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Inside the Machine G3 to G5 / Week 09 / Tuesday
2/6
Week 09 · The troubleshooting method

Tuesday

Name it
// Notice, name it, test one thing, write it down, ask
⏱ about 15 min

Tuesday: Name it

The same neighbor is back. Rocket has his list: screen on, app open, volume at zero. "Now what?" he asks.

Raven taps the list. "What do you notice when you read it all together? Can you say the problem in one sentence?"

Rocket thinks. "The video plays, but there is no sound because the volume is at zero." Nova spins happily. "That is a name for the problem. Now you can fix it."

One clear sentence

After noticing, you name the problem. Naming means saying exactly what is wrong in one clear sentence.

A good problem sentence has two parts. What should happen, and what happens instead.

For example: The video should play with sound, but it plays with no sound.

Compare that to The tablet is broken. The second one does not tell you where to start.

VagueNamed clearly
It is broken.The screen should wake when I press the button, but it stays dark.
The internet is bad.Videos should play smoothly, but they freeze every few seconds.
The mouse is weird.The pointer should move when I move the mouse, but it stays still.
WHICH ONE NAMES THE PROBLEM?
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Pick the clearly named problem.
Pick the clearly named problem.
Why is The tablet is broken a weak problem sentence?

Symptom, not cause

The problem sentence describes the symptom. A symptom is what you can see or hear going wrong.

The cause is the reason behind it. You do not know the cause yet. That is what testing is for.

No sound is a symptom. Volume at zero might be the cause. Or it might not! Keep them separate.

SYMPTOM OR CAUSE?
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
The screen stays dark when I press the button. Symptom or cause?
The battery is empty. Symptom or cause?
What you can see or hear going wrong is called the what?
A good problem sentence says what should happen and what happens what?
Is The screen stays dark a symptom or a cause?
BUILD A PROBLEM SENTENCE. PUT THE PARTS IN ORDER.
  • ?with no sound.
  • ?should play with sound,
  • ?The video
  • ?but it plays
WHY THIS EXERCISEThis shape works for almost any device problem. Thing, should, but, instead.
StatementTrue or false?
A good problem sentence says what should happen and what happens instead.?
The tablet is broken is a clear problem sentence.?
A symptom is what you can see or hear going wrong.?
You always know the cause before you test.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEA named problem is half solved, because it tells you where to look.
Which word joins the two halves of a good problem sentence?
WHY THIS EXERCISEThe word but marks the gap between what should happen and what does happen.
Try it
Pick a small problem at home, like a door that squeaks.
Say it as a problem sentence with should and but.
Tell a grown-up your sentence.

Well done! You can name a problem in one clear sentence. Tomorrow you will test one thing at a time to find the cause.

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