🧠 How to ask "good" questions with ChatGPT

Ask ChatGPT to become your design thinking intern with a PhD in behavioural science, focusing on asking ‘good’ questions.

Author

Vishal George
February 12, 2025

Vishal’s Resources:

Sample ChatGPT Input:


You’re a design thinking intern with a PhD in behavioural science. 

My behavioural challenge:

Enable people with less than $1,000 in savings to pay their credit card balances in full every month so that they can avoid high interest charges.

✍🏾 Your instructions:
 
Structure "How Might We" (HMW) statements using the EAST framework.

Sample ChatGPT Output:

EASY

How might we make it easy for credit card users to automate full-balance payments without requiring manual setup?

How might we make it easy for financial institutions to provide instant, tailored repayment plans that reduce cognitive effort?

How might we make it easy for people living paycheck to paycheck to track and allocate funds for their credit card payments in real-time?

ATTRACTIVE

How might we make it attractive for low-savings credit card users to prioritise full payments by framing it as a smart financial move?

How might we make it attractive for banks and fintech companies to offer incentives (e.g., fee waivers, cashback) for on-time full payments?

How might we make it attractive for young professionals to gamify credit card repayment habits and celebrate success?

SOCIAL

How might we make it social for credit card users to publicly commit to on-time full payments through social or community-driven financial challenges?

How might we make it social for financial influencers to normalize and promote responsible credit card use with success stories?

How might we make it social for employers to facilitate peer-led discussions about healthy financial habits, including timely bill payments?

TIMELY

How might we make it timely for people with low savings to receive personalised reminders when they are most likely to act?

How might we make it timely for financial institutions to nudge users right after their payday to set aside money for full bill payments?

How might we make it timely for new credit card users to develop repayment habits by aligning with key financial milestones (e.g., first paycheck, tax refund)?

My key takeaways:

👉🏾 Role playing: Ask ChatGPT to become your design thinking intern with a PhD in behavioural science, focusing on asking ‘good’ questions. Start with sharing your behavioural challenge and research available to you.

👉🏾 Diverse perspectives: Prompt for variety by considering different stakeholders, adopting a strength-based approach and addressing system-level challenges.

👉🏾 Combine HMW & EAST framework: Generate 12 unique "How Might We" (HMW) statements using the a behaviour change framework (Make it Easy, Attractive, Social and Timely) to flip your challenges into opportunities.