I have said more than once that Design is about asking the right questions
Ask the right questions and you'll find yourself on the right path to finding the right answers
Today I want to expand on that idea
Because I think there are multiple dimensions to this challenge
and the type of questions you ask will determine where you will be playing in the market
Essentially there are 3 types of Q&A matrices
Strategic, Creative and Practical
So let's map out these three category of questions
The strategic question is all about the challenge of asking the right question
The creative question is all about the uniqueness of the questions you are asking
Are you in the business of asking the same questions as everybody else... or is there something unique about the way you think about the problem you have been tasked to solve?
The final matrix is about the practicality of the answers you are trying to deliver
All three require a different type of thinking
All three are key to being a successful designer
The game changers operate here
They are the stars across all three matrices because they in the business of fundamentally changing the question
and in doing so they create a new market category of answers where they are the only player
Meanwhile the incumbents play here
Leveraging their old ideas, methods and ways of thinking to profit from any new challenge
The majority of designers can be found playing with their dogs
and it's not really a question of talent
Just a question of mindset
The Stars disrupt the marketplace by posing three ideas in the client's mind
a. You hired me to change the question
b. You hired me to create something new
c. You hired me because I have changed the way the game is played