Formulate Hypothesis: Problem Statement

Objective

Develop an initial thesis or problem statement based on your research and derived insights.

Building the Hypothesis

Based on Our Research

Review:

• Ground Truth findings
• Formulated Insights

Key Insights that Inform Our Hypothesis

1. [Key insight 1 from previous phase]
2. [Key insight 2 from previous phase]
3. [Key insight 3 from previous phase]

Problem Statement

The Problem (Draft 1)

[Write your first draft of the problem statement]

Target audience: [Who is affected?]
Geographic scope: [Where is this problem?]
Scale: [How many people are affected?]

The Problem (Refined)

[After team discussion, write your refined problem statement]

Final Problem Statement

[Your final, clear, concise problem statement in one or two sentences]

Example: “Youth in Lagos aged 18-30 lack accessible pathways to acquire blockchain development skills, resulting in missed opportunities in the emerging Web3 economy despite high interest and smartphone penetration.”

Hypothesis Statement

Our Hypothesis

We believe that [target group]
faces [specific problem]
because [root cause identified from insights]
and if we [proposed intervention]
then [expected outcome]
which will result in [measurable impact]

Hypothesis Example

“We believe that young entrepreneurs in Lagos face difficulty accessing microloans because traditional banks require collateral and formal credit history, and if we create a blockchain-based micro-lending platform with peer verification, then small business owners can access capital within 48 hours, which will result in increased business growth and job creation.”

Assumptions to Test

List assumptions embedded in your hypothesis that need validation:

1. Assumption 1: [Assumption]

   • How to test: [Method]
   • Risk if wrong: [Impact]

2. Assumption 2: [Assumption]

   • How to test: [Method]
   • Risk if wrong: [Impact]

3. Assumption 3: [Assumption]

   • How to test: [Method]
   • Risk if wrong: [Impact]

Success Criteria

How will you know if your hypothesis is correct?

Quantitative Metrics

• [Metric 1: e.g., “X% of users complete onboarding”]
• [Metric 2: e.g., “Y transactions per week”]
• [Metric 3: e.g., “Z% satisfaction rate”]

Qualitative Indicators

• [Indicator 1: e.g., “Users report feeling more confident”]
• [Indicator 2: e.g., “Community adoption increases”]
• [Indicator 3]

Constraints & Limitations

Known Constraints

• Time: [Hackathon timeline constraints]
• Resources: [Available resources]
• Technical: [Technical limitations]
• Regulatory: [Any regulatory considerations]

Scope Boundaries

What is OUT of scope for this project:

• [Out of scope item 1]
• [Out of scope item 2]
• [Out of scope item 3]

Next Steps

Proceed to Define Opportunity to explore multiple solution approaches.

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Last updated: [Date]