Why-Why-Why

To sustain a broad perspective throughout the investigation it is important to question and exceed the apprehension about the defined “problem” that already exists in the design situation. One way to do this is to ask a number of “why” questions and by that means build a chain of relations backwards from the original formulation. These chains give many ideas to visions dependent on where in the chain you enter and on what values you bring in. One important point here is that the why method is a way to expand the understanding of the situation being studied; it is not a systematic method that always ends up in a result. To formulate your why questions in a fruitful manner, the ability to know which roads to follow is important.

What is important to remember in every design situation is to reflect on what information that is actually needed. An investigation without an intention or purpose can easily become a random study of a situation. The design and choice of method and technique is therefore the most significant aspects of design (Löwgren and Stolterman 2004).