10 Characteristics of Wicked Problem

A problem will change the characteristics when eliminating them, it happens with the causal effect. The more precise characteristics you define, the less impact on the derived problem. Therefore understanding a wicked problem is important to reduce the causal effect.

According to Horst Rittel (1930–1990), a design theorist and university professor first coined the term “wicked problem” in ‘Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning’ (1973). In the paper, Rittel details ten characteristics that describe a wicked problem. This is the 10 Characteristics of Wicked Problems defined in that paper:

1. There is no definitive formula for a wicked problem.
2. Wicked problems have no stopping rule, as there’s no way to know your solution is final.
3. Solutions to wicked problems are not true-or-false, they can only be good-or-bad.
4. There is no immediate test of a solution to a wicked problem.
5. Every solution to a wicked problem is a “one-shot operation”; because there is no opportunity to learn by trial-and-error, every attempt counts significantly.
6. Wicked problems do not have a set number of potential solutions.
7. Every wicked problem is essentially unique.
8. Every wicked problem can be considered to be a symptom of another problem.
9. There is always more than one explanation for a wicked problem because the explanations vary greatly depending on the individual perspective.
10. The planner/designer has no right to be wrong and must be fully responsible for his/her actions.

If you are facing a hard problem or impossible to solve that problem. Let’s think about the 10 characteristics of wicked problem then find a suitable Problem Solving method to solve. Design Thinking is just one of them that extremely useful for an innovation team.