When starting any design project, you’re going to need to ask a lot of questions. The perceived problem and the actual problem may not be the same. So how can you get better at asking the right questions?
I decided to brush up on my questioning skills by reading A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger. Berger illustrates how questioning is an inherent skill we’re quite adept at during childhood. He notes that children haven’t developed a “mental model” of the world, so they question everything. But as we go through standardized education, we begin to suppress our curiosity.
As adults, it’s frowned upon to ask too many questions in the workplace. On the flip side, we’re often embarrassed when we don’t have immediate answers. But Berger claims the ability to admit you don’t have all the answers, but can ask better questions, is a superior skillset.
By analyzing innovative figures, Berger identified three common types of questions that lead to breakthroughs.
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