How Might We

'How Might We' is an exercise to help the team take notes quickly. The twist is that every note is a question, starting with 'How Might We'.

Why should we do this exercise?

Phrasing notes as questions will help to avoid the team coming up with solutions to problems, instead creating oppurtunities and challenges that we can generate ideas for later. Also the notes are easier to understand becuase they share the same format.

Instructions

'How Might We' (HMW) notes are best taken while listening to a person speaking.

  1. Create a new note. Write or type the letters "HMW" first.
  2. Wait.
  3. When you hear something interesting, thought-provoking, or challenging convert it into a question.
  4. Repeat.

Once you're done listening gather all of your notes together ready to be sorted.

Examples

If you're listening to somebody speak and they mention that: "It's hard for people to gather the documents they need to register on the app".

You may see HMW notes like:

  • HMW reduce the documents needed to register?
  • HMW structure the requirements to register better?
  • HMW allow folks to finish registering after they already started?
  • etc.