Technology brings new capabilities. It also raises a question: what do those capabilities ultimately enable people to do?
We believe value has to be understood in the context of everyday life and work. What someone is trying to accomplish, where they encounter obstacles, and whether a new approach brings them closer to their goal are more useful guides than an abstract claim that something is “more advanced.” For XUAN NIE, exploring the unknown begins with understanding the problem clearly.
Describe the problem before looking for an answer
“Improving efficiency” may be a goal, but it calls for more specific questions. Which task takes too much time? Does the difficulty come from repetitive steps, missing information, or uncertainty about what to do next? Different obstacles call for different approaches.
Seeking truth means being willing to distinguish facts from assumptions and expectations. When we know something, we should explain the evidence. When we do not, we should leave the question open. Describing the problem in terms we can examine helps us judge what a new approach actually changes. It also helps us avoid dismissing evidence that challenges a solution we want to prove right.
A hypothetical notification settings interface
The following hypothetical example uses a notification settings interface to illustrate this approach.
Imagine someone trying to choose how often they receive notifications. The interface has many switches with similar names, and the explanations are scattered across different places. They can change the settings, but it is hard to understand what each option will do or to confirm that the result matches their intention.
Possible approaches include reorganizing the options, explaining their effects in clear language, offering defaults that are easy to understand, or having the system suggest settings based on the person’s intention. To assess these approaches, we need to consider three practical questions: can the person understand the choices, do they know the consequences of a change, and can they easily undo it?
People still need to be able to check a suggestion, however quickly it is generated. Even an interface that reduces the number of steps needs to preserve the control people require. Here, the value of technology lies in making decisions clearer and actions easier to carry out.
Understand why a boundary exists
Breaking boundaries begins with understanding them. A limitation may come from technical constraints, the way information is organized, established habits, or responsibilities and controls that need to remain in place. Understanding why it exists gives us a chance to find a useful way forward.
In the hypothetical example above, clearer explanations might ease the difficulty, or a new form of interaction might be needed. Adding features, introducing automation, and simplifying the interface are all approaches worth considering. Each also brings new costs. Will people need to learn more concepts? Can they spot an error when one occurs? Will the system’s decisions take away choices they need to retain?
We want to consider both the new possibilities and the additional burdens. This gives exploration a clear direction.
Set criteria for each iteration
A solution worth trying has not necessarily been shown to work. Evolving means being willing to revise our answers and acknowledging when our assessment is still incomplete.
When proposing a change, we can also set out what we need to observe: is the next step easier to understand, is the result easier to check, and are errors easier to correct? Answering these questions requires real use and observation. When information is insufficient, we should reserve judgment. When new problems emerge, we should be willing to change our approach.
An iteration can also be valuable because it helps us understand the problem more accurately. Bringing what we learn into the next decision is how value accumulates over time.
Consider value over time
Taking the long view reminds us to ask whether an approach can remain understandable, useful, and worthy of trust. Saving a step today still needs careful consideration if it leads to results that are difficult to explain tomorrow.
Clear explanations, reliable results, actions that can be undone, and consideration of different conditions of use can all inform our assessment. Quality and trust depend on the care we take with these choices.
We want technology to make real problems easier to understand and solve, while leaving room for the next revision. “Turning the unknown into possibility through technology” becomes an ongoing question: what new possibilities does it open for people?