EXD.1:1 - Problem frame

Use this pattern when someone needs an explanation and the needed connection, contrast or use is still unclear, or when a contribution changes what the explanation should answer. The reader may be preparing a lesson, explaining a technical account, discussing advice or assisting a human–AI exchange.

Begin with the recipient’s request and the situation in which its answer matters. Ask the smallest question that distinguishes the consequential alternatives. A usable first result is a question the participants can answer under named conditions, together with the intended use and the subject input still needed.

When a request already identifies a sufficient question, use it. “Show how the total of these eight values gives their mean” can lead directly to the available calculation. Additional elicitation is useful when it can change the next explanation.