Page 66 - The Design Thinking Playbook

Whenever possible, open questions should be asked in a Understanding connections and relations
needfinding interview. This general list helps us to prepare “How do you communicate with . . .?”
the interview: “From whom did you hear that?”
“Who helped you with it?”
Tracing behaviors “How did you hear of it?”
“Why do you smile when you say that?”
“How did it happen that . . .?” / “Who has taught you that?” Informing outsiders
“How do you know how it works?” “If you had to explain it to an exchange student, what would you
“What works?” / “What doesn’t work?” say?”
“How would you explain this to your grandparents?”
Gaining clarity “How would you describe it to a small child?”
“What exactly do you mean by . . .?”
“How would you describe it in your own words?” Comparing processes
“What is the difference between your home and that of your friend?”
Exploring actively “What is the difference when you do this on the road instead of at
“You say this is difficult. What exactly was/is difficult about it?” home?”
“A difficult task. Why exactly is it difficult for you?”
Imagining the future
Asking about the sequence (day/week/period of life) “How do you think you’ll do it in 2030?”
“What is your first memory of . . .?” (What if it were like that already today?)
“What happened before/afterward?”
“How did you do it before?”
“When was the first/last time that you . . .?”

Asking for examples
“What was the last app you downloaded?”
“With whom did you discuss it?”

Exploring exceptions
“When didn’t it work, then?”
“Did you have problems with . . . before?”
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