How to Write for a Skeptical Technical Audience: A 5-Pillar Framework for B2B Marketers

A senior engineer is evaluating a new sensor for a critical manufacturing line. She has two datasheets. One is filled with glossy marketing photos and vague promises of “unprecedented accuracy.” The other presents a detailed calibration curve, a statistical analysis of measurement repeatability, and a clear table of environmental operating limits.

Which one do you think she trusts?

This isn’t a trick question. It illustrates the Technical Buyer’s Paradox: the same audience that is deeply skeptical of marketing fluff is also starved for information that will help them make a confident business decision.

If you’re marketing to engineers, scientists, or any other technical professionals, you’re not just selling a product. You’re submitting a technical proposal for evaluation. Your content is your primary evidence.

The challenge is that most traditional marketing advice falls apart when faced with this audience. As a result, a staggering 96% of technology buyers report experiencing stalled or extended purchase cycles, according to Forrester [1].

This isn’t because technical buyers are indecisive. It’s because they are rigorous, and the content they receive often fails to meet their standards of evidence.

💡 Key Takeaway: Technical audiences don’t resist marketing—they resist poor evidence. Your content must meet the same standards of rigor they apply to their own work.

The Technical Buyer’s Paradox

A recent study by the Content Marketing Institute revealed that 58% of B2B marketers rate their content strategy as only “moderately effective” [2]. They struggle to create content that resonates, particularly with specialized audiences.

They lack three critical elements:

Clear goals tailored to technical evaluation processes
A scalable creation model that incorporates technical expertise
Deep understanding of what technical audiences need before they trust a solution

This guide bridges that gap. We’ll deconstruct the mindset of the skeptical technical buyer and provide a systematic framework—the 5-Pillar System for Technical Persuasion.

Forget marketing tricks. We’re going to replace them with engineering principles.

By the end of this article, you’ll have a repeatable process for turning your technical expertise into your most powerful marketing asset.

Understanding the Technical Mindset

Why Engineers Think Differently

To effectively communicate with a technical audience, you must first fundamentally respect how they think. It’s a common mistake to view their skepticism as a negative trait—a wall to be overcome.

In reality, skepticism is a highly developed professional skill. For an engineer, a scientist, or a developer, skepticism is a tool for risk mitigation.

A single miscalculation, a flawed component, or an overlooked variable can have cascading consequences:

Project failure
Safety hazards
Significant financial loss

Their professional world is governed by the laws of physics and logic, where wishing doesn’t make it so.

💡 Key Takeaway: When technical professionals scrutinize your content, they’re not trying to be difficult. They’re doing their job—applying the same critical thinking to your marketing materials that they would to a circuit diagram or line of code.

The Trust Hierarchy in Technical Communities

The concept of peer validation is paramount in technical communities. The trust hierarchy is clear and unforgiving:

Top Tier: Opinions and experiences of respected technical professionals
Second Tier: Objective, third-party data and industry standards
Bottom Tier: Vendor’s own marketing content

A study on engineering communication patterns revealed that engineers spend significant time in communication, but the most valued information comes from sources they deem credible and unbiased [3].

Your content, by its very nature, is biased. Therefore, it must work exponentially harder to earn a sliver of the trust that a recommendation from a trusted colleague carries.

The Importance of Vertical Market Context

This is where deep understanding of specific vertical markets becomes critical. A sales engineer at a semiconductor company selling into the automotive sector must understand:

Unique regulatory pressures (like ISO 26262 for functional safety)
Specific application challenges (like extreme temperature tolerance from -40°C to +150°C)
Long design cycles inherent to that industry (often 3-5 years from concept to production)

Generic content that ignores this context is immediately dismissed as uninformed.

Example: A generic sensor datasheet might simply state “high accuracy measurement.” But for the automotive market, that same sensor needs specific context: “±0.1% accuracy maintained across automotive temperature range (-40°C to +150°C) with ASIL-B functional safety compliance for brake pressure monitoring applications.”

GrowthBeaver’s service addresses this challenge by providing deep vertical market intelligence. This transforms generic product marketing into industry-specific solution positioning.

💡 Key Takeaway: For technical professionals, a purchasing decision is also personal. Their recommendation reflects their professional judgment, and if the solution fails, their reputation is on the line.

