Ideal States

• Clearly describe the customer's Ideal State.

An ideal state is a vivid description of what the customer’s experience would look and feel like if their problem were fully solved. In the Design for Delight (D4D) methodology, defining the ideal state helps entrepreneurs and innovators envision success from the customer’s point of view. It paints a picture of a better future—one where the frustrations, obstacles, or anxieties expressed in the customer problem statement no longer exist.

The ideal state does not specify a product or a feature. Instead, it articulates the desired outcome and emotional experience that a great solution should deliver. By focusing on what customers want their lives to be like, rather than what the company wants to build, teams create a clear target that fuels creativity and guides experimentation.

A strong ideal state is:

Customer-Centered: It describes how the customer’s life or work improves, not how the business benefits.

Outcome-Focused: It emphasizes results and experiences, not specific solutions or technologies.

Aspirational but Attainable: It stretches thinking toward what would truly delight the customer, while staying grounded in reality.

Emotionally Resonant: It captures not only functional benefits but also the feelings of relief, confidence, or joy the customer would experience.

A useful structure for an ideal state description is:

In a perfect world…​

(make a bold statement of the future state that is borderline unachievable)​​

The biggest benefit to my customer is…​

(describe the most important improvement that could be made to the customer’s pain point, problem, or barrier)​

Which makes them feel...​

(describe their emotional state after experiencing the Ideal State)

Part of this topic was adapted from the Marshall University iCenter's D4D Training

David Wiley