creativity
August 2008 
Haman’s Innovative Investigator Questions (2007 Version):
Alex Chua
Gerald Haman devoted over 16 years to fine tune and perfect just six questions. Indeed that’s a long time, but innovators discovered the questions keep getting better.
Customers named the six questions, “Haman’s Investigator Questions” or HIQ. HIQ became famous as innovators have used the questions to generate thousands of ideas. Adidas used Haman’s Questions to develop award-winning sport shoes. Valvoline used Haman’s Investigator Questions to create breakthrough automotive products. AT&T used HIQ to better understand customers and tailor product offerings. Microsoft used HIQ to plan a successful conference for thousands of people.
While studying instructional design in graduate school at the University of Minnesota, Haman realized that one of the most important questions, instructional designers should ask was: “What should people know, and when do they need to know it?” That single question evolved into six questions as Haman helped customers apply the original instructional design question to designing innovative products, services and experiences.
Haman’s Instructional Design Question (1990 Original): What should people KNOW, and WHEN do they need to know it?
Haman’s Innovative Investigator Questions (HIQ):(2007 Version)
1. What should people BE?
2. What should people KNOW?
3. What should people FEEL?
4. What should people HAVE?
5. What should people DO?
6. What should people THINK?
Over the years the questions and their order have changed and evolved as innovators realized the questions could be used by nearly anyone for almost any goal, challenge or problems. Most people start out by asking a few traditional such as “What’s your goal? or What are the problems?” However those questions may not provoke people to think deeply or broad enough. Go ahead and experiment by using Haman’s Innovative Investigator Questions for your next meeting, interview or survey.
Source: http://www.innovatorsdigest.com/
Access: Public
interesting…………sending it forward to my son whom is beginning the search for a college that suits him and his learning styles. He is struggling with what he needs, wants and where he is going. I find that these questions work not only on a broad scale but work for working thru closer personal inquires. Thanks, susie
Very interesting, thank you.
As a diviner I'm extra-aware that the essential limit to what we can learn is what questions we can a) conceive of and b) wrap our heads round. And now I'm starting to think more systematically about how to provide what's needed for people to learn divination, these are really good questions for thinking with.
Alex! thanks so much for sharing this. I appreciate things that are basic and profound and can be applied to almost any problem/situation. I sense that people are going to be hearing about Haman and his questions around the world from study groups to classrooms. Thanks for taking this out of the board room and sharing it with us.