In 1944, Edwin H. Land was asked by his 3-year-old daughter why she could not see the picture he had just taken of her. Unsurprisingly, his daughter wasn’t satisfied by the technical answer (the one that made sense), neither was he.
Land can’t resist finding a better answer, simply because of his daughter’s question (the non-sense one). After several years of experimentation, In 1948, Land finally came up with a solution: the Polaroid Land Camera.
A stupid question is better than a stupid answer; even it’s backed by smart technical terms.
Thanks to Google, most of the answers you need are rests behind the search bar—only if you know what to ask.
“Stupid questions are insatiable curiosity; stupid answers are brutal”
Think about your workplace. Did your boss come to you with the answers or the questions? Chances are, if you’re good at answering, you’re an expensive worker, but if you’re great at questioning, you’re an entrepreneur who demands change and hires the first type of people to do so.
Of course, the best question takes time. But if you don’t have time, the trick is to ask as many questions as possible, even it might sound stupid. No worry, people will get used to it if they’re the right peers.
Questions are exploration, and the answers are settlement. As a designer, we explore a lot before committing to one. Ask questions ignites our creativity and stimulates new ideas. As long as it ends in a question mark—there are endless opportunities.
A stupid question is better than a stupid answer.
