Abstraction laddering
When to use it
When stuck in a particular method or an overly abstract goal.
How to use it
Ask why to move upward, how to move downward, and keep genuinely indispensable conditions.
A real-life example
Sending information need not require paper, but delivering an original seal cannot be replaced with a scan.
Try it in a game
Build routes and change delivery methods. Send a code in one challenge and an original seal in another: ask why again, then try different ways.
Play Deliver Without GoingAfter playing, ask yourself
Which move changed your later choices? If conditions changed, would the same approach still work? What evidence would you need to check before applying the relationships in this game to real life?
Games are simplified practice environments for exploring tools and when to use them. Completing a game does not demonstrate mastery and is not a personality or professional assessment.
These introductions are written by ThinkTest, with learning inspiration from Untools. The games are not official Untools products.
Untools ↗