Defining Problems: Sniglets & Reframing

This week I have been diving into defining problems, with the goal of turning my PoP into a specific, actionable problem statement.

One fun way to define something with specificity is with Sniglets, words that aren't in the dictionary but probably should be. Here are some examples I came up with:

Tearified (teh ruh fīd) - verb. The feeling of fear when you are out in public and don’t want people to notice the large tear in your jeans.

Carveillance (kär vāləns) - noun. The act of monitoring one’s own illegally parked car to make sure you don’t get a parking ticket.

Hydravoidance (hī drəˈvoidəns) - noun. Drinking excessive amounts of water at work, necessitating frequent trips to the restroom and a reduction in overall work time.

A challenge of defining problems is that the problem we see at first glance is not always the real problem. Asking questions may reveal a root cause that necessitates a totally different solution. Below, I reflect on a problem that has been reconsidered and reframed.

Problem:

Jenna, a third grade student, was sometimes very disruptive at school, especially during fire drills. During drills she would disregard teachers’ instructions and leave the class or be loud and distracting to other students when they needed to be listening, both of which created safety issues. Her outbursts sometimes persisted after the drill was over, and she would act out or refuse to follow directions in class for the rest of the day.

This problem was initially seen as just a behavioral problem, and Jenna was put in time-out or sent to see the principal. However, after getting to know Jenna better and discussing this behavioral pattern with her, the guidance counselor realized that the source of Jenna’s outbursts was her anxiety in unexpected situations. Fire drills are unpredictable and are a change from the expected routine, and Jenna became very anxious in those situations and struggled to regulate her emotions. To solve the problem, the guidance counselor made sure to warn Jenna beforehand whenever there would be a fire drill and to check in with her during and after drills in case Jenna needed some time to cool off before returning to class. As a result, Jenna had far fewer outbursts during and after drills.

Reflection:

This example makes me think about how often student behavior is evaluated (and punished) at a surface level without knowing the behavior’s underlying causes. I appreciate the guidance counselor’s effort to get to the root of the problem and truly help Jenna, rather than just address the problem’s symptoms. Reframing this problem and approaching it from a human-centered place of empathy generated a solution that minimized safety concerns, prevented future class disruptions, and validated Jenna’s emotions while also giving her more control over herself and her environment. This shows me that empathy is not just a viable starting point for design, but also for reframing problems and modifying solutions.