Problem solution slide with three paired problems

What is on the slide

Pair one

No charger at home: 71% of apartment residents park in a shared basement with no power at the wall. Fix: a 7kW outlet at the bay on its own meter, with no basement rewire.

Pair two

Strata will not vote: one owner asking for a power run needs a strata vote, and 62% of committees defer it. Fix: one application for the whole basement, so the committee votes once.

Pair three

Nobody splits the bill: power from the common area meter is billed to every owner. Fix: each outlet meters its own use and bills the resident who drew the power.

Column labels

PROBLEM on the left and SOLUTION on the right, with the icons on the inner edge so the pairs converge toward the centre.

When this is the right slide

Three paired rows suit a problem solution slide when each problem has one specific fix and the audience needs to test the pairs one at a time rather than read two separate lists.

What to swap it for

Comparison: Problem vs Solution. Swap to the single problem and solution layout when there is really one obstacle rather than three, since three rows of the same idea weakens a pitch rather than strengthening it.

What this slide shows

A small eyebrow reads KERBSIDE above the title Three Problems, Three Fixes. Two columns follow, headed PROBLEM and SOLUTION, with three rows that pair across. Each row has a circular icon on the inner edge, a heading of two or three words and about 130 characters of explanation. Row one: No Charger At Home, 71% of apartment residents park in a shared basement with no power at the wall so an overnight charge is impossible at any price, answered by Charge In The Bay, a 7kW outlet installed at the bay on its own meter so the car charges where it already parks and no basement rewire is needed. Row two: Strata Will Not Vote, one owner asking for a power run needs a strata vote and 62% of committees defer it to the next annual general meeting, answered by One Building Approval, a single application covering the whole basement so the committee votes once and any resident can connect later. Row three: Nobody Splits The Bill, power drawn from the common area meter is billed to every owner, answered by Billed To The Driver, each outlet metering its own use so the common area account is never touched.

When this is the right slide

Use it in a pitch, a business case or a proposal where the offer exists because of three specific obstacles, and where the audience will judge whether the fixes are real. It suits a startup pitch, a change proposal or a product launch to an internal audience. It is the wrong slide when there is really one problem with three symptoms, because three rows then repeat themselves and the audience notices; a single problem against a single solution has its own layout and says more by saying less. It is also wrong when the change needs a middle step, where a problem, bridge and solution layout shows the work in between. And it is the wrong shape when the problems need evidence beyond a sentence, such as a chart or a quote.

How to adapt it

First, write the pairs as pairs and read them across before anything else. If a fix answers two of the problems, the problems are the same problem and one row has to go. Second, put the evidence on the problem side, not the solution side. An investor already assumes the product works; what they are testing is whether the problem is big enough and common enough to be worth solving, which is why 71% and 62% sit on the left. Third, keep each explanation to about 140 characters so it fits three lines without shrinking. A problem that needs a paragraph belongs on its own slide with a chart, and the pair layout can then carry the other two.

What makes this slide work

Questions people ask

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