DAY 9: LEVELS OF PROBLEM AND THEIR RESPECTIVE SYSTEMS

I am Bengain, and this is not my real name. I haven't found anyone to talk about my journey in the world of business with, so here I am. and the story is [here]

Good evening.. How was your day?.. The herbs and small shrubs inside closed spaces are a beautiful addition and bring life to the place. In the library where I work, there is a relatively large basin in the middle that contains some trees and ground shrubs. I usually prefer to work on one of the seats overlooking it. The green color is more soothing to the eye than staring at a wall, for example.. I also like having a space in front of me that allows me to raise my head comfortably and think without feeling awkward about looking directly at someone in front of me (I really need this).. I believe that public libraries should be available everywhere because they have an impact on society. When people see others working or studying, their productivity increases, and over time, they develop this habit. It also saves them money and helps them build relationships outside of study or work, which are usually of higher quality due to the diverse nature of library-goers. I admit that the library has played a significant role in the recent years of my life and in my work on the project. I constantly needed books, databases, and various sources of information, which I could access directly in my workplace, and that's wonderful!

However, what I learned from the library staff is that the cost of establishing and operating these places is somewhat high and requires continuous generous support, as they are non-profit organizations aimed at community development.. But it's good that this culture has spread to us recently, and there are many entities that provide free workspaces, which are available in several places. I advise anyone who hasn't tried going to a library and working there to do so. It's an experience worth it!

We previously mentioned in my first and second posts that startups are companies that were originally established to solve a problem that had not been previously solved (this description is not entirely accurate, but it's the essence because it's possible for startups to solve problems that already have solutions but offer different solutions or develop existing ones,… among other things). And we said that one of the basics that the founder works on initially is identifying and studying the problem in order to develop a solution for it.. Let's assume, for example, that the founder noticed that a good percentage of the city's residents complain about the long time it takes for acne treatment creams to hide these pimples on the face, and he decided to develop a new ointment that treats it faster.. At the same time and in the same city, there was a psychiatrist conducting research on how young people deal with the issue of acne appearance, and when he met with the specific group, he found that almost all of them go through the same stages, which are:

 

The appearance of the first pimple and noticing it.

Monitoring this pimple and worrying about the appearance of other pimples.

The appearance of other pimples.

Confidence shaken due to the change in appearance.

Searching for a suitable cream to hide these pimples.

Searching for a source of money to buy this cream.

Purchasing the cream and monitoring developments.


Then, this doctor decided to conduct awareness campaigns to convince young people that linking self-confidence to appearance is a wrong behavior. He emphasized that this stage is experienced by everyone and is usually not seen negatively by others as young people may think. Indeed, he succeeded in changing the perspective of many and made it socially acceptable.. Now, the question is: if the founder (the first person) developed the product and introduced it to the market, would it succeed?! The answer is definitely no because many individuals in this category accept their youthfulness and stop searching for a product to conceal it altogether due to what the psychologist did!

The idea here is that the founder and the psychologist were both working to find a solution to the same problem, but each was operating at a different level. Because the psychologist addressed the issue at a higher level, the youth (the target audience) no longer needed to reach a stage where they required the cosmetic remedy.

Now, what if the founder (the first person) built his advertising campaign on the premise that a young man did not apply the first capsule and people noticed it, causing them to stare at him every day to see what he would do with it?.. Here, you can observe that the founder has gone to a higher level than the level at which the psychologist treated the problem, which is the second level (the psychologist was at the fourth level). In this case, the psychologist would need to make more effort to convince the youth (the target audience), and so on... But what is the significance of this?

The significance lies in realizing the level at which the solution will be developed, and it can be summarized in three aspects (this is what comes to mind right now):


First: Determining the scope that this solution will address. In the first case, when the doctor convinced people that youthfulness does not affect a person's self-confidence because it is a natural matter, we assumed that his solution addressed all similar problems related to youthfulness and not just acne. That is, anything that temporarily affects appearance and happens to everyone should not affect confidence, such as hair loss and others. However, the solution provided by the founder only addresses acne. Consequently, the target audience that the doctor can reach is larger than the target audience that the founder can reach, and the expected profitability, if the solution is commercial, will be greater. Similarly, if resources are limited (for example, if the government wants to address specific problems), building solutions at higher levels is more effective and has a greater impact than lower levels.. I would like to emphasize that these are general results, and there are many details that may favor one side over the other, but time does not allow me to mention them. If you wish, we can discuss them further in another post within the limits of my knowledge.

Second: Awareness of competitors and disruptive technologies/projects (those that replace old technologies/projects, such as blogging and online publishing, which replaced print publishing in the journalism industry) and tracking risk at all levels. In the example we mentioned, the doctor is an indirect competitor to the founder in the market because he takes a portion of the target audience. Knowing the levels helps in tracking potential competitors or disruptive technologies that may affect the company's (founder's) work at any of these levels.

Third (and most importantly): Determining the specific system for solving the problem and its elements to be worked on accordingly. If the founder wants to solve the problem, the elements of the system that the company (the solution) will be built upon will include chemical development, legislation related to medications, skin tests, dermatological experts,… etc. On the other hand, if the doctor wants to build a company, his specific system will include psychological tests, laws and regulations related to mental health,… etc. Each level has a different system and elements that must be precisely determined."


Are levels only important in the business world, or are there levels everywhere?.. Let's say we want to buy a Bugatti Veyron (who doesn't love that!).. Now, let's ask ourselves how much money we need for that. Just $3.4 million!.. How will we secure that amount? We'll rob a bank (there's no other way! -smiles-).. Now, how will we rob the bank... and so on, let's put that into levels:


Buying a Bugatti Veyron

Securing $3.4 million!

Bank robbery! (just kidding)


Now, let's elevate the levels by asking ourselves "why" at a higher level, so the new levels become:


I grew up as an undesirable boy to girls because of my poverty.

I feel happy when I am desired by the opposite sex.

I want to impress girls.

Buying a Bugatti Veyron

Securing $3.4 million!

Bank robbery! (just kidding)


By repeatedly asking "why," we escalate the problem at each level. Now, we can solve the problem at any level. For example, if we believe that poverty has no impact on being desired by the opposite sex, and that there are beloved poor people (this is a fictional story!), we have solved the problem without needing a Bugatti or robbing a bank.. or changing our beliefs that our happiness comes from various other things and not from being desired by the opposite sex!.. and so on.

Now, I would like to mention an observation that I haven't followed up on or verified, which is that whenever we ascend to higher levels, things transform into ideas, beliefs, and psychological needs.. I also don't know if there are higher levels or if beliefs and psychological needs are the primary motivator of human behavior!.. By the way, this has also been witnessed in various other places. For example, when designing proposed value, we delve into psychological needs.. and when studying marketing matters as well!.. However, this requires independent investigation.

That was all for tonight, my friends. The discussion on these matters never ends. Today, I wanted to share an idea that I haven't seen commonly among people, even those in the business sector, and I believe it can make a difference in our understanding of problems and how we deal with them.. And now, I have a problem that must be solved, and that can only be done with a good night's sleep (smiles).

Always see you in good health, and have a good night!