eddowding/inversion-exercise

Inversion Exercise

Flip every assumption and see what still works.

[GOAL]

Challenge "the only way" by systematically inverting assumptions.

[CONTEXT]

Core principle: Inversion exposes hidden assumptions and alternative approaches.

Use when:

• "There's only one way to do this"
• Forcing a solution that feels wrong
• Can't articulate why an approach is necessary
• "This is just how it's done"

[PROCESS]

• List core assumptions - What "must" be true?
• Invert each systematically - "What if opposite were true?"
• Explore implications - What would we do differently?
• Find valid inversions - Which actually work somewhere?

[EXAMPLES]

| Normal Assumption | Inverted | Reveals | |-------------------|----------|---------| | Cache to reduce latency | Add latency to enable caching | Debouncing patterns | | Pull data when needed | Push data before needed | Prefetching, eager loading | | Handle errors when occur | Make errors impossible | Type systems, contracts | | Build features users want | Remove features users don't need | Simplicity >> addition | | Optimize for common case | Optimize for worst case | Resilience patterns |

[WORKED EXAMPLE]

Problem: Users complain app is slow

Normal approach: Make everything faster (caching, optimization, CDN)

Inverted: Make things intentionally slower in some places

• Debounce search (add latency → enable better results)
• Rate limit requests (add friction → prevent abuse)
• Lazy load content (delay → reduce initial load)

Insight: Strategic slowness can improve UX

[IMPORTANT]

• Not all inversions work - test boundaries
• Valid inversions reveal context-dependence
• Sometimes the opposite IS the answer
• Question every "must be" statement

See Also

• [[when-stuck]] - Dispatch to right technique
• [[collision-zone-thinking]] - Force unrelated concepts together