#014: Using Eigenquestions to Reframe Problems
“If I had an hour to solve a problem, I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions” — Albert Einstein
Here’s a question for you — given a specific problem; how many unique and optimal solutions do you think exist? Some might say an infinite amount, while others would suggest very few to this question.
In a recent series of events, circumstances, and out of just pure curiosity, I took the opportunity to step back from everything I knew about problem-solving and understand how particular problems in our world can shape a given solution from first principles.
The beginning of this journey simply began from living in two worlds; being an angel investor and having the opportunity to engage with several founders and look through their pitch decks with important problems to be solved at the core of each company, while the other is being exposed to startups across Silicon Valley in formulating innovative solutions using technology.
Both worlds are different in nature, however, the two are actually also similar in trying to come up with innovative solutions to hard and unique problems.
So the big question here is that instead of focusing most of our efforts on formulating a solution to a fixed framed problem, could we alternatively concentrate on understanding the actual problem to a greater extent? Moreover, to also discover how the act of simply reframing these problems in a different light, could potentially lead to a better understanding of developing better solutions.
All of this might sound esoteric and abstract right now, but I promise it will make sense shortly — so read on.
Question the Question
Problems can come in different shapes and sizes.
It’s not uncommon to see companies trying to solve problems from different angles.
Take Airbnb for example; they’re solving a very similar problem to the hotel industry — providing accommodation to travelers. However, the difference is that Airbnb is approaching this problem by rethinking the question of traditional accommodation altogether and really asking — “How can we create a platform that allows travelers to effortlessly book and stay in accommodation anywhere without the need to develop expensive physical infrastructure?”
This ability to rethink the question in a broader context allowed Airbnb to disrupt the hotel industry and be worth USD $75 billion when it went IPO in December 2020.
Using this technique doesn’t only apply to big-scale corporate problems, but also applies to simple questions of planning someone’s birthday party. For instance, instead of planning a “party” per se, another way to rethink the question is “How can we make their day memorable?” Your solution is now open to a host of other options i.e. going for a hike, picnic at the park, etc.
The ability to “question-the-question” is a powerful technique anyone can employ in their lives. Doing this allows anyone to approach solutions with better context and clarity.
Have No Assumptions
Without knowing it, a lot of the problem-solving we do on a daily basis depends on our assumptions in the world we live in. How we were raised, where we grew up and our general life experience gives way to certain underlying assumptions, in order to solve problems we’re faced with.
In general, using assumptions are important for most day-to-day problems. They help in forming patterns to generate solutions. One example of a problem could be “How do I get from San Francisco to LA?”. Some immediate assumptions already include:
Utilizing some sort of transport, not walking, and probably not biking (although personally, I would consider this an option).
Time of travel should be within just a few hours
Traveling by either plane or car are the best two viable solutions based on our assumptions of speed and access
There will be plenty of gas stations along the way if driving
There are plenty of flights between SF and LA on a daily basis
And the list goes on. Amazingly, we process all the above assumptions so quickly, we don’t even notice it. This is the power of assumptions.
However, when trying to solve complex problems that require high-level thinking, especially problems that might seem impossible and super innovative, assumptions are actually a detriment.
Removing assumptions provides clarity because you’re evaluating a problem from first principles by breaking it down into smaller components. One example of this is Tesla — they were able to rebuild the entire car from the ground up using EV technology, by questioning the assumptions behind the car after decades of relying on fossil fuels.
Remove assumptions when it’s necessary. It will help in formulating answers in a different light.
Eigenquestions
First off, an “Eigenquestion” is not a real word. It was created by Shishir Mehrotra (former VP of YouTube) who came up with the concept in his work at Google when trying to make important decisions regarding the future of the platform.
Eigenquestions put the above concepts together and at its core is all about having the ability to ask the right question(s).
“…an eigenquestion is the question where, if answered, it likely answers the subsequent questions as well. Great framing starts by searching for the most discriminating question of a set — the eigenquestion” - Shishir Mehrotra
For those who want the full detailed explanation, check out Shishir’s main post here, with insightful examples.
In general, using Eigenquestions is a method to convert a problem into a series of cascading questions that will eventually lead to a solution. It helps to identify when potential solutions are good or when they are bad, and they help you navigate towards an answer that satisfies the Eigenquestion.
The above techniques are just a general guide on how to solve problems. It’s by no means an exhaustive list, but the general takeaway here is that next time you’re faced with a somewhat complex or perhaps interesting problem, try question-the-question, remove assumptions, and reframe using an eigenquestion — you’ll never know what you’ll come up with.
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