The 5 Pillars of Technical Persuasion

Having established a foundational understanding of the technical mindset, we can now construct a framework for creating content that aligns with it.

This isn’t about finding clever ways to disguise a marketing message. It’s about fundamentally re-engineering your communication to be more valuable to a skeptical, analytical audience.

Pillar	Core Focus	Key Components	Success Indicator	Common Mistake
1. Technical Credibility	Establish expertise	Precise terminology, industry standards, trade-off acknowledgment	Technical questions increase in sophistication	Using marketing hyperbole instead of data
2. Analytical Proof	Provide evidence	Quantified metrics, comparative analysis, third-party validation	Download rates of technical documentation rise	Making claims without supporting data
3. Complete Context	Address full lifecycle	Integration guides, maintenance requirements, TCO analysis	Fewer implementation-related objections	Ignoring integration complexity
4. Transparent Limitations	Acknowledge boundaries	Honest scope assessment, challenge mitigation, alternative comparisons	Increased trust and qualified leads	Presenting product as universal solution
5. Peer Validation	Enable verification	User forums, detailed documentation, trial opportunities	Organic referrals and community engagement	Controlling narrative instead of enabling discovery

Pillar 1: Lead with Technical Credibility

Before a technical audience will even consider the value of your solution, they must first respect its validity. Technical credibility is the price of entry.

Without it, your message is dismissed before it has a chance to be heard. Achieving this credibility requires commitment to precision and demonstration of deep domain expertise.

Use Precise Terminology Correctly

The language of a technical field is specific for a reason. Words have exact meanings.

Using a term like “torque” when you mean “horsepower,” or confusing “latency” with “bandwidth,” is an immediate red flag. It signals to the expert reader that you’re an outsider who doesn’t truly understand their world.

This doesn’t mean your content should be an impenetrable wall of jargon. But when you use a technical term, it must be with the same accuracy and context that your audience would use.

Action items:

Collaborate deeply between marketing teams and subject matter experts
Have engineers review all technical content before publication
Create a glossary of approved technical terminology for your industry

Demonstrate Industry Standards Awareness

Credibility is built by demonstrating awareness of relevant industry standards and regulations.

Examples by industry:

Medical devices: Understanding of FDA regulations and standards like ISO 13485
Aerospace: Familiarity with DO-178C or AS9100
Automotive: Knowledge of ISO 26262 for functional safety

Referencing these standards shows you understand the constraints and requirements of your customer’s environment. You’re not a naive vendor, but a potential partner who understands the rules of the game.

Acknowledge Inherent Trade-offs

True credibility comes from acknowledging the inherent trade-offs that every technical decision involves. No solution is perfect.

There’s always a balance between:

Performance vs. cost
Power consumption vs. functionality
Size vs. capability
Speed vs. accuracy

Content that presents a product as a magical solution with no downsides is immediately suspect to an engineer. They know reality is a series of compromises.

Example: “Our sensor offers higher precision but has a greater power draw” or “Our software library is faster but has a larger memory footprint.”

💡 Key Takeaway: By transparently discussing trade-offs, you’re not highlighting weaknesses—you’re demonstrating honest and sophisticated understanding of the engineering challenge.

Pillar 2: Provide Analytical Proof Points

If technical credibility opens the door, analytical proof is what walks you through it. A skeptical audience operates on a simple principle: “Show me the data.”

Claims without evidence are just noise. Persuasion in a technical context is about building an irrefutable, data-driven case.

Quantified Benefits with Specific Metrics

Vague promises like “improves efficiency” are meaningless. Instead, provide specific, measurable outcomes.

Bad example: “Improves efficiency”
Good example: “Reduces power consumption by 15% under a 75% load, resulting in a 2.5-hour increase in battery life for the target device”

This level of specificity provides raw data that an engineer can plug into their own models and calculations. You’re not just making a claim—you’re providing usable technical information.

Comparative Analysis Against Alternatives

Your audience isn’t evaluating your product in a vacuum. They’re constantly weighing it against other options, including:

Direct competitors
Alternative technologies
Building a solution in-house
Doing nothing

Create tables and charts that compare your product’s key performance indicators (KPIs) against alternatives. Be honest in this comparison.

If a competitor’s product excels in one area while yours excels in another, acknowledge it. This transparency builds immense credibility.

