![]() Dominic over at idfuel has written a great article about the importance of knowing and keeping in mind what’s the question/ problem/ issue you’re trying to solve, before you start doing any work. We are so inclined to become enamoured with our answers/ solutions/ ideas, that sometimes we lose sight of the Question. This has so many applications to the work we need to do now, personally and collectively:
As important as staying focused on the Question is ensuring you’re focused on the right Question. Dominic describes a competition to design a mobile shelter and storage unit for the homeless. The solutions were ingenious, but almost none of the entrants tried to understand how or why the homeless use shopping carts and tents and sleeping bags now, or concerned themselves with the affordability of the solution. The real Question should have been How do we solve the problem of homelessness? Dominic concludes: In the end, the hard work of thousands of talented designers generated quite a few exciting tents, but little in the way of novel solutions for the problem of homelessness. This is the ultimate price of asking the wrong question. At least solving the right problem poorly makes a step toward a workable solution. Solving the wrong problem well leavesthe right problem completely unsolved.
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Another inspiring post, thank you. Of course I don’t think “homelessness” is a problem. I tend to think of people who live outside and often they love it. I see a man sleeping in Rosedale Valley all the time, he lives on the park bench all summer. I swear he is enjoying his space more than the people who own houses in that hood do. I see some kind of a lesson there, although I don’t have the words for it. Yes, finding a purpose (the demand to be met) is a very important aspect of working in ones passion. Just a quick hello Dave. A blogger friend of mine says India has banned blogging. All he can do is read the comments people make on his blog through his e-mail. there are some web sites now offering ways to get through the bannin…but I am on a mission tonight to visit and comment on as many blogs a sI can until my fingers get sore in honor of Indian and Pakstani bloggers.