| Bad HMW | Why It’s Bad | Good HMW | Why It’s Good | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | How might we force users to check out? | Coercive. Ignores user needs. | How might we reduce anxiety about hidden fees? | Specific pain point. Actionable. | | How might we make the checkout button bigger? | Too narrow. Prescribes a solution. | How might we make completing a purchase feel effortless? | Opens solution space (UI, copy, auto-fill). | | How might we solve e-commerce? | Too vague. What part? | How might we help comparison shoppers commit with confidence? | Focused on a specific persona. |
“How might we answer customer questions instantly without putting them on hold?” hmw questions
If you have ever sat through a brainstorming session that produced 50 sticky notes of garbage ideas, you know the pain of a bad prompt. A vague prompt like “Fix the website” yields chaotic, random ideas. A leading prompt like “Add a blue button here” kills creativity. | Bad HMW | Why It’s Bad |
A busy parent needs to track their child’s school lunch money because they often forget to check the app until the child is already hungry. | How might we reduce anxiety about hidden fees