Ask Why - Better questions for impactful outcomes
Asking good questions is an often-overlooked skill. It can help in:
In difficult situations, with enough questions, you can begin to understand the root cause of a problem. It’ll lead you to focus your efforts on the right thing. Source: XKCD This framework is easy to remember and can help you when you are stuck on how to best ask an open question. The difference between open and closed questionsOpen questions - allow the other person to fill in the gaps and answer the question as they see fit. It may allow for more details or give you the information you did not expect. Typical open questions use - who, what, when, where, why, how (WWWWWH). E.g. What do you do during a work day? Closed questions - ask for a yes/no answer. They tend to be focused on getting a clear and direct answer and for validating a hypothesis you had. E.g. Did you do that? TED - the frameworkTell me…A user experience research interview example - E.g. “Tell me a time when you struggled with forgetting your password.” Explain….A developmental conversation with your team member - E.g. “Explain where you want to grow in your role.” Describe…A hiring interview example - E.g. “Describe the organisational culture and when/where it is demonstrated.” TED makes it easy to remember when you are stuck or find it hard to phrase the question in an open way. Sometimes you might use it when you’re a bit sick of using who, what, when, where, why, how. For me, I remember the bear 🧸, but sometimes remembering the acronym TED is enough. Other tips for asking questionsThis is useful particularly when doing UX research but also could work in some scenarios.
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