“What’s your problem?”
A professor once asked our class this in graduate school. It caught my attention then — and it has stayed with me ever since. Now, working in instructional design, I think about that question often. Because before building content, developing modules, or drafting storyboards, there’s something more important:
Getting crystal clear on the actual problem we are trying to tackle.
Why Defining the Problem Comes First
It’s tempting to jump straight into solutions.
A stakeholder requests training.
A performance gap appears.
A new system launches.
The natural response is: “Let’s build a course.” But if we skip the problem-definition stage, we risk solving the wrong issue. Sometimes the problem isn’t a knowledge gap. Sometimes it’s unclear processes, lack of resources, misaligned incentives, or workflow barriers.
A Clear Problem Creates Clarity Everywhere Else
When the real problem is well-defined, everything downstream becomes stronger.
A clear problem leads to:
- Clear scope
- Clear learning objectives
- Clear success metrics
- And often, the right solution
And sometimes, the right solution isn’t training at all.
It might be:
- A job aid
- A checklist
- A communication plan
- A workflow redesign
- A simple conversation
That clarity saves time, resources, and frustration.
Questions That Help Surface the Real Issue
Before designing, I try to ask questions like:
- What specifically is happening that shouldn’t be?
- What behavior needs to change?
- What does success look like in observable terms?
- What’s preventing that behavior today?
Those conversations often reveal that the initial request is only part of the story.
And that insight shapes better decisions.
Instructional Design as Problem Solving
At its core, instructional design isn’t about producing content; it’s about improving performance, and that starts with asking the right questions.
