Three Framings
Write three different problem statements before solving any of them.
Before solving anything, write three genuinely different versions of the problem statement. Not three wordings of the same problem — three different framings that would lead to different solutions.
For the third framing, ask: how would someone in theme park design frame this problem? The way you frame a problem determines the solution space you search. Most of the time, you inherit one framing (from the user, the ticket, the brief) and never question it. But the framing is a choice, and it's often the most consequential choice in the entire process.
flowchart TD
A["Received brief"] --> B["Framing 1: Usability problem"]
A --> C["Framing 2: Trust problem"]
A --> D["Framing 3: Value problem"]
B --> E["Each framing leads to a different solution"]
C --> E
D --> E
E --> F{"Which framing fits the evidence?"}
F --> G["Now solve the right problem"]
style A fill:#3498db,color:#fff
style F fill:#f39c12,color:#fff
style G fill:#2ecc71,color:#fff
more
When to Use
- At the very start of a task, before any solution work
- When you receive a brief or spec and your mind immediately jumps to an approach
- When the problem feels obvious — that's often a sign you've accepted a framing uncritically
Example
Brief: "Our API is too slow."
Framing 1 — Performance problem: The code is inefficient. Profile, find bottlenecks, optimize hot paths.
Framing 2 — Architecture problem: The system isn't designed for this load pattern. No amount of optimization fixes a fundamentally wrong architecture.
Framing 3 — Expectations problem: The API is fine; the caller's expectations are wrong. Maybe the real fix is making the operation async, adding a progress indicator, or caching results client-side.
Each framing leads you to a different part of the codebase, a different set of tools, and a different definition of "done."
Watch Out For
- The three framings should be genuinely different, not surface rewording. "Users find checkout confusing" and "The checkout UX is bad" are the same framing
- You don't need to solve all three — the goal is to choose a framing deliberately rather than inheriting one by default
- Sometimes the first framing is correct. That's fine. But you should be able to articulate why it's correct and what you'd do differently under the other framings
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