There’s only 3 ways to solve a problem

“Solving” a problem is just one of the ways.

👋 Welcome to all the new subscribers who joined in the last couple of months! I’ll be writing at least 15 articles this year that will help you avoid the theater that’s in design and instead equip you with a better perspective on solving problems. Ok here’s this month’s article…

Most of the time, designers try to solve a problem. But solving a problem isn't the best way to deal with a problem. There is a better way. Here's are all three ways to deal with a problem.

Back in the day, the Ohio Match Company had an issue. They were getting sued all the time because customers were burning their hands when igniting a match.

When customers struck the abrasive on the front of the matchbook, the sparks ignited the other matches causing an unexpected fire and burning the hand. How can you solve this problem or any problem? There are only three ways.

The first and least effective way is to "resolve" a problem.

Resolving is plucking solutions from experience. It takes from what's worked in the past to get an outcome that's good enough. It's a mental shortcut that takes what's worked before and applies it again and again.

The Ohio Match Company tried to resolve the problem by warning labels telling customers to close the flap fully before striking matches to avoid burning their hands. But this had little impact.

The second way is to "solve" a problem.

This method is the most commonly aspired way to deal with a problem. Solving a problem looks to create an optimal solution rather than a good enough solution. Solving relies on experimentation and research rather than experience. Solving is looking for the optimal solution by iteration and research. If you are engineering or researching something for optimal performance, you are looking for a solution.

But there's a better way to deal with a problem other than solving it, that's to "dissolve" it.

Dissolving is about removing the need for a solution. It's about redesigning the overarching system so the problem cannot exist, and that's exactly what the Ohio Match Company did.

One day, a young man went to the Ohio Match Company and offered them a way to eliminate burnt hands and lawsuits its product was causing. He said it wouldn't add to the cost of production, and they could implement it right away. What did he propose? To move the abrasive to the back of the matchbook so the sparks couldn't reach the other matches when striking a match.

He redesigned the matchbook so the problem could not exist anymore. Ever since then, all their matchbooks have been created this way.

Problems often come from the previous solution. Solving a problem is a constant process of creating a solution, introducing new problems, and solving those new problems. Yes, design is about solving problems, but design is also one of the few disciplines equipped to take it a step further and dissolve a problem.

You hear that design is all about solving a problem or finding solution. But design is one of the few disciplines equipped to dissolve a problem.

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Resources

Russell Ackoff, a gifted an prominent systems thinker and someone who I reference a lot told this story. He also discussed the 3 kinds of problems in what is one of my favorite lectures of all time.