Abstraction Laddering

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
works well with

Challenge Statements

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