A practical guide to “How Might We” questions
The goal of the How Might We method is to make the participants more responsive to new ideas, to allow them to acknowledge they don’t know the answer of the problem they are trying to solve and to invite them to collaborate in order to find a possible solution.
How implies there are multiple alternatives to explore and that there is no one right answer. Might suggests the options discussed may or may not work and that’s ok. We imply the it’s a team effort and encourages the participants to work together.
The words people chose to describe a problem often influences the ability to solve it. The HMW method reframes the problem into a challenge without prescribing a solution.
If we look closely the example “I’m tired of having so many zoom calls per day” we see a fixed reality, a discontent towards the situation. The sentence does not invite one to seek for alternatives from the situation they are in, it only expresses a dislike. If we convert the sentence into “How might we have less zoom calls per day?” it encourages the participants to consider possible way out from the situation.
The HMW approach allows you to gather as much information as possible about a problem. The more HMW questions are generated the easier would be to identify ways to solve the issue you are facing. As Linus Pauling once said: “The way to get good ideas is to get a lot of ideas and through the bed ones away”.
A simple formula for HMW questions is How might we + action + challenge
How might we + have + (less) zoom calls per day action challenge
A HWM question should generate solutions but at the same time should be specific enough to target the problem your team is facing.
Does your HMW question generates multiple solutions?
If Yes, great
If No -> make it more broad
Is your HMW question specific enough to guide you where to start your exploration?
If yes, great
If No -> add limits