Insight is like solving an autostereogram - impossible until you shift your perspective.
An autostereogram is one of those images that has a repetitive pattern of coloured dots that creates the optical illusion of a three-dimensional scene when viewed from the correct angle. The right perspective makes it more likely that you will see the whole picture.
The same is true for insights: unless you look differently at a situation it is difficult to uncover insights.
An insight isn’t just observation, it’s a revelation, that “aha!” moment when you reinterpret a situation to reveal a deeper understanding of what’s going on.
Insights reveal the underlying reasons or motivations behind the things that you’ve observed.
Insights move us towards a new story, a different point of view that is more accurate and more useful. With insights our goals may change and we may give up some ambitions and pursue others.
Gary Klein identifies the ways insights emerge:
Connections: Linking ideas from different domains to reveal something new.
Coincidences: Spotting patterns or similarities that reveal new information.
Curiosities: Exploring anomalies or unexpected events that don't fit expected patterns.
Contradictions: Identifying inconsistencies between beliefs and reality.
Creative Desperation: Finding novel solutions when time and options are limited.
By understanding what insights are and how they come about, you can improve your own insight generation.