Problems are like debts — everyone has them, but no one really wants to talk about them. But being specific about the problem you’re trying to solve can be a great way to get solutions to that problem. So before trying to list solutions, ask yourself: what problem am I trying to solve?

Creating a problem to solution relationship for your ideas also certainly helps to keep them grounded. But is just figuring out the problem enough? Or do you need to go a bit further than that (especially when you’re dealing with a complex or multifaceted problem).

For example, what if the problem you are trying to solve is to create a community? You might start identifying ways that you can build on the community you’re already establishing (like writing in way that attracts the people you want to attract), but what do you do when you’re having trouble even defining the problem, let alone coming up with the solution? Here’s some ideas on where to start.

1. Their problem, not yours. The problem is not that you want to build a community around your site for new dog owners, but rather a problem like: how do I know how often I need to take my dog to the vet? Or how do I know what kind of food my dog should be eating? These are the problems you want to solve for your community.

2.  Be a mutual problem solver. The example in point #1 shows you how to solve your problem at the same time as you solve someone else’s (you provide people with information, while simultaneously creating the community you want). This type of problem-solving aligns a group’s interests with your own interests, making things better for both of you.

3. Be more specific. Again, in the example I just cited above, you could say that providing information to a community is a great way to build that community — but what information are you going to provide? The examples I used above were very specific problems that a new dog owner might encounter. Don’t define your problem in generalities, specific problem definitions lead to specific solutions.

4. Look for examples. Check out what sites, companies or brands are already out there doing something similar. They’ve probably got some great ideas that you can use (don’t steal other people’s ideas, but rather use others’ ideas to reimagine how you would do things).

5. Set goals from problem-solving. Define a tangible goal to show you that you are moving toward the mutual solution defined in point #2. For our new dog owners’ site example, we could say that we want to write an article on each of the 10 most common problems new dog owners face — and attract 50 visitors to the site within the first week (be ambitious, but also be realistic).

Do you have a way that you go about problem solving or problem identification that I haven’t covered here? Leave a comment and let me know.