Third-Party Validation

This is one of the most powerful forms of proof. Third-party validation can take many forms:

Certifications from recognized industry bodies
Independent lab results
Detailed case studies from other technical professionals

A case study for a technical audience isn’t a fluffy success story—it’s a detailed implementation report that includes:

Initial problem description
Evaluation process
Implementation challenges
Final, quantified results

Example quote: “We integrated this component and it reduced our data processing time by 32% while maintaining a 99.98% uptime” – Senior Engineer, Fortune 500 Manufacturing Company

ROI Calculations with Clear Technical Assumptions

For B2B decisions, proof must ultimately connect to business value. However, a generic ROI calculator isn’t enough—you must show your work.

Detail the assumptions behind your calculation:

Cost of energy
Expected lifespan of equipment
Reduction in maintenance hours
Downtime costs avoided

This allows the technical evaluator to scrutinize your assumptions and adjust them to fit their specific context.

💡 Key Takeaway: You’re not just giving them an answer—you’re giving them a framework for analysis, which is exactly what a skeptical, analytical mind is looking for.

Pillar 3: Address the Complete Technical Context

A technical product doesn’t exist in isolation. It’s a single component within a larger, more complex system.

A brilliant piece of technology that’s difficult to integrate, impossible to maintain, or incompatible with existing infrastructure isn’t a solution—it’s a new problem.

Integration Requirements and Compatibility

This is often the single biggest area of concern for a technical evaluator. Your content should provide clear, detailed information:

Physical and electrical interfaces:

Connector types and pinouts
Power requirements
Signal levels and protocols

Software requirements:

API documentation with code samples
SDK availability and compatibility
Software dependencies and versions

Compatibility information:

List of compatible hardware platforms
Supported operating systems
Integration with existing tools and workflows

Maintenance and Support Considerations

Look beyond initial implementation and address long-term ownership:

Reliability metrics:

Expected lifespan of the product
Mean time between failures (MTBF)
Warranty terms and conditions

Support structure:

Technical support availability (24/7, business hours, etc.)
Direct access to experienced engineers vs. generic call center
Response time guarantees for different severity levels

Software maintenance:

Update and patching policy
Long-term support commitments
Migration paths for future versions

Scalability and Future-Proofing

Your audience isn’t just solving today’s problem—they’re trying to anticipate tomorrow’s challenges.

Address how your solution can grow and adapt:

Handling increased data loads
Easy updates to support new standards
Modular and extensible architecture
Clear product roadmap for future enhancements

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Analysis

Provide a comprehensive TCO model that goes beyond initial purchase price:

Implementation costs:

Integration effort (engineering hours)
Required training
Infrastructure modifications

Ongoing costs:

Maintenance and support fees
Consumables or subscriptions
Upgrade costs over product lifetime

💡 Key Takeaway: Being proactive and transparent about these issues shows you’re a mature and reliable partner, not just a one-time vendor.

Pillar 4: Acknowledge Limitations Transparently

This pillar may seem counterintuitive to anyone trained in traditional marketing, but it’s arguably the most powerful trust-building signal you can send to a skeptical technical audience.

No product is perfect. No solution is universally optimal.

Honest Assessment of Product Boundaries

Be explicit about where your product excels and where it’s not the right fit.

Example: “Our sensor provides exceptional accuracy in a temperature range of -20°C to 85°C. For applications requiring operation in more extreme temperatures, a different sensing technology may be more appropriate.”

This candor does two things:

Prevents customers with wrong applications from choosing your product (avoiding future dissatisfaction)
Dramatically increases credibility of the claims you do make

Clear Scope of Applicability

Be explicit about intended use cases and scenarios where your product has been tested and validated.

Include information about:

Recommended operating conditions
Validated use cases with specific examples
Environmental limitations
Performance boundaries under different conditions

Potential Challenges and Mitigation Strategies

Don’t shy away from discussing common implementation challenges. Address these proactively:

Common integration challenges:

“Avoiding Ground Loops in High-Noise Environments”
“Optimizing Cache Settings for Large Datasets”
“Thermal Management in Compact Installations”

Mitigation strategies:

Step-by-step troubleshooting guides
Best practices documentation
Reference designs and application notes

Comparison with Alternative Approaches

Take transparency a step further by acknowledging legitimate advantages of different types of solutions.

