Solutions in Search of Problems

“People always ask me for a boat,” a designer friend once said to me.

“I wish they would just ask for a way to cross the river.”

We all get two types of requests.

Type 1: A problem in search of a solution.
Classic yet oddly rare. Example: “Our museum has run out of space for educational programs. What should we do?” That’s a problem, with no solution yet. Potential solutions might include: building, renting, moving, rethinking.

Type 2: A solution in search of a problem.
Strangely most common. Someone comes to you with a solution they want to create. But they don’t know what problem it solves. Examples:

“We need a touchscreen, so visitors can donate in crypto.”

"We need an immersive art show that retirees will Instagram.”

”We need [insert anything] using holograms.”

Here’s the thing:
A solution in search of a problem, by definition, doesn’t solve anything.

Try asking nicely, “What problem does this solve?” See if you can find the actual problem. Then consider suggesting a solution ... to solve it.

Warmly,
Jonathan

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MtM Word of the Day:
cap height. In typography, the height of a capital letter with a flat top, like an X. (As opposed to "x height," the height of a lowercase letter with a flat top, like an x.) In exhibitions, printed cap heights are best measured in (fractions of) inches.