Tool details
The Five Whys
An easy research method that will help uncover the deep motivation and assumptions that underpin a person's behaviour.
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When to use
This can be used in an interview context, or in a group setting. It's good for whenever you want to dig deep and understand the root cause.
Why you should
To dig deep and understand the root cause of something to ensure your design is going to address the right issue.
What you get
An understanding of what the roots of a problem look like.
Steps to take
Start by asking a pretty broad question about your Interview participant’s habits or behaviors then ask “why” to their response five times in a row.
Remember that you’re not asking a horizontal question, (ie “Why else didn’t you get a good harvest this year?”) you’re actually going for depth (ie “Why weren’t you able to buy the fertilizer you needed?”).
Write down what you hear, paying special attention to moments when it feels like you’ve moved a level deeper into understanding why the person does what she does.
Keep in mind that you might not get to the core stuff until the fourth or fifth “Why.”
Further reading
Sure, you may feel like a four-year-old asking “why” every time a person answers your previous question, but if you stick with it, and give the person you’re interviewing the time, space, and permission to really go deep, you’re likely to wind up with a few key insights. Note that the design might solve the problem by addressing something further up in the why-chain, but it's important to dig deep before starting to design the solution it in order to ensure your design is successful.
References & Links