Example: If you sell commercial software, acknowledge that an open-source alternative might be better for teams with deep development resources and desire for complete customization, while positioning your product as the better choice for teams needing to deploy a validated solution quickly with guaranteed support.

💡 Key Takeaway: This nuanced and honest comparison shows you respect the customer’s intelligence and are focused on helping them find the right solution, even if it isn’t always yours.

Pillar 5: Enable Peer Validation

In the trust hierarchy of a technical audience, the vendor is at the bottom, and a trusted peer is at the top. No matter how credible your content is, ultimate validation will always come from the experience of other users.

The final pillar is to not just claim your product is good, but to actively enable your audience to verify that claim through peer channels and direct experience.

Facilitate Technical Discussions with Existing Users

Make peer interactions as unfiltered as possible:

Community channels:

Public user forums with active participation
Community Slack channels or Discord servers
Curated list of reference customers willing to speak with prospects

Direct connections:

Engineer-to-engineer conversations
User group meetings and events
Technical advisory boards with customer participation

While testimonials are good, a live conversation with another engineer who’s been through the implementation process is infinitely better.

Detailed Technical Documentation

Provide documentation that goes far beyond a simple datasheet:

Comprehensive resources:

Complete API documentation with examples
Detailed architectural diagrams
In-depth tutorials and getting-started guides
Troubleshooting and FAQ sections

This documentation serves two purposes:

Practical tool for evaluation and implementation
Powerful signal of quality and transparency

A well-documented product is seen as a well-engineered product.

Trial Periods and Proof-of-Concept Opportunities

For a technical audience, there’s no substitute for hands-on experience.

Hands-on evaluation options:

Free trial periods for software products
Development kits for hardware components
Pilot programs for larger systems
Sandbox environments for testing

This isn’t just a sales tactic—it’s a collaborative experiment. Your role is to provide tools and support to make that experiment successful.

Pre-Sale Technical Support Access

Allow prospects’ engineering teams to have conversations with your support engineers before the sale.

Benefits of pre-sale technical access:

Gauge expertise level within your organization
Get honest answers to difficult technical questions
Understand your support philosophy and processes
Build confidence in long-term partnership

💡 Key Takeaway: This transparency into your support process can be a major differentiating factor for technical buyers thinking about long-term ownership experience.

Common Mistakes That Destroy Technical Credibility

Building trust with a skeptical technical audience is delicate, and it can be undone instantly. Certain common practices are anathema to engineers, scientists, and developers.

Avoiding these pitfalls is just as important as implementing the five pillars.

Oversimplification (“Dumbing Down”)

There’s a fine line between clarity and condescension. While you should always strive for clear and accessible writing, never do so at the expense of technical accuracy.

What technical audiences want:

Precise explanations over simplified analogies
Content that respects their existing knowledge
Communication at their professional level

What signals incompetence:

Oversimplified analogies for complex concepts
Avoiding technical details they need to evaluate
Treating them like they can’t handle complexity

Marketing Hyperbole

Phrases like “revolutionary,” “game-changing,” and “paradigm-shifting” are immediate red flags.

Why hyperbole backfires:

Technical audiences are trained to be wary of exaggeration
Their world is one of incremental improvements and evidence-based conclusions
Bold claims are seen as substitutes for real data

Instead of hyperbole, use:

Specific, quantified achievements
Measurable performance improvements
Concrete technical specifications

Bad example: “Revolutionary performance”
Good example: “40% reduction in processing time for FFT analysis on ARM Cortex-A53 cores”

Ignoring Integration Complexity

Presenting a product as simple, plug-and-play when it requires significant integration effort is a recipe for distrust.

Engineers know that new components or software are never truly isolated. They must coexist with complex ecosystems of existing hardware and software.

What you must address:

Realistic implementation timeline
Required engineering resources
Potential compatibility issues
Integration best practices

Trust builders:

Honest assessment of integration effort
Detailed implementation guides
Proactive discussion of potential challenges

Generic Value Propositions

One-size-fits-all value propositions are clear signs you haven’t done your homework.

