5 Whys

5 whys is a quick exercise that can help you get to the bottom of an issue and make sure you are solving the right problem.

You can do it on your own, or in a group, sharing and discussing your answers afterwards.

You can use it in a few different ways, for example to:

• work out the root cause of a problem you are having
• investigate the real reason why your customers or users might want to do something

To do a 5 whys exercise:

• Write down what you think the problem is or what you think you want to do
• Ask yourself why that problem is happening, or why you want to do the thing
• Write down your answer
• Then ask yourself why again, and write down your answer again
• Keep asking why as many times as you need to, until you’re confident there is no deeper to go. This usually doesn’t take more than 5 whys (but it can take less).

Let out your inner toddler! Why, why, why, why, why?

Some people like to do this using a staircase diagram, with each why taking you deeper into your problem. But you can just as well do it in a simple list.