There Are No Problems Worth Solving — Only Questions Worth Asking // ALD 003 — DT101 E65

This episode is based on this article: ALD 003 // There Are No Problems Worth Solving – Only Questions Worth Asking. Read the article and others like it on Fluid Hive’s Ask Like a Designer.

This Ask Like a Designer episode is about a better way to see and choose problems to solve. It includes a simple framework for aligning your choices with the development and goals that matter most to you.


Photo of Dawan Stanford

In these short Ask Like a Designer episodes on the Design Thinking 101 podcast, you’ll find new ways to explore the show’s stories and ideas about design-driven innovation. I’ll share methods, templates, and ideas that have worked in my practice in teaching.
What did you think of this episode? Please send your questions, suggestions, and guest ideas to Dawan and the Fluid Hive team.
Cheers ~ Dawan
Design Thinking 101 Podcast Host
President, Fluid Hive

Show Highlights

[00:52] A better approach to closing the gaps between the world we have and the world we want.
[01:07] Questions worth asking.
[01:21] The trouble with solving.
[01:54] Responding instead of solving.
[02:23] Difference between response and reaction.
[02:44] Looking at problems and how questions can create the problem space.
[03:37] Questions worth answering.
[04:28] Wicked problems.
[04:54] Questions worth answering by you.
[05:11] Four considerations when deciding if a question is worth answering by you.
[05:25] Learning.
[05:39] Power-Ups.
[05:58] Seedlings.
[06:18] The Spend.
[07:33] Free Ask Like a Designer Thinking Tool to help you choose your next question worth answering.
[08:21] Design Thinking 101 Learning courses.
[08:47] The Innovation SmartStart webinar.

Design Thinking 101 Learning — Courses and More

Design Thinking 101 Learning helps people start seeing and solving like a designer. Each training course focuses on a different collection of actions and skills critical to using design thinking effectively and getting the results you seek.
Please join me in the first course, Design Thinking 101 — Framing: Creating Better Solutions by Finding More Valuable Problems to Solve.
Each course is structured to help your innovation actions create what you need for the people you serve, your organization and yourself.Grab your spot and start seeing and solving like a designer today.

Design Thinking 101 Episodes You Might Like

Ask Like a Designer 001 — DT101 E61

Design, and One Question to Rule Them All // ALD 002 — DT101 E63

Tell me how the show helps you.

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Your ideas support and develop the show. Tell the world how the Design Thinking 101 Podcast has helped you think and solve like a designer. Then, tell me how I might make it even more helpful.

Cheers ~ Dawan

Fluid Hive's Designing Faciltiation Course

Are you ready to design outstanding events that will engage participants and get the outcomes you need? Fluid Hive's Designing Facilitation Course is a step-by-step design thinking-fueled system for creating and leading events, workshops and meetings that solve problems, save money, and protect your reputation.

Designing Facilitation gives you 32 lessons that walk you through answering our Event Design questions, and 28 Event Design Practice Tools that help you immediately apply your learning. Dawan also offers examples and insight from his decades of experience leading events for thousands of people everywhere from the White House to packed ballrooms, cozy workshop rooms, and online spaces with remote participants.

Design Thinking 101 Courses — Framing

In this self-paced, online course, Framing: Creating Better Solutions by Finding More Valuable Problems to Solve, you will learn to create more effective solutions by understanding the problem you are trying to solve. This is the first course in Fluid Hive's Design Thinking 101 Courses Series.

Creating effective solutions begins with understanding the problem we are trying to solve. Is this problem worth solving? Where should we look to understand our problem? What’s happening inside this problem? How do we define the problem? How do we adjust problem framing as we go? During the course, you will learn to answer these questions and apply them to your work.

Resources — Thinking and Solving Like a Designer

Articles

Ask Like a Designer — Monthly articles with design ideas, methods, frameworks, templates, and a question-fueled approach to design-driven innovation. Discover new ways to think and solve like a designer.

Sample pages from inside Fluid Hive's Innovation Shield

Guide

Download Fluid Hive's Innovation Shield: a guide to avoiding innovation traps by asking 9 of Fluid Hive's Design Thinking Questions.

Your Ask Like a Designer Studio

Your Ask Like a Designer Studio connects you with people interesed in thinking and solving like a designer.

Enjoy invitations to free, live Studio events. Receive articles, Design Thinking 101 podcast updates, tips, tools, templates, workshop information, and more to help you create and perform!

Innovation Smart Start Webinar

Your next project could be easier, faster and more effective if you play smart at the start. In this webinar Dr. Dawan Stanford will teach you ways to ask like a designer so your projects succeed more often and your revenue grows.