Issue #06 — Break the Ice and Deep Dive

Dive deep with better questions so you can solve real problems

When probing to uncover deep insights from your customers/users, do your questions seem to only scratch the surface, causing you to miss the underlying problem?

Using the 5-whys approach can help one to uncover the motivations or assumptions behind a person’s behaviour. However, when one tries to use the 5-why approach for the first time with a customer, repeatedly asking “why” might irritate the interviewee and cause it to seem like you’re asking them to reflect on their actions. It shouldn’t surprise us if some interviewees feel defensive and shrug off the questions entirely with “Why not?”

Let’s break the ice and deep dive: the Iceberg model

To frame deeper questions, the Iceberg model can be a useful systems thinking approach that helps one to dig beneath the surface through asking about how the relationship relates to the activity and the patterns over time, helping you to find the underlying problem.

The model is broken into 4 levels, like an iceberg:

1. Events — What just happened?
2. Patterns/Trends — What trends have there been over time?
3. Underlying Structures — What has influenced the patterns? What are the relationships between the parts?
4. Mental Models — What beliefs keep the system in place?

Iceberg Model in 4 levels

How to apply the Iceberg model: Learning from the doctor

Think back to an experience when you sought a medical consultation. The doctor’s first task is to uncover the underlying cause of the patient’s health problem rather than the surface symptom. In order to have an accurate diagnosis, the doctor will attempt to probe for more information with a series of questions which the patient might have overlooked.

Here is how the Iceberg model applies to a patient’s headache.

Photo from xframe.io

1. Doctor — What just happened? (Events)
   Patient — I have a terrible headache.
2. Doctor — How long have you had this headache? (Patterns/Trends)
   Patient — I have had this headache for the past 2 days, and it’s occurring regularly every week.
3. Doctor — Have you felt stress recently? (Underlying Structures)
   Patient — Yes, I have felt stress at work during the past week.
4. Doctor — Ever thought of doing some exercises to relieve stress? (Mental Models)
   Patient — I do not have time for it, and I am usually quite tired by the end of the day.

Based on the information gathered, prescribing a pain killer might solve the immediate problem of the headache. However, the underlying cause is that the patient should adopt a healthier lifestyle and believe in work-life balance.

Give the Iceberg model a shot and see how it can help you to structure your questions to unlock deep insights.

Today’s prompt: Discover new insights

How can the Iceberg model be applied in the Mum test or possibly Jobs-to-be-done? How can we adapt it to validate ideas and discover new entry points at which we’re inspired to intervene?

Insights. Questions. Limitless Curiosity.

Every fortnight, SuperCurious shares insight-prompts and questions to help you grow your curiosity and discover new connections which other people often overlook.

Drop us a line anytime at [email protected] to tell us what you think.