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Criterion
How Might We
Innovation
How Might We
Paper illustration of a Polarity Map with two poles and four quadrants
Systems Thinking
Polarity Mapping
Rich Picture workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Systems Thinking
Rich Picture
Paper illustration for CATWOE Analysis.
Systems Thinking
CATWOE Analysis
Purposedifferent
With a stuck problem carrying many implicit assumptions, the method translates observations into open, workable questions. It sharpens the problem frame without pre-thinking the solution, turning frustration or fuzziness into a search space with clear direction.Polarity Mapping makes tensions between two opposing poles tangible, such as standardization and adaptation or control and autonomy. The method guards against making apparent either-or decisions prematurely.A Rich Picture brings an unclear situation onto a shared drawing. It captures actors, tensions, information flows, and blind spots before the team jumps to solutions too early.CATWOE structures a problem from six viewpoints and prevents too narrow a view of the situation. Different experiences of the system become comparably discussable this way.
Complexitydifferent
LowMediumLowMedium
Timedifferent
30–45 min1-2 h30-90 min45-90 min
Participantsdifferent
1-103-122-103-8
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
HMW Questions, Challenge Framing, Idea PromptsPolarity Map, Warning Signs, Balance ActionsRich Picture, Problem Framing NotesCATWOE Canvas, Root Definition, Stakeholder Perspectives, Constraints
Tagsno overlap
FramingOpportunityIdeationQuestions
Systems thinkingTradeoffsLeadership
Systems thinkingSoft systemsFramingVisualization
Systems thinkingFramingStakeholders
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