QABQ

(Question, Answer, Better Question)

An interactive design tool for concept ideation and starting a conversation with yourself.

2021 / Fillable PDF

Table of Contents


Tool Overview

Start a conversation with yourself. This design tool was created to help document the synthesis of an initial idea to a nuanced project concept. We all have conversations like this with ourselves in our own heads, so here is a way to get it down on paper.

Question, Answer, Better Question by Martin Seal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, click here.


How to Use

1. Problem you are trying to solve

Put your big problem here. This should be the first and most high-level version of your problem statement, so don’t worry about having anything refined.

2. Question

Use this field to phrase your problem as a question. Your first question should be something related to your problem, and your next questions will be related to what you might still need to discover.

3. Answer

Answer your question here. It doesn’t need to be detailed or perfect, just an idea of what you think an answer could be.

4. What’s still unknown

Think about your question and answer. What do you think you might not have a complete grasp on yet? Put that here.

5. New problem statement

Based on everything you have discovered by talking the problem through with yourself, rephrase your problem to account for the nuance you have discovered through the process.

6. Bias

Think about factors that might be shaping your understanding of the problem or the types of questions you are asking yourself. Put them here. This is a good space for a bit of self-reflection and can help you be more aware of your potential biases as you move forward in your project.

7. Who might know more about this than me?

Jot down a couple of people, groups of people, or networks of people who might be able to give you a more detailed or nuanced perspective on your problem. This is a great reference point for later user research.


Downloads

Fillable PDF

You can download the fillable PDF file below to use this tool right away:

Adobe Illustrator Files

If you would like to remix this file, you can use the Adobe Illustrator files in the zip file below: