In the example below, the first HMW suggests a particular type of solution, whereas the second is agnostic about any particular solution.
<ul>
<li>Insight: Users are often unsure about which form to complete when they file their taxes.</li>
<li>HMW (poor): How might we tell users which form to complete to file their taxes?</li>
<li>HMW (good): How might we make users feel confident they are filing their taxes correctly?</li>
</ul>

Tips on Writing Good HMWs: Avoid Suggesting a Solution in Your HMW Question

Stating your HMW questions positively can generate more ideas and also encourage creativity.
If you find yourself using negative verbs like ‘reduce,’ ‘remove,’ ‘prevent,’ ask yourself if you can frame things more positively by using positive action verbs, like ‘increase,’ ‘create,’ ‘enhance,’ ‘promote’ and so on.
<ul>
<li>Problem: Users find the return process difficult.</li>
<li>HMW (poor): How might we make the return process less difficult?</li>
<li>HMW (good): How might we make the return process quick and intuitive?</li>
</ul>

Tips on Writing Good HMWs: Phrase Your HMW Questions Positively

To avoid solving symptoms of the problems rather than the root problems themselves, ask yourself whether your HMW question focuses on the desired outcome. In the example below, the first HMW question loses sight of what we really want to achieve.
<ul>
<li>Problem: Users often call us because they’re unsure about the application process.</li>
<li>HMW (poor): How might we stop users from calling us?</li>
<li>HMW (good): How might we make users feel confident they have all the information they need?</li>
</ul>

Tips on Writing Good HMWs: Focus Your HMWs on the Desired Outcome

When writing HMW questions, ask yourself if you could rewrite them in a broader way? The broader the HMW, the more ideas can be generated.
<ul>
<li>Insight: Users often spend a long time checking their submission for mistakes.</li>
<li>HMW (good): How might we make it quick and easy for users to check their work for mistakes?</li>
<li>HMW (better): How might we support users to efficiently draft submissions that they’re happy with?</li>
</ul>

Tips on Writing Good HMWs: Keep Your HMWs Broad

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Constructing how-might-we questions generates creative solutions while keeping teams focused on the right problems to solve.