The problem is complexity. In a complex system, rules don't apply. We need a special set of methods for tackling a complex context, because it can't just be measured easily. 

Thus, we took the time to look at different approaches specifically geared towards design, problem solving and teamwork in a complex context. Our main finding was that we needed an approach that would help us think clear in ambiguous circumstances, make tough decisions under conditions of limited information or opacity, and also communicate effectively within a team. There are already many successful methods and frameworks to help in this task. However, in the field 

The feeling I had when reading all those manuals was one of overwhealm. How should I learn all that, and apply it, when it's one condition of complexity that you can't test properly, because things change all the time. So, looking at how experts deal with the situation, we noticed that they act more like speaking a language than as if they were applying methods. 

There is a fluidity needed when dealing with an unpredictable, and most of all constantly changing environment. One of the metaphors often used in literature is that of navigation. Taking all that together, we thought that the problem is less in how the world works but more in how you think and learn about the world. The task at hand is thus how to train yourself to think with your whole mind, appropriately for a constantly changing environment, meaning, constantly learning. 

Instead of thinking in methods and frameworks, our approach treats the necessary skills more like a language.

When I learn a language, I just start talking. I learn over time by engaging in more conversations, and get better without even thinking about it. The feedback is instant - I am understood or I need to try again. I get helped by my conversation partner. And i get to explore my understanding of the world by experiencing it in a new language. The way other languages put things, frame situations, can be eye opening and fun.

That's the feeling we want in our context navigator. The joy of learning by doing. 

We come from the academic world, but we acknowledge that in practical projects, knowledge is only useful when it helps in practice. We like knowledge for knowledge's sake, but in context navigator research, testing and prototyping always helps making a better product, or helping a group thrive, or solving a practical problem. 

The core and center of the context navigator framework is thus the test. How to plan it, conduct it and how to gather the most amount of insight and knowledge from testing, is the art we wish to explore. 

Instead of one map, a complex context requires constant mapping and adjusting orientation. Instead of doing things right, like "applying methods correctly", our focus is on being quick and adequate. We have learned from tested and proven frameworks in putting together our set of principles and heuristics guiding our way. 

Combining this with our rootedness in language, it's not about understanding a context, it's about becoming literate in it.