When we jump into a task without thinking about what we’re trying to accomplish, we can end up with solutions to the wrong problem.
Imagine you’re in a desert, dying of thirst, and see a trickle of water. Your goal (what) is to get the water into your mouth.
First, you scoop it with your hands. Then you design a cup, but it’s too big, so you create a smaller cup with a handle, turning it into a spoon. Later, you use a reed as a straw.
Each tool represents a different "how."
Design is about “how to,” but you must first understand the “what.”
There is only one “what,” but many “hows.” Each “how” is useful in its context. People often want to buy lights without understanding lighting or go on diets without understanding nutrition. This leads to arbitrary choices and anxiety over whether a different solution would be better.