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advice-dont-ask-about-solutions.md

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Don't ask about solutions1

You may have been sent this document because you asked about solutions to a problem, rather than the problem itself, or without explaining your original problem. This is called "The XY Problem"

Tip

tl;dr: don't ask "Why is <solution> not working?", but rather ask:

  • "How do I solve <problem> given <context>?"
  • "I tried <solution> because of <problem> while working on <context>. What is an alternative solution?"
  • "I ran into <issue>, when trying to do <context>. What's happening and what's a possible solution?"

We often encounter problems that appear to have multiple, possible solutions. These solutions themselves however could cause more problems, which in turn have multiple solutions, which in turn may cause more problems...

You may have asked a question that mostly consists of what you tried or what you're trying to do, rather than giving context on why it is you think you have to do this in the first place. For example,

User A: "How do I replace the display on my iPhone?"
User B: "Do this and that"
User C: "Why do you need to replace the display?"
User A: "Because my iPhone screen is too dark to read."
User C: "That's weird. Make sure to check the display brightness settings!"
User A: "Ah, thank you, that fixed it!"

Leading into conversations with an assumed solution leads to wasted time and energy, both for you and those trying to help you. If you come to someone with a solution rather than the problem, you're denying them:

  • the chance to evaluate if your solution may solve the problem
  • the context on why this problem occurred and what you did
  • reproduction steps that they may recognize

In the best case scenario, you may have mentioned your original problem, but spent more time describing the solution. Instead, explain how you ran into the problem, and set your solution aside, so others have a chance to arrive at the same point you did.

In the worst case scenario, you may have completely omitted information on your original problem, and you may have been sent this document because the issue you posted above hints at another problem. Instead, explain the context of what you did before you started working on what you posted about.

If you're not sure what to ask about, think back of when you started your task, and explain:

I started to work on <task> and wanted to achieve <goal>. Instead of <expectation>, I encountered <problem>.

If you talk about your original goals and problems rather than your later solutions, you're telling others the full story of what happened and you may save yourself and them some time having to hunt down where your problem originally started.

Footnotes

  1. This document was inspired by https://xyproblem.info/ ↩