The Poirot Method: How Designers Can Investigate Ambiguous Problems

Designers today need to be skilled at handling ambiguous problems in the workplace. While job descriptions often mention terms like "comfortable with ambiguity" and "strong problem-framing skills," these phrases can be interpreted more simply: "We need a designer who can tackle unclear tasks and find solutions quickly." The author, Valeriia, once felt overwhelmed by such ambiguous situations when she joined YCLIENTS, a platform for beauty salons. Like a detective in a Hercule Poirot mystery, she learned to approach these problems methodically.

First, she collects clues about the problem. This involves understanding where the task originated, who initiated it, which users are involved, and what the current situation is. Valeriia also gathers all available information, such as research, analytics, support tickets, and previous experiment results. She pays special attention to distinguishing known facts from assumptions, often using a simple assumption-mapping exercise to separate the two.

Next, she identifies the motive behind the problem. Just as a murder mystery requires a motive, product problems often stem from business goals like increasing revenue, reducing costs, or improving user retention. Understanding this motive helps separate the actual problem from preconceived solutions.

Then, Valeriia builds a theory of the problem by connecting the clues and asking "why?" repeatedly, similar to the famous "5 Whys" technique used by detectives. She challenges assumptions and tries to uncover the real problem at hand, rather than jumping to solutions prematurely.

Finally, she defines what "case closed" means by establishing clear success criteria with the team beforehand. This could include metrics like higher conversion rates, lower errors, faster user flows, or reduced support requests. By setting these goals in advance, designers can avoid getting lost in the complexity of the problem and know when they've truly solved it.