Open curiosity is a powerful force. The art of asking questions helps me to stay focused on needs and goals longer before plunging into solutioneering. And the Open Questions document helps me crowdsource getting the answers. This is my initial talk about the topic from the 2017 UX Camp Europe, that took place on 3rd and 4th of June in Berlin.

1. DESIGN ZEN
The idea for this talk was conceived at the Warm-up party of the 8th international UX Camp Europe in Berlin on June 2nd,
2017 and given 2 days later. Thank you, Tom Allison for the initial spark.

2. ZEN
… is a total state of focus that
incorporates a total togetherness of
body and mind.
Zen is a way of being.
It also is a state of mind. Zen
involves dropping illusion and
seeing things without distortion
created by your own thoughts.
I like when people understand each other. So let’s start with a definition of Zen.
Definitions might be hard to understand on their own.

3. To illustrate what zen is, let me tell you a story: A martial arts student went to his teacher and said earnestly, “I am devoted to
studying your martial system. How long will it take me to master it.”
The teacher’s reply was casual, “Ten years.” Impatiently, the student answered, “But I want to master it faster than that. I will
work very hard. I will practice everyday, ten or more hours a day if I have to. How long will it take then?”
The teacher thought for a moment, “20 years.”

4. There seems to be a sport.
A sport that many people in design — or working with designers — seem to practice.
It’s called jumping. Jumping to conclusions.

5. ?
Have you encountered something like that?
How did you feel?

6. CURIOSITY
Since my childhood I have been a very curious person. Always interested to learn more.
Asking “Why”.
When reaching adulthood, people were finding it offensive. They did not like me asking so many questions.
But it did not go away …

7. CURIOSITY
REVEALS
NEW INFORMATION
I do not want to let it go.
I feel that my curiosity is helping me discover new information.

8. CURIOSITY
REVEALS
CONSTRAINTS
And new constraints.
Constraints help me to get to a solution that is better in touch with reality.
Making it more feasible, useful or better aligned with the stakeholder’s goals and intents.

9. When thinking about the project, these attributes would usually have been areas that would give birth to constraints.

10. When you start probing them with questions more complexity will usually surface.
Most notably around processes, tools or value.

11. “We need a mobile app for …
– Unnamed Stakeholder
Too often people approach us with a simple request. A request for a solution.
With very little information. About the context. About the users and their needs.
First questions I am asking are: “What will change in the world when we finish this?” closely followed by “When is it good
enough? When am I done?”

12. FOCUS
What do you focus on first?

13. FOCUS
How much time will pass before you switch your focus to the solution?
What is it triggered by?

14. FOCUS
Early in the process we do focus on human needs. In software the UX Hierarchy of needs as formulated by Stephen
Anderson is a tool that has helped me in the past.
And I like to stay in this stage long enough to understand our user’s motivations, behaviour and goals.

15. FOCUS
The needs of our user’s do not shape the course of my exploration alone. The needs of stakeholders, product sponsors and
my colleagues – they also need to be understood and accounted for.
How does the solution help achieve a goal. And which goal would that be?

16. TRYING TO
POSTPONE MY
JUDGEMENT
What I realised doing was postponing my judgement. Listening. Perceiving what happens and trying to understand.

17. ZEN
… is a total state of focus that
incorporates a total togetherness of
body and mind.
Zen is a way of being.
It also is a state of mind. Zen
involves dropping illusion and
seeing things without distortion
created by your own thoughts.
That does sound a lot like that definition of “zen” doesn’t it?
State of focus. State of mind.

18. ZEN
… is a total state of focus that
incorporates a total togetherness of
body and mind.
Zen is a way of being.
It also is a state of mind. Zen
involves dropping illusion and
seeing things without distortion
created by your own thoughts.
Dropping the illusion and seeing things without distortion.
Seeing pas our own biases.

19. DESIGN ZEN
… is a total state of focus that
incorporates a total togetherness of
goal and mind.
Zen is a way of being.
It also is a state of mind. Zen
involves dropping illusion and
seeing things without distortion
created by your own thoughts.
To me, design zen is a state of focus that incorporates a total togetherness of goal and mind.
The aim we have. The intent we’re projecting into the world. United with our mind.

20. ?
Are you doing something similar?
How does it look like?

21. OPEN QUESTIONS
When working on a project I create a document called Open Questions. And all the questions — the whole team needs to be
aware of — are captured in it.
It is passed around and anyone has access to it. And whoever knows an answer to a question can go in and capture along
with the questions.

22. OPEN QUESTIONS (EXAMPLES)
Who is Hany Farghali?
What activities are currently taking place in these initiatives right now?
How will we evaluate the “simplicity” of the content?
What activities does this project has to support? How? Is someone going to provide
this information or are we expected to come up with the answer?
These are some examples of open questions.
Part of them will eventually be passed to the client.

23. And these are other examples from a yestedray’s talks. Questions that helped me thing the topic through.
The questions helps me build a bridge from my understanding to the subject of inquiry.

24. HOW?
WHY?
Let’s try it.
Remember something I said that wasn't clear.
How would you ask to understand it better?

25. SHALOM
@Vorkronor
petr.stedry@gmail.com
You should follow me on medium now :)