Aglet

Verify a User Need Before Solution Design

Verification asks whether the need has a clear trigger and outcome and whether relevant evidence supports it. Apply the statement to real cases, inspect counterexamples, and confirm that a reviewer can see how the need differs from a feature request. Record the coverage limits explicitly.

Check whether the outcome improved

  1. Define need acceptance

    Require a user perspective, trigger, desired outcome, context, and evidence link. Add a check that the statement remains true if several different solutions could address it. State which user groups are outside the current evidence.

  2. Review representative cases

    Compare observed episodes, successful workarounds, unmet needs, and adjacent requests using the same wording. Ask whether participants recognize the statement without coaching. Preserve disagreement instead of averaging different outcomes into one broad need.

  3. Approve or narrow the wording

    Decide whether the need is ready for solution exploration, needs another study, or should be split by context. Note what the check cannot establish about market size or implementation. Give each missing evidence question an owner.

What to carry forward

The verification record should show the acceptance rule, cases, context coverage, counterexamples, and remaining uncertainty. Approve only the boundary the evidence supports. A verified need guides exploration; it does not prescribe a particular feature or prove adoption.

Technical background: GOV.UK user research guidance.

Keep the decision with the work.

Use a Work Item in Aglet to record the problem, the evidence you have, and the next decision. Add an owner and priority, then keep updates in the discussion so the next person can follow the reasoning.

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