Formulating problems

Originally posted on May 13, 2010

What does this mean? Up until recently I hadn’t really giving it much thought past a problem that had been presented to me in the form of a project.

Cognitively, its always been ‘What is the solution?’, and I would work in coming up with a ‘design answer’. It is only from this inverted line of questioning that I can answer more completely.

A question such as this is almost immediate followed with a sense of ‘panic’. I call these ‘disruptive problems’. Its when I realize that I don’t have an immediate answer, and that I lose the chance of credibility knowing that I won’t be able to provide an immediate articulate solution.

This entry is actually my attempt to answer the question, “How do I formulate a problem?”

At first, I thought it was a silly question. Then I thought it was a typo. Then I hoped it was a typo. When I finally came to grips that it was a legitimate query. I panicked. Why? Because I didn’t have an immediate answer. I’ve solved problems in the past but it had never occurred to me how I came up with a problem.  I took it for granted that it just existed and didn’t need to be ‘conjured’ up.

I immediately became defensive, however the more I thought about the question, the more I realized that it was wholly legitimate, and an opportunity to grow from answering it.

I realized that by replacing the word  ‘question’ with that of ‘problem’ helped me immensely.

“How do we create a social networking site that is different than what exists?” is a problem.

“What, exactly, are the clients needs?” is a problem.

“Why is the current business model not succeeding?” is a problem.

In conclusion, I’ve found value in challenging myself to answer the question, “How do you formulate problems?” It’s forced me to be able to articulate and form an answer not just to it, but also the projects that I’ve worked on in the past and in the future.

It takes a different perspective, a different angle of questioning, to fully understand something we may not otherwise be able to articulate. It’s important to evaluate yourself whenever you feel ‘threatened’. A defensive reaction should be an alert that there’s an opportunity to grow. Thinking that you have a solution to every problem is a roadblock to success.