Why vertical specificity matters:

Aerospace engineers have different priorities than medical device designers
Regulatory requirements vary dramatically by industry
Application constraints are industry-specific

Examples of vertical-specific positioning:

Automotive: “Meets ASIL-D functional safety requirements for critical braking systems”
Medical: “FDA 510(k) cleared for use in Class II medical devices”
Aerospace: “Qualified to DO-160 environmental standards for commercial aviation”

💡 Key Takeaway: Generic messaging signals you’re a product vendor, not a solution provider who understands their specific world.

Your Technical Communication Checklist

To help you immediately apply the 5-Pillar framework, here’s a practical checklist for your next piece of technical content:

Before Writing

Research and preparation:

☐ Research vertical-specific requirements (regulations, standards, application challenges)
☐ Gather quantified proof points (metrics, test results, comparative data)
☐ Interview subject matter experts for technical accuracy
☐ Analyze competitor content to identify gaps and opportunities
☐ Define integration requirements (compatibility, dependencies, complexity)

Audience analysis:

☐ Identify specific technical roles in buying process
☐ Understand their evaluation criteria and decision factors
☐ Map content to their technical evaluation workflow
☐ Determine appropriate technical depth for each audience segment

During Writing

Technical accuracy:

☐ Use precise technical terminology correctly
☐ Include specific metrics and measurements
☐ Reference relevant industry standards and regulations
☐ Acknowledge trade-offs and limitations honestly

Evidence and proof:

☐ Provide comparative analysis with specific data points
☐ Include third-party validation and case studies
☐ Show ROI calculations with clear assumptions
☐ Enable peer validation opportunities

Complete context:

☐ Address integration requirements and compatibility
☐ Discuss maintenance and support considerations
☐ Cover scalability and future-proofing aspects
☐ Provide total cost of ownership analysis

After Publishing

Performance monitoring:

Monitor technical questions and feedback quality
Track engagement with technical resources (downloads, time on page)
Measure peer sharing and referrals in technical communities
Analyze sales cycle impact and objection patterns

Continuous improvement:

Update content based on technical inquiries
Refine messaging based on customer feedback
Add new proof points as they become available
Expand documentation based on user needs

💡 Key Takeaway: This systematic approach ensures your content meets analytical standards of technical audiences while providing measurable business value.

Measuring Success with Technical Audiences

Traditional marketing metrics often fail to capture true impact on skeptical technical audiences. The B2B technical sales cycle is long and complex, and the most valuable interactions are often subtle and difficult to track.

You need more nuanced metrics that reflect how this audience engages with information.

Engagement Metrics on Deep Technical Content

Quality over quantity indicators:

High average time on page for technical integration guides
Deep scroll depth on long-form technical articles
Repeat visits to key technical resources
Sequential consumption of related technical content

A high number of page views on a marketing landing page is one thing. A high average time on page for a 5,000-word technical integration guide is a much stronger signal of genuine interest.

Download Rates of Technical Assets

High-value technical downloads:

Datasheets and technical specifications
CAD models and design files
White papers and application notes
Software development kits (SDKs)

A download of technical specifications is a far more qualified expression of interest than a form fill for a generic marketing webinar. These downloads represent users moving beyond passive reading to actively gathering materials for serious evaluation.

Quality of Technical Inquiries

A successful technical content strategy shouldn’t necessarily reduce the number of questions you receive, but it should change their quality.

Signs of effective technical content:

Fewer basic, repetitive questions already answered in documentation
More sophisticated, in-depth questions indicating homework has been done
Technical discussions that reference your published content
Questions that demonstrate understanding of your technical approach

These high-quality technical inquiries are strong signs that your content is successfully educating your audience and moving them further down the evaluation path.

Peer Referrals and Organic Sharing

The holy grail of technical content marketing:

Engineers sharing links to your technical blog posts in industry forums
References to your documentation in technical discussions
Organic mentions in technical communities and social media
User-generated content that builds on your technical resources

This is a sign that your content has transcended marketing material status and become a respected technical resource.

Tracking methods:

Set up Google Alerts for your company and product names
Monitor key industry forums and communities
Track social media mentions in technical contexts
Analyze referral traffic from technical websites

💡 Key Takeaway: While difficult to track systematically, organic peer validation provides invaluable qualitative evidence of your content’s impact and credibility.

Conclusion: From Skepticism to Advocacy

Writing for a skeptical technical audience isn’t about mastering new marketing tricks. It’s about unlearning old ones and adopting a new mindset built on respect for analytical rigor.

