Jens Meiert

On Solutions

Solutions require problems. If you don’t have a problem, you don’t need a solution.

This is exactly why you should, whenever someone proposes a solution—which includes design and technical changes—ask what problem that solution solves, and to be specific.

If you don’t get an answer, you’re likely not to have a problem and don’t need a solution.

If you get an answer, and let’s assume that answer reveals a real problem, you find yourself in need of a solution. That, however, does not mean the proposed solution is the solution—it’s likely to be just a solution.

You will benefit from keeping this in mind and being smart. Ideally you also have an idea of both the cost of the problem and the cost of the solution, and when a high cost of solution still means it’s worth implementing that solution.

If you can’t tell when you’re dealing with a solution that lacks a problem, a solution that attempts to solve an ill-defined problem, or a solution that is far more expensive than the problem, you’re in trouble.

CSS Media Queries seem to cause such trouble after A List Apart made everyone remember media queries and me write this post. Among the highlights a British designer and decorator redesigning his site using media queries, making, over all the hype, himself and everyone visiting his site overlook that 95 % of what he did was possible a long time ago using floats and maybe a pinch of min-width. Ask yourself: what am I trying to solve, and is the solution I have in mind actually appropriate?

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Comments

1. On July 7, 2010, 17:06 CEST, tobs said:

   On Problems: http://mindgarden.de/on-problems

2. On July 12, 2010, 17:39 CEST, Randy said:

   I believe every manager I ever worked for wanted to fix non-existent problems with expensive solutions so they could appear to be contributing. This is a policy more companies should enact. Before there can be a solution, there must be a problem.

3. On July 31, 2010, 11:39 CEST, Nicolas Chevallier said:

   It’s better to have a solution but no problem, or a problem but no solution ?

4. On August 5, 2010, 17:42 CEST, Rob Ahern said:

   my manager also likes to fix “problems” with expensive solutions. lol
   maybe its a managery thing to do….

5. On August 26, 2010, 22:42 CEST, tim said:

   must be referring to code, because i can’t think of ever having had a design solution before having a problem…

6. On September 27, 2010, 3:41 CEST, Tim Wong said:

   Was reading through my past blogs and found a correlation.

   http://timwongdesign.wordpress.com/2010/05/13/finding-design-problems/

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