Levelling up problem solving ability through the 'Treasure Taxonomy'
/By Duncan Anderson. To see all blogs click here.
One Sentence Summary: you get good at things you practice; here is a framework for how to level up problem solving ability.
IMO we are all basically problem solving all the time. The better you are at problem solving the more value you should add, the more you can improve the world, the more you can earn, etc!
In short, levelling up at problem solving = good :)!
I should add that, god, I find problem solving fun.
Problem solving * good for the world = purpose!
Jingle: IMO getting good at problem solving is a key way to have a lot of fun in life!
Here is a taxonomy I created for how to think about levels of problem solving. I'm calling this the 'Treasure Taxonomy' because the further you go up the taxonomy the more treasure you find!
What I find funny is that I believe one gets better at higher levels of synthesis (problem solving) if one simply: 1. knows about the higher levels, and then 2. tries doing the higher levels!
Introductory: knowing about the ‘Treasure Taxonomy’ allows you to use elements of it which is better than ‘just trying hard to problem solve good’.
Intermediate: asking yourself if you have done different levels from the ‘Treasure Taxonomy’
Eg I’ll ask myself ‘have I done “Level 6 - create a model”?’ … and then get better from just repeatedly trying!
Or I’ll ask someone ‘can you please 1. Tell me “Level 3: synthesis - push back” which parts of this solution you don’t agree with and then please “Level 6: create a model”?’ After asking they’ll come back with something cool!
Ie the ability to be able to point people (yourself and others) to where to focus on problem solving makes their problem solving MUCH better!
Advanced: systematically using the ‘Treasure Taxonomy’ real time as you problem solve
Example at the bottom. This is my fav part so please read on through :)
In short, I don’t think you should finish your problem solving unless you have referenced the ‘Treasure Taxonomy’ and tried to problem solve at all the levels. It’s such an easy hack.
The Treasure Taxonomy:
Level 1: summary - verbatim = just writing down what happened
This is not useful. When you are problem solving / in a conversation / reading article please only try to do Level 2+
IMO, during work time you should never be eg reading an article and not trying to do Level 2+
Once people know about the higher levels of the ‘Treasure Taxonomy’ I find they are typically much better at doing them. That’s right, simply knowing about higher levels makes people much better problem solvers!
Level 2: summary - key points = being able to extract the key points and articulate them in a significantly shorter manner.
eg you get 80% of the value of a 1 hour conversation in 3 mins AND then can take the components and use elsewhere.
this is extracting the key ingredients of a problem space / a conversation and packaging them nicely
Level 3: synthesis - key point push back = you will disagree with part of an problem space solution / article / conversation AND have a reason why. No reason no disagreement!
saying how one of the ingredients from the problem space / article / conversation doesn't make sense.
"Opinions are like arseholes, everyone has one. But unlike arseholes, opinions should be examined very closely!" Tim Minchin.
Also see Devil (Un)disqualified Decision.
Level 4: synthesis - internal joining = you can take two components of the problem space / article / conversation and join them together to create something new.
you able to join two ingredients together to make a new ingredient. This is not saying these two ingredients belong next to each other, it’s creating a new ingredient from the combination of two ingredients found in “Level 2: summary - key points”
Level 5: synthesis - external ingredient = join an ingredient from the problem space / article with an external component to create new knowledge
you are able to join an ingredient form the article with an external ingredient and make a new ingredient
Level 6: create a model - internal joining = join pieces together into a new meta story
you are able to take the ingredients from the problem space / article / conversation and join them together into a recipe that makes sense. This adds a meaning layer above all the ingredients
put another way you get pieces of a picture (ingredients) and you join them together into a cohesive picture.
this might involve pushing back on different individual ingredients as in “Level 3: synthesis - push back”. “Level 3: synthesis - push back” is more 'I don't like this ingredient and here is why' vs Level 6 is 'I don't think this ingredient fits into this recipe and here is why'.
Level 7: create a model - external ingredients = joining what is in the problem space / article with external ingredients into a cohesive structure/ recipe
As at the top, god I find this is fun.
Problem solving * good for the world = purpose.
Group * problem solving * good for the world = purpose + joy.
Group problem solving I find even better than individual problem solving!
IMO getting good at problem solving is a key way to have a lot of fun in life!
Making a taxonomy is problem solving, so this is problem solving about problem solving! Or fun about fun :)
Level 8: Heston Blumenthal - joining multiple recipes (models) together into epic scrumptiousness!
This is taking 2 existing recipes (ie collections of cohesive ingredients) and then combining them together into a way a better super recipe.
Another way of looking at this is Solo Taxonomy:
I'd argue that putting forward SOLO taxonomy is a synthesis of the model I created above showing it from a different point of view.
Example - what to do during a user feedback interview for your product:
Level 1: summary - verbatim
Do not just write down all the words someone is saying.
Level 2: summary - key points = being able to extract the key points and articulate them in a significantly shorter manner.
During the interview, try to write down the key points (ingredients) that someone is expressing.
If you think you find a key point you might ask a clarification question about it. Eg “I’d like to check my understanding, are you saying ‘rearticulation of key point’?” Don’t repeat back verbatim what someone said.
Level 3: synthesis - key point push back = you will disagree with part of an problem space solution / article / conversation AND have a reason why. No reason no disagreement!
Try to do this in a nice positive sum way, eg you might question whether a key point fits with the product.
“I think you are saying that X is a substitute for Y, but I see that X is a compliment to Y for reasons A,B & C. Do you think this has merit?”
Level 4: synthesis - internal joining = you can take two components of the problem space / article / conversation and join them together to create something new.
So you are halfway through your user feedback interview and you have 5x ingredients / key points which you have written down on in front of you as you have been taking notes.
“Do you think you can combine ingredients 1 and ingredient 3 and make new ingredient Z?” Then you see what the person says and maybe you have created something new :)!
Level 5: synthesis - external ingredient = join an ingredient from the problem space / article with an external component to create new knowledge
The same as Level 4 but you bring an ingredient that hasn’t been discussed in the conversation and ask about joining.
Level 6: create a model - internal joining = join pieces together into a new meta story
This is where the real fun happens!!!!
“Ok, can I see what you think about this. We have ingredients 1, 2, 3, Z & 5, do you think we can join them together to make this recipe “52Z312”? Ie there a meta way to make structure out of everything? Eg this could be the narrative about how this segment of user will find value from the product but how a different segment of user might not.
“All models are wrong. Some are useful.” Ultimately the world is too complex to understand everything so we use models to be able to be able to approximate the world to make decisions. Occam’s Razor: the simplest model that gives you the ability to make a high quality decision is the best!
Getting good at making models = getting good at problem solving = getting good at life :)
Level 7: create a model - external ingredients = joining what is in the problem space / article with external ingredients into a cohesive structure/ recipe
Same as Level 6 but adding external ingredients.
Level 8: Heston Blumenthal - joining multiple recipes (models) together into epic scrumptiousness!
Eg “ok, I think there are two segments of users, I see you fitting into segment 1 and that you don’t like this part of the product for reason M, but that segment 2 does like this part of the product for reason N. However overall I do think that even despite not liking this part of the product you will find more value in buying the product than not buying the product. Do you feel this is a fair characterisation?”
Comment:
What you are doing is real time building ingredients and models by asking questions of a person in the user testing interview. At the end you hopefully have epic new learnings!