It’s about shifting your perspective from selling a product to providing evidence for technical evaluation. The five pillars aren’t just a content strategy—they’re a blueprint for building trust.

The Transformation Process

From vendor to partner:

Treat skepticism as a request for more information, not a barrier to sale
Move from being a vendor they tolerate to a partner they trust
Transform your content from marketing material to valuable technical resource

Measurable business impact:

25-40% shorter sales cycles
60% fewer technical objections during evaluation
Significantly higher win rates with qualified technical prospects
Sustainable competitive advantages based on trust and expertise

The Mindset Shift

The next time you sit down to write for a technical audience, don’t ask, “How can I persuade them?”

Instead, ask, “What evidence can I provide?”

The answer to that question will lead you to create content that is:

More effective at driving business results
More authentic and respectful of your audience
More valuable for everyone involved in the evaluation process

Your Next Steps

Ready to transform your technical content strategy?

Join over 500 B2B technical sales leaders who have signed up for GrowthBeaver’s waitlist to gain deep vertical market intelligence. Get the insights that turn generic product marketing into industry-specific solution positioning.

What you’ll gain access to:

Deep vertical market intelligence for your specific industries
Regulatory and compliance requirements by market segment
Application-specific pain points and trade-offs
Competitive landscape analysis for technical buyers

💡 Final Takeaway: Master this approach and you’ll build sustainable competitive advantages based on trust and expertise rather than just product features.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: How do I balance technical detail with readability?

The key is structured layering. Use clear, concise summaries at the beginning of each section to convey main points.

Effective techniques:

Progressive disclosure of technical details
Clear headings and bullet points to break up complex information
Links to detailed appendices for deeper technical exploration
Visual aids like diagrams and tables to simplify complex concepts

The goal isn’t to simplify, but to organize information in a way that serves different levels of technical interest.

Q2: What if I don’t have deep technical expertise in the audience’s field?

You have two options: gain that expertise or partner with someone who has it. There’s no substitute for genuine understanding.

Practical approaches:

Conduct internal interviews with your engineering team
Have technical experts review all content before publication
Co-author articles with subject matter experts
Invest in technical training for your marketing team

Your role as a marketer is to be the translator and storyteller, but the story must be grounded in authentic technical truth.

Q3: How long should technical content be to maintain engagement?

As long as it needs to be to provide a complete and convincing argument. Technical audiences aren’t afraid of long content, but they’re allergic to content that wastes their time.

Content length guidelines:

5,000-word article dense with valuable information will be read completely
500-word article full of fluff will be abandoned after first paragraph
Focus on value and depth, not arbitrary word counts
Use clear structure and navigation to help readers find relevant sections

Q4: Should I include pricing information in technical content?

Yes, whenever possible. Complete lack of pricing information is a major source of frustration for technical audiences.

Pricing transparency approaches:

Provide pricing models when exact prices aren’t feasible
Explain variables that affect pricing (volume, features, support level)
Offer clear path to obtaining detailed quotes
Include total cost of ownership considerations

Transparency in pricing is a major trust signal for technical buyers.

Q5: How do I handle technical objections in written content?

Address them proactively. Dedicate sections to addressing most common objections or perceived weaknesses.

Effective objection handling:

Frame as “Trade-offs and Considerations” sections
Address objections before they’re raised by skeptical readers
Control the narrative by discussing issues on your terms
Demonstrate deep thinking about potential concerns

This is far more effective than waiting for objections to be raised during sales conversations.

References

[1] Forrester. (2024). 2024 Buyer Insights: Technology Categories. [Online]. Available: https://www.forrester.com/report/2024-buyer-insights-technology-categories/RES181783

[2] Content Marketing Institute. (2024). B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Outlook for 2025. [Online]. Available: https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/b2b-research/b2b-content-marketing-trends-research

[3] IEEE. (2003). Engineering Communication: A Survey of Engineering and Technical Communication Professionals. [Online]. Available: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/1235088

About the Author

Stephan is a senior engineer with over 15 years of experience selling high-tech components to OEMs globally. Based in Zurich, Switzerland, he has a deep passion for understanding the intricate pains and hidden desires of technical customers. His work focuses on bridging the gap between complex technology and the real-world problems that engineers are trying to solve.