A collection of useful questions to ask yourself from time to time.

For instance when you’re stuck with a difficult creative problem, or trying to make a decision on something non-trivial.

Write down good questions.

Eventually, make a random function to retrieve one question at a time. If the questions were their own notes with the tag #design-question it would be fairly simple to write a version of the random note page that just gives a random #design-question?

Questions

What do you hope to get out of it?

Why are you doing it?

Have you clearly defined the problem space?

Are there other ways of getting what you want?

Can it be simpler?

What is the opposite? (Based on the cube problem discussed in conversation with Tarjei Vassbotn)

Is it helpful?

Is it friendly?

Is it valuable?

Can you invert it?

Have you done something similar before?

Is there enough room to breathe?

Does it invite contemplation?

Can you invert the relationships?

Can you emphasise a detail?

Can you break it down?

What happens when it goes next to something else?

Can you make it flatter?

Can you make it deeper?

Have you repeated it?

Is this what you want to do?

Which self would be appropriate to tackle this task?

Are you in the right ‘frame of mind’?

Can you change into a more appropriate self? (See shifting selves)

Is the tuning appropriate? (From Brian Eno)