I use the 5 Whys from time to time. Here's an example:
Several years ago, I kept a blog called WorkReadPlay.
Over the course of a year, I published posts about productivity, technology,
games and other ramblings.
As my website traffic grew, I discovered many visitors left after they landed on my site. I couldn’t figure out how to convince people to read my work.
I knew I needed help, so I joined a blogging training programme, and I asked a mentor to review my website. He told me the name of my site was confusing visitors.
The term “WorkReadPlay” didn’t communicate what my blog was about, and my website visitors had little patience for figuring it out for themselves. I wasn’t happy with his analysis because changing a site name is a lot of work.
So, I used the Five Whys to figure out what
to do next.
1. Why do I want to rename my blog? The current name is
confusing for new visitors, and they leave almost
immediately.
2. Why is this name confusing? The terms Work, Read, and
Play don’t relate to the articles I write about, and I often
find myself having to explain to people what the blog title
or name means.
3. Why doesn’t this name relate to the articles I write? I’m
more interested in publishing articles about writing and
creativity than in posting articles about work, books,
games or life in general.
4. Why am I more interested in writing these kinds of
articles? I feel more confident writing these kinds of
articles because it’s what I’m passionate about. This sort of
writing will enable me to become a better writer and even
help people.
5. Why do I want to become a better writer and help
people? So I can earn a living from my writing and find
more meaning from my work.
It took me ten minutes to ask the Five Whys and find an answer to my question.
RE: How to avoid analysis paralysis