The Beauty of Ambiguity
There are always times when we don’t know what the right next step is, don’t have the answer, or get stuck. The direction forward isn’t clear. So, how do we deal with this ambiguity? How can we get more comfortable with being uncomfortable?
After all, the job of a designer is to help create the future which is, by definition, uncertain. We’re all used to being praised for knowing the right answer. Yet as designers, that’s almost never possible. We’re consistently facing ambiguity in our work. Some of us may have imposter syndrome. Others have dunning Kruger effect. But maybe our ego isn’t the enemy, maybe it’s our ally.
Here are three things I’ve learned to help me remain calm in the face of ambiguity:
1. Own not knowing
You’re in a meeting, surrounded by important clients, when someone asks you an unexpected question. All heads turn to you, awaiting a brilliant response. You could say, you should have an answer, but you don’t. I’ve seen people force or make up an answer. But I’ve also seen leaders own up to not knowing. It was a business internship in college that I saw the power of the reply: “I don’t know yet.”
Obvious-sounding? Sure.
But it can be scary to say, “That’s a great question. I don’t know yet.” I thought I’d sound ill-equipped and uninformed. If we’re honest tho, no one has all the answers, not even the experts. Just don’t stop at some version of “I don’t know.” Communicate that you’ll go find the answer and follow up.
2. Experiment
In dealing with ambiguous territory, experimentation becomes more important. Theory can only take you so far. You need to put pen to paper, ideate solutions, build prototypes and validate with customers. Acknowledge the assumptions you may have. And let go of the goal to get it right the first time.
One of my favorite brainstorming techniques is to ideate the worst customer journey. The happy path is great but we uncover so much more by looking at the negative path, finding new areas of opportunity and new details to thoughtfully design for.
3. Trust your gut
We’re moving towards a highly data driven world. To say a design was made solely on intuition can be tough. Sure there are times where your gut can’t be trusted. But our brain learned to optimize its resources by synthesizing past experiences.
Our intuition helps us make the best decision based on associations, memories, pattern-matching and assumptions, saving your brain unnecessary effort. And when we’re facing ambiguity, logic and reason will take you to the expected place.
Sit with the ambiguity. The longer you sit with it, the more creative the solution will be. Execution is “easy”. Grappling with the tough question and not rushing to a conclusion is tough but rewarding. And that’s where real original, innovating thinking happens.
And don’t forget, “Being original doesn’t require being first. It just means being different and better.” Adam M. Grant
