Mental Model : Zoom In, Zoom Out

Moomal Shaikh
4 min readJan 6, 2023

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Infinite zoom art. This form of art beautifully captures the importance of zooming in and zooming out as an observer, as well as a creator.

Infinite art illustration by Lucas Vaskange
Spend a few minutes mesmerized by Lucas’s infinite illustration.

When I have reflected on my moments of discovery and success that I’ve been proud of, a common theme was my ability to zoom in and zoom out of how I view a problem. I’ve used the insights from each lens to understand my own behavior and behavior of others, uncover opportunities, discover indicators of future trends, and solve complex problems at hand. I noticed I naturally gravitate towards people who think similarly, and actively seek out content using this approach to view the world in a more holistic and balanced way.

Only recently did I learn there is a formal name for this problem solving process : the Zoom method.

Simply put, the Zoom method is the process of shifting perspectives for how one views any problem. It involves being able see the bigger picture, as well as finer details. Problems in the real world can often feel like moving targets, and the key here is the ability to shift between the two as the situation calls for it (often a constant process), and to know when the situation is calling for which perspective. Train and practice the art and science of the zoom method enough for it to become second nature.

Zooming out.

You can’t see the forest from the trees.

If you find yourself caught up in the smallest of details, spending too much time in the weeds, and losing sight of the larger goal and mission, it’s time to zoom out. Zooming out allows us to step out of the problem to get a better sense of what we are dealing with, and how it fits into the grand scheme of things. It can help us discover “why” we’re doing what we’re doing, the North Star to rally around, which ultimately fuels the drive to keep moving forward.

Zooming out can help us discover historical patterns and trends to predict future outcomes (think : Ray Dalio’s The Changing World Order), scope out new opportunities by stepping back for a wider view of regional or cultural landscapes (think : McDonald’s localization strategy), find infrastructure limitations when launching new products and services (plug : storytime” aka a case study of sorts from my time advising The NewsRun), understand human behavior and biases and why we act, react, feel, and think the way we do (fan moment : Hidden Brain is one of my favorite podcasts around this. Oh, and therapy).

Spending too much time zoomed out, however, means we can get caught up in empty mission statements and grand visions and “why”s, without the credibility of quality execution. When there is too much time spent on grand statements and plans, you know it’s time to zoom in.

Zooming in.

Death by a thousand paper-cuts.

Zooming in is an important part of paying closer attention to finer details. If you’re striving for high quality, then every touchpoint has the potential to create a meaningful impact, which ultimately drives the overall goal and big picture forward.

To create products that have the potential for greater utility than just the initial need requires time and effort to deeply understand and solve the problem. Zooming into a problem allows us to deconstruct and understand clearly what we’re dealing with at the most granular level, and then plan the “how” for the solving part accordingly.

Without zooming in, we run the risk of solving for the wrong problems, or missing important pieces that will ultimately stall the overall progress of the solution.

Let’s use a simple example we’re all too familiar with : New year’s resolutions. We’re one week into 2023, and we all know at least one person who has set resolution to workout.

According to a recent article in Fortune, Americans flush $397 million on abandoned gym memberships each year (!!). Yikes. But also, don’t feel too bad if you’ve slipped on your gym goals in the past. You’re not alone. Anyway, it’s in the past, so let’s leave that there. This is the year the tides will turn.

Zooming in on the problem will help you deconstruct why you have set the goal you have, what motivates you, what obstacles you have to overcome, and so on. With a zoomed in lens, you can then solve for those problems (the “how”) to get you to your goal. This could range from tapping into your motivations (do you need to be held accountable with a workout buddy or a personal trainer or team? Are you motivated by numbers and stats?) to removing obstacles (a workout that doesn’t require travel, setting out clothes the night before, a gym that has multiple classes, scheduling your week) and whatever else you identify as areas to address. Gamify the process. You now know how to play at each level to keep moving up and win the game.

If you find yourself getting injured or spending too much time with one workout vs recovery or getting bored and demotivated, it’s time to zoom out and remember why you’re there in the first place. Perhaps zooming out will give you a view of other habits (ex : meditation, nutrition) that can help you get to where you need to go.

Jumping in to solve a problem without really understanding the big picture as well as the finer details creates a recipe for failure. Set yourself up for success. Mental model in action : Zoom in, Zoom out.

💡 Zoom out, zoom in, zoom out, zoom in, and keep asking questions.

💡For more on mental models : The Art of Problem Solving

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