The Problem square lists the one to three most important problems faced by a specific group of people. A problem is a difficulty people experience in real life, not a missing feature in your proposed product.
For a fictional CampusKit service that rents project tools to college engineering teams:
Problems: (1) Student teams need specialized tools for just a few weeks. (2) Buying those tools is expensive. (3) Teams lose time finding equipment.
Existing alternatives: Borrowing from a friend, a crowded campus lab, or buying tools and storing them after the project ends.
“Students need an app.” That is a solution stated as if it were the problem. Ask what students are struggling to do before deciding what to build.
Interview five project teams. Ask about the last time they needed a tool, what they did, how long it took, and what they spent. Avoid asking whether they “like” your idea.
A real problem matters most when it occurs for a clearly identified customer segment. See Customer Segments.
Add a short, specific statement to the matching box on your canvas. Treat it as a hypothesis until you have evidence.
Open the editable Lean Canvas →