Technique

The HMW technique involves framing problems as questions beginning with “How might we … ?”. This format opens up possibilities and encourages creative thinking. The questions are designed to be actionable and solution-focused.

• Encourage a positive and open mindset.
• Foster creativity and collaboration.
• Transform vague problems into specific, solvable challenges.

Facilitation

Before formulating HMW questions, you will have already

1. identified the problem: start by understanding the problem deeply. Gather insights and data, observe users, and empathize with their needs.
2. broken down the problem: divide the problem into smaller, more manageable parts. This helps in addressing specific aspects of the problem effectively.

Transform the problem into concrete HMW questions.

Ensure those HMW questions are broad enough to invite various solutions but specific enough to provide direction. It is good to test the HMW question quickly and see if it inspires ideation.

If it is to broad, people will have challenges to come up with concrete ideas as the problem is too broad to be solved by the involved team. Extreme example: How might we improve the world?

The same happens, if the HMW question is to narrow: this is usually the case when the HMW question already includes the solution. Such a narrow context will block ideation. Example: How might we build a snowman with snow that looks like a classical snow man?

Examples

Situation: Many companies have shifted to remote work, leading to challenges in communication, collaboration, and maintaining team morale.

Situation: Maintaining high code quality is a challenge in fast-paced development environments. Poor code quality can lead to bugs and technical debt.