Defining an ambiguity framework: patterns & principles for uncertainty
A multi-part case study in how to approach design uncertainty
Feel stumped when asked how you navigate ambiguity? Not sure where to start when you’re tasked with designing a new feature and there isn’t previous research, designs or data to reference? The world is changing rapidly, and new technologies are emerging all the time. This means that designers need to be able to adapt to new challenges and to be able to create features for new and unforeseen situations. In this tactical case study series, I’ll outline a step-by-step guide leveraging an Ambiguity Framework, which I’ve developed through nearly 15 years of working at global tech companies (from London to Silicon Valley). You’ll feel confident that you can design for any challenge.
Getting started with Ambiguity Frameworks
The first time I remember learning about ambiguity was in the fall of 2014. I was sitting in a conference room interviewing at a smart home tech company for a role that I felt very under-qualified for. I was clearly nervous — my voice was shaking and I sped through answers using intonation different from how I normally speak. Towards the end of the series of interviews, I was asked “How do you handle ambiguity”? I was stumped–I had absolutely no idea how to answer that question and stumbled through an answer. I am clearly not getting this job, I thought.
I have thought about that experience a lot since my poorly worded answer and lack of understanding the question. Since then (and I got that job by the way) I have learned, combined and adapted processes that I have learned along the way to create an Ambiguity Framework. I honed this Framework through working on large payment processes, the hardware-software experience, voice and video products, and generative artificial intelligence–adapting along the way as new emerging technologies arise. Some of these processes you may have heard of before but others I have adapted from the brilliant people around me and learned by working through challenges.
“How do you handle ambiguity”?
Welcome to the Ambiguity Frameworks Series
This is the first in a series of articles about Ambiguity Frameworks, what they are and tactical advice on how to implement one:
In this case study, I’ll discuss:
- Measuring ambiguity-readiness in designers
- What is ambiguity in design?
- Examples of ambiguity design
Measuring ambiguity-readiness in designers
As a user experience designer, I have often been faced with challenges without precedent. Earlier in my career, these were more difficult to navigate, but now I have a defined series of steps that I apply to new design problems.
When I started designing at the smart home company, I had only worked as a user experience designer for about 1.5 years and only at small companies. I had recently transitioned after spending 5 years working in public relations, a career I neither enjoyed nor was good at. I had passed the initial hurdle to get that job, but felt nearly constant imposter syndrome since I was faced with ambiguous design challenges with every project I worked on.
Successfully navigating ambiguity is oftentimes used as a metric for evaluating candidates. But why is that? Within technology companies, designers need to push the envelope on design, thinking 5 or more years ahead. In the last 10 years we have seen advances in wearables technology, artificial intelligence and computer vision–all with designers pushing through ambiguity barriers. Evaluating candidates based on factors such as how they handle and ideate on uncertainty, indicates that they can think about the future rather than the present. The good news is, you can practice these things.
Someone with low ambiguity tolerance will get stuck when they don’t know how to proceed. I see this often with junior designers who are used to exploring visual designs. Or designers have a hard time adapting to constantly shifting requirements during the design process.
Some of the questions you might be asked include:
- How you cope with constantly shifting deadlines, projects or expectations
- Did you develop processes to adapt to ambiguous challenges
- How well do you adapt to change and uncertainty
- What do you do when you’re blocked on continuing?
What is ambiguity in design?
An ambiguous design problem is one where there is no clear solution. There could be multiple possible outcomes, but no clear direction on how to get there or the steps that you need to take. The problem may be poorly defined, the requirements may be unclear, or the goals may be conflicting.
I like to think of ambiguity like how you would approach a new puzzle. At first, there are many pieces jumbled together and it can seem very overwhelming to figure out an approach.
There are several ways to approach a puzzle: you can organize by color, shape or size; others start with the borders or corners and work their way across the puzzle. Then there are those who choose one piece at a time and slowly put the pieces together. Ambiguity in design is similar — you start with a problem with several solutions and you work towards the end goal in a systematic way.
When researching more about the definition of ambiguity for this series, I found a lot of competing answers, most of which I disagreed.
