What is a Solution Statement? 🤷🏼
Your solution statement should state clearly what options you have for solving the problem you stated in your problem statement. It’s time to communicate your brilliant idea and the “how” to your “why.”
A key component of a good solution is that it solves a real problem and ultimately provides value to the audience who uses the solution. That task may appear simple, but it can be difficult. As a result, use both the problem statement and the solution statement to validate the problem.
Let’s look at an example by The Ed-Tech Start-up, Labster:
Labster is a virtual lab and science simulation learning platform. They make the science lab more engaging by combining virtual reality and immersive simulations with game-based learning. The student only requires a computer and an internet connection. They would have connected their solution statement to the problem as follows:
Problem: “Students are finding science experiments boring and have difficulty staying engaged and arriving prepared for lab work.”
Solution: “To transform the way science is taught by making immersive digital experiences with engaging story lines and project-based learning.”
How to write your Solution Statement?
Method 1: You need to be able to answer the following questions:
- What is your solution offering?
- Are you solving the problem?
- Does the solution create a viable business model?
- Is your solution different or unique from your competitors?
Method 2:
- “For [target audience] . . .” State the target user, market, or customer by naming its role or characterizing its group.
- “ . . . the [name of new product or business] is a [solution or business category] . . .” Set the tone for the solution by describing the type of product, solution, or new business venture (if pursuing large opportunities). Identify the solution’s category so that audience members understand its relevance and relationship to their needs.
- “Unlike [primary competitive alternative] . . .” What solution(s) might the target look for or consider if it didn’t have your solution? Describe the current environment or competitor products to beat, or the unacceptable situation (what the company currently has) to fix.
- “… our product [primary differentiation statement].” Differentiate and sell the solution. What other interesting or appealing features are included, aside from the fact that it meets the most critical need? List the key marketing points or features that address the problem statement. Determine why stakeholders would want or require this function. What distinguishes it? What are the key points of differentiation?
When developing solution statements, speak to your market’s need rather than your company’s need, and then closely align the features and functions to that positioning. If you add bells and whistles to a solution that aren’t necessary for its purpose, you’ll waste time on things that don’t add value. Applying these tips for writing a solution statement can help you not just with the statement itself, but with the project as a whole.