The phone incident… why you should have another perspective handy
learning, life problems, problem solving Add comments
This massive image above is the model phone I have recently purchased through eBay. When it arrived I unwrapped the box and got really REALLY excited when I saw it. It was shiny. Alas, my excitement was followed by bewilderment when I couldn’t turn the bloody thing on. I tried everything… except pushing the little button on the side (see above picture). Turns out the graceful person I sent the phone back to tested it and it worked for him… just fine. OOPS. Me being used to pressing the red button to end a call (i.e. the button you ALWAYS USE NOKIA ENGINEERS) thought that the phone would have turned on that way. It didn’t.
My definition of the problem was wrong
When you start something from the wrong basis or the wrong starting point it doesn’t matter how well you analyse it… you will never find a cause because the cause ain’t there! You defined the problem wrong in the first place. Like me and my hapless phone skills you are labouring under the wrong assumption. If you walked to the bus stop and caught the 533 bus into town when you wanted to go to the Gold Coast, you are going to the wrong place.
Same thing applies when we tunnel down to our favourite perception rather than testing our known definitions of a problem. This is not easy but it might save you six weeks waiting for you phone to return!
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