Some of the top definitions include:
- When there’s more than one solution to a problem, but no clear winner
- You’ve developed a design solution but the context has already shifted so you don’t know how to proceed
- Tasked to create something with with minimal instruction
- You are blocked on proceeding because you are waiting on instruction, feedback, support from a manager or peer
- You’ve been asked to do something not in your job description
- You’ve been asked to do something you haven’t done before
- You try something new without knowing it will be successful
Design problem → Design prompt
Let’s reframe this list with an ambiguity mindset. By the end of this series, you’ll have the tools you need to change your mental model regarding ambiguity so these seem less like a design problem and instead a design prompt.
Example 1 problem: When there’s more than one solution to a problem, but no clear winner
Pre-ambiguity mindset: Unclear on which solution to choose
Ambiguity mindset: Multiple solutions are the goal
Example 2 problem: You’ve developed a design solution but the context has already shifted so you don’t know how to proceed
Pre-ambiguity mindset: Starting over again on the design
Ambiguity mindset: Salvaging your work
Example 3 problem: Tasked to create something with with minimal instruction
Pre-ambiguity mindset: Spend a long time on one idea, or swirling on proceeding
Ambiguity mindset: Outline the success strategy (not the problem)
Examples of ambiguity design
Developing an ambiguity mindset is like a muscle–once you fine-tune and stretch this skill it becomes easier to apply this Framework (or one that you develop yourself). Designers must cultivate an ambiguity mindset, seeking out patterns and systems where they have not existed before.
Some examples of ambiguity design that I have experienced include:
- Creating a framework for artificial intelligence design systems, aligning with multiple cross-org teams at a large organization
- Leveraging artificial intelligence for product inclusion, to be more systematic and to increase UX designer velocity
- Designing a feature to draw over a live camera feed for a smart home device
- Developing a mobile accessibility specification and documentation system to scale across a 300+ design team
Some questions designs can ask themselves when kicking off an ambiguity in systems design projects.¹
- How does this issue interact with the whole?
- What’s the behavior of the system?
- How does this part interact with other features, product areas, or organizations?
Using this method, you can move from unknown unknowns towards known knowns (more on this later in the series).
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Poor ambiguity design
Poor ambiguity skills can be caused by a lack of experience-mapping with real-world design problems. When designers have not had the opportunity to work on a variety of projects, they may not be able to effectively deal with the uncertainty and ambiguity that is often present in design work. Additionally, designers who lack the skills to move past where their experience ends may be more likely to get stuck when faced with a new or unfamiliar problem.
Poor ambiguity skills can be caused by a lack of experience-mapping with real-world design problems.
Poor design ambiguity comes at a high cost for product quality. For example, ambiguous design can lead to high project swirl and increased design or engineering debt. Without being systematic, new problems can arise later in the design process which increase these launch schedules and risk project cancellation.
When I first started as a UX designer, every design problem seemed ambiguous to me. I had few previous projects to draw inspiration from and felt I was redefining the problem each time I kicked off a new design project. After over 10 years of working in the tech industry at both start ups and global organizations, I have developed a framework–which I will refer to as the Ambiguity Framework–to navigate difficult problems as they arise.
When I joined the smart home company, I only had experience designing for one platform and had never launched a mobile app before. I had been asked to design a complex computer vision problem using video feeds from home cameras. All of these things were completely new to me. Drawing from my (limited) previous experience designing mobile apps, I ideated on many different ideas and shared them with my team. They seemed pleased, but were curious where the tablet version of the designs were as well as responsive web breakpoints, both of which I was completely oblivious to in the design process.
Additionally, thinking beyond a standard user experience design process requires drawing from existing experience to create something new. If designers are reviewing what their competitors are doing, they aren’t challenging the status quo. Other examples of this include over reliance of user experience standards that become outdated.
Some examples of poor ambiguity design include:
- The launch of the new Facebook Messenger app in 2014 was also met with mixed reviews. The new app was designed to be more user-friendly and efficient, but it also made it more difficult for users to find the features they were looking for.
- The redesign of the Airbnb website in 2015 was another example of a design that was met with criticism. The new design was seen as being too minimalist and lacking in personality.
In an ever-changing world, designing for ambiguity has become a landscape where we all must be constantly adjusting. With the increase in artificial intelligence products or new wearable hardware for augmented or virtual reality, designers must learn and adapt quickly to designing without precedent. Even as I am writing this, these examples might be out of date since the technological landscape is moving faster than we can define.
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Up next: Ambiguity Frameworks: what are they and how do you create one?
¹ Sutherland, Debbie. The Business of Ambiguity: Demystify the Unknown with Five Key Thinking and Behavior Strategies. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2022.
