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title, tags
| title | tags | ||||
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| XY Problem |
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XY Problem
[!quote] Wikipedia The XY problem is a communication problem ... where the question is about an end user's attempted solution (X) rather than the root problem itself (Y).
The XY problem is an example of the einstellung-effect.
[!quote] How To Ask Questions The Smart Way --- Eric Steven Raymond
[!quote] "Questions Not To Ask" Q: How can I use X to do Y?
A: If what you want is to do Y, you should ask that question without pre-supposing the use of a method that may not be appropriate. Questions of this form often indicate a person who is not merely ignorant about X, but confused about what problem Y they are solving and too fixated on the details of their particular situation.
[!quote] "Describe the goal, not the step" If you are trying to find out how to do something (as opposed to reporting a bug), begin by describing the goal. Only then describe the particular step towards it that you are blocked on.
Often, people who need technical help have a high-level goal in mind and get stuck on what they think is one particular path towards the goal. They come for help with the step, but don't realize that the path is wrong. It can take substantial effort to get past this.
Stupid: How do I get the color-picker on the FooDraw program to take a hexadecimal RGB value?
Smart: I'm trying to replace the color table on an image with values of my choosing. Right now the only way I can see to do this is by editing each table slot, but I can't get FooDraw's color picker to take a hexadecimal RGB value.
The second version of the question is smart. It allows an answer that suggests a tool better suited to the task.