The Simplest Thing that Could Possibly Work

I was reading an interview with Ward Cunningham, who’s known among other things as the inventor of the first wiki. The interview is about programming but it's really about getting unstuck, and I found lessons in it that can be applied to any problem solving process, design included.

For me being stuck on a design problem feels a little bit like juggling more than I can comfortably handle. I might be doing okay juggling three flaming torches (right), but toss me a fourth and they all come down. It's a general feeling like there's too much going on, too many things to account for, and I don't know what to do first so I get stuck and find that I can’t do anything with confidence. There are different ways out of this mess, but Ward Cunningham suggests that you simplify.

The first question Ward would ask when he got stuck writing a program is, “Given what we're trying to do now, what is the simplest thing that could possibly work?” This would serve as a reminder to focus on the goal. Focusing on solving the problem simply, without worrying about what someone looking at your solution tomorrow might think, allowed him to move forward. And moving forward is important because the first problem to address is that you have nothing. By getting something down on paper you give yourself a concrete thing to react to. Then you can start talking about something real instead of something that’s half-formed in your mind.

There’s also something about the process of getting a simple solution down that changes the way you’re thinking about the problem. It organizes your thoughts. This seems to be true with almost any constructive or creative act, whether it be designing, programming, writing, or anything else. I almost always find that the process of getting to a first idea improves my understanding of the problem and sets me up well to iterate with more clarity.

Sometimes the more I try to plan, the more stuck I get. When I get what seems like the perfect plan in place, it often proves to be too complicated. Moreover, I tend to try and stick to the plan even in the face of problems that demand flexibility to be solved. Having a plan locks you in to one way of doing things. I think the call to focus on simplicity helps here as well. Rather than trying to plan out every step, you can think, “What exactly am I trying to achieve here?” and focus on achieving it in the simplest way possible. It's not a plan, it's a commitment to exploring the possibility space.

Next time you’re stuck on something, I suggest that you approach it by asking, “What’s the simplest thing that could possibly work?” Since you have nothing, focus on creating something. Then you can react to it from a different headspace and improve it over time.