Design is more about asking the right questions than having the right answers.

Or, more accurately, design is about first asking the right questions, and then thinking about the answers. We need to describe the problem before we can prescribe a solution.

Uncountable design hours have been spent creating and perfecting solutions to problems that nobody had, or crafting answers to the wrong questions. It doesn’t matter how elegant, clever, or pixel-perfect a solution is if it answers the wrong question. Conversely, if we have the right question, even a solution that’s somewhat off-the-mark can move you in the right direction.

As designers, we know the danger of relying too heavily on our own assumptions—the danger of answering the wrong questions.So how can we ask better questions?

What are questions for?

Questions are important at every stage of the design process.When doing user research, questions help us to hone in on the true problems that users are experiencing. They can help us to better understand our audience, and to get past the surface-level issues and identify the underlying causes of users’ needs.

When prototyping and wireframing, questions help us determine if there are other solutions that would work better for our users: Does this button work well here, or would it work better somewhere else? Are there ways to simplify this flow?

When presenting our designs, questions can help us elicit better feedback from project stakeholders. They allow us to pursue a deeper understanding of stakeholder responses, and gather more comprehensive reactions to our work. How can we ask deep, incisive questions that don’t leave information on the table?

How can we ask better questions?

There are several methods to keep in mind when asking questions, no matter the type of question or the context.

• Keep things open-ended. Nothing shuts down a line of inquiry faster than a yes-or-no question. Ask questions that require a fuller answer. Rather than asking, Does this feature work for you?, ask What would make this feature work better for you? or How do you use this feature?
• Embrace small silences. It’s tempting to fill awkward silences, especially when asking questions. If a respondent pauses for a few seconds, don’t just jump into the next answer—wait to see if they have something else to say. The awkward silence may be the precursor (or catalyst) to the information you’ve been waiting for.
• Ask un-Google-able questions. We can all do research on the internet. Really valuable information comes from questions that need more than a quick search. The best questions need to be grappled with.  And they often have answers that require knowledge, not just information.
• Truly listen. Don’t just wait for your turn to speak. Listen to what the respondent is saying, allow a generous pause after they’ve finished answering, and only then ask the next question. If you have a list of questions you’re following, don’t hesitate to deviate if a better question presents itself based on the respondent’s answer.