Using Simplifying Questions to Focus Your Efforts and Get Better Results

“When you finished playing the game, did you want to play again?”

That’s the only question that Elan Lee, famed game designer and CEO of Exploding Kittens, Inc., said he now cares about when developing a game. He and his team aren’t satisfied with a game until everyone in the testing group answers “Yes.”

“I only care about one question…. which is, ‘When you finished playing the game, did you want to play again?’” Lee explained to podcast host Tim Ferriss.

This isn’t to say that the game design process is easy. As Lee explains, the company filters through reams of ideas, and iterates multiple times on the promising ones in a thoughtful (and creative) cycle. However, the guiding, player-focused question to be satisfied is always there: “When you finished playing the game, did you want to play again?”

I love simplifying questions like this. They help us cut through the noise and focus on what’s most important.

How about you?

If you had to pick one question to worry about in your business, or in your craft, what would it be? (HINT: It probably relates not to you, but to your consumer.)

Some potential examples:

For the restaurateur, “When you finished your meal, did you want to book another reservation right away?”

For the artist or songwriter, “When you heard my song on Spotify, did you immediately want to hit replay?”

For the ride design engineer, “When the roller coaster finished its loop and you were back in the station, did you want to go right back around?”

For the sales executive at a financial firm, “When the meeting was over, did you find the interaction so valuable (or pleasant) that you wouldn’t mind if the sales person called again on you in a few days?”

For the script writer, producer, or director “When the movie was over, did you want to watch it again?”

And for humble bloggers (and writers of all kinds), “When you finished reading the article (or book), did you want to tell someone about it?”

What question is the most important one for you and your consumer today?