Purpose
This method could be helpful when you need to see the problem from different perspectives or when you would like to generate ideas. It is also useful in the process of selecting ideas for further development. It is meant to give a deeper understanding.
Instructions
Use this method in a situation when you have a defined problem or idea. Try to challenge yourself or your group by asking the following questions. When forcing yourself or the group to answer the questions you will truly get to know your idea/problem and therefore be able to see its strengths and weaknesses from many different perspectives.
Extended questions
- How much?
- Why not?
- What time?
- Which place?
- Who can?
- Where else?
- When?
- What is the problem?
- Where is it happening?
- When is it happening?
- Why is it happening?
- How can you overcome this problem?
- Who do you need to get involved?
- When will you know that you have solved the problem?
Example
- What are we creating? A suit case.
- Where can we build it? In a factory outside town.
- When is the right time? Tomorrow.
- How much time do we need to spend? Three days.
- Why are we doing that? Because we need it for the vacation.
- Who is going to see this? Everyone that sees me traveling.
- What is the purpose? I need something to put my stuff in when traveling.
Do
- Answer your questions.
- Be honest.
- Challenge yourself with divergent questions.
- Be critical.
- Be concrete.
Don’t
- Don’t avoid certain questions because you might think they have a simple answer.
- Don’t lie.
- Don’t focus to much on details.
Facilitator role:
The facilitator has the responsibility for asking the questions and make sure that all the questions are answered in a concrete way and that the answers benefit the project.
Reflection questions
- How was it?
- Did you feel that this was valuable for our project? In what way?
- Do you want to change something before next session?
