I open the App Store, search for Venmo, and am pleased to see its 4.8-star rating. However, when I dig a little deeper into the reviews, I see a five-star review, “Very satisfied customer!”, sitting next to another five-star review calling it “THE most useless app out there.” Interesting. There’s always more to the story when you go digging.
Point of View
I was recently tasked with analyzing three apps and their reviews — positive, negative, and suggestive — with the goal of forming Point of View (POV) statements. A POV statement is a clear, useful description of a problem you want to solve. It helps guide your ideas by focusing on the right challenge. It follows a simple structure: [User . . . (descriptive)] needs [need . . . (verb)] because [insight. . . (compelling)].
Ok, but why do POV statements matter? You may be wondering. Well, in the design thinking process, the POV statement sits right between the Empathize (research) and Ideate (brainstorming) phases, acting as a bridge that turns raw user data into a clear problem statement.
POV statements help turn user feedback into something actionable. Instead of simply collecting complaints or compliments, they help uncover what people actually need and why it matters. They help turn “this app is annoying” into “here’s what would actually make it better.”
The Process
I wanted a contrast of a passionate and engaging user base, polarizing app changes, and one that provides daily utility. So, I chose the apps Spotify, Venmo, and The Weather Channel.
I skimmed through several reviews and started to collect a set of 3 for each, each covering positive, negative, and suggestive reviews. Positive and negative are hopefully self-explanatory; if not, positive reviews hail praise and compliments, negative reviews are sometimes heated, angry, and critical, while suggestive reviews can be buried in both, where a user layers their review with an idea for improvement.
By sorting and sifting through those seemingly contrasting reviews, you start to uncover clues. What someone says they’re upset about often isn’t the real reason at all. Digging into these “stories” gives us new insight if we go looking for it. They help us narrow in on the right challenge.
Spotify
Spotify clearly has some loyal fans. Reviewers call it “the awesomeness” and take it to “PEAKKK” levels, while another simply calls it “My go-to.” But even the loyal users have frustrations, from constant ads to unwanted recommendations, with one calling it a “Terrible App” and another saying, “Fix your app.” The more constructive reviews were interesting too. Users like Spotify’s folders but want more ways to make them their own, including adding images, while others want better filters and more control over autoplay. Overall, the reviews point to a simple need: users like Spotify, but they want more control and fewer interruptions.
POV Statements
I created two POV statements based on the reviews I analyzed.
- Users who listen to music during focused activities like working out or creating need uninterrupted playback because ad breaks disrupt the state they’re relying on the music for.
- Users who invest money in premium music app experiences need more control over how content is organized and surfaced because they need their payment to be worth the experience.
To me, these capture the frustrations and users’ wish lists without defining the solution. They name the problem and why it’s a problem to them. This leaves room for creative discovery and creating How Might We questions that help us move into the what comes next phase of problem solving and solution finding.
Venmo
Venmo reviewers like that it is quick and easy to use, especially for sending and receiving money. One calls it the “Best way to pay or get paid!” while another says it has “rescued me from multiple embarrassing situations like not having cash for purchase.” Reviewers also appreciate quick transfers, security, and helpful customer service. At the same time, recent changes are creating frustration. One reviewer says, “I cannot navigate the new layout,” while another complains, “For the 5th time in 8 months, Venmo has gotten rid of the in-app calculator.” The common thread is that people want Venmo to stay simple, functional, and easy to navigate.
POV Statements
From the analysis, I created two POV statements that capture the problems.
- Users who exchange money digitally need an app that is reliably safe and fast because their money and privacy are important to them.
- Users who rely on digital money exchange apps to receive payments need clear and easy-to-understand functions because they need to be sure they are transacting efficiently and not making costly mistakes.
These capture what’s working and the users’ frustrations. They name the problem and leave the discovery open for solution-finding.
The Weather Channel
Weather reviewers value the app for its accuracy, radar, and ability to help them prepare for storms. One says, “The Weather Channel app always gives me accurate weather and forecast for my locations and destinations,” while another says, “It just tells me when the storms are coming and when I have to be prepared.” But some reviewers feel the app has become harder to use and more cluttered. One says, “The radar has been broken for like a year,” another says the app is “filled with ads before you can simply check the weather,” and one reviewer puts it simply: “Just give me the weather.” There is also frustration with added features and notifications that users did not ask for.
POV Statements
Here are two POV statements that focus on what needs improvement in the users’ eyes.
- Users who check the weather on-the-go need no-frills, reliable weather insights because having to click through ads and unwanted features is a waste of their time.
- Users who want a detailed look at the weather forecast need more control over features because they want to be able to efficiently prepare for incoming weather, especially inclement weather.
Again, these two statements uncover what these reviewers really want: an app that delivers the weather, reliably, so they can get on their way.
From Reviews to Insight
Across all three apps, the reviews revealed that the users want the app to get out of the way of what they came to accomplish. From simple, easy-to-understand interfaces and interactions to low-to-no-cost, reliable experiences, customization, and fewer or no ads, users want easier ways to do what they came to the app for in the first place.
What stood out was the emotional range within a single app’s reviews. Venmo’s App Store page, for instance, sits at 4.8 stars, but hidden inside were reviews calling it “the most useless app out there” right next to five-star raves. A high average can hide a real minority having a genuinely bad experience, reflecting a documented pattern in online reviews.
POV statements help us discover the “real problem” hidden in these reviews. One review can reveal a hidden need for an uninterrupted flow state, while on the surface it’s complaining about ads. Another just wants to be clear where their money is going but is complaining about where the buttons are placed. Don Norman makes this same point in Design Thinking, the sixth chapter of The Design of Everyday Things; the problems people hand you are rarely the real problem. They’re symptoms, or the customer’s own suggested fix, and the designer’s job is to treat that as a starting point rather than the final word.
Writing these POV statements and uncovering the specifics behind each frustration and piece of praise turned these sets of reviews into usable insight. For deeper insight into my POV exercise, view the PDF below.
AI tools supported proofreading and editing for this post.