Up and down we go.
DISCOVER AND DEFINE THE RIGHT PROBLEM.
Purpose
Understand the problem by looking through different levels of focus as you move up (more abstract) and down (more concrete) the ladder.
Abstraction Laddering was developed by American linguist S. I. Hayakawa and introduced in his 1939 book Language in Thought and Action. It is a way to understand problems by asking users questions to move the conversation up the ladder (more abstract) or down the ladder (more concrete). Using “why?” questions to move up the ladder, you can talk more broadly about the problem. Using “how?” questions you can talk more focused about how the problem could be addressed. It is mainly used in the “define” phase to define a challenge statement.
Book Appointment
Stats
Session
Online
DURATION
60 minutes
Level of Difficulty
Moderate
Materials Needed
Pens, paper, Post-its
learning outcomes
Expand or narrow the focus of a problem
Engage broad understanding from many participants
Explore options for defining a challenge statement
Process Phase
