One of the most important things we can ask as designers is not “what” but “why?”
There are always things that need to get done, always tasks that need to be checked off, but sometimes we should step back and make sure we are going down a path that makes sense.
During a recent project, after a client came back with a number of changes, I could have easily returned with those changes addressed and moved on to another task. However, after consulting with the team, we decided that there was a way to provide what the client really needed, not just what they were asking for.
We took it upon ourselves to provide not just a product, but a solution. Not just a document, but a strategy. We didn’t ask “what,” we asked “why?”