Making complex decisions faster using magic lenses

Executive overview

Big decisions cause paralysis because the mind bounces between competing criteria without structure. Magic lenses replaces that mental pinball with a series of two-by-two charts — one per perspective — so options can be evaluated systematically and compared visually.

The insight: externalising each perspective separately removes the cognitive overload that freezes decision-making.

What magic lenses is

• Reserve this method for genuinely high-stakes decisions — career, major purchases, business strategy
• For each relevant perspective, draw a two-by-two chart with two axes that define what "good" looks like
• Assign each option a colour and plot it on every chart
• Options that cluster in the top right across multiple charts are strong candidates

The four standard startup lenses

1. Pragmatic — cheap and fast to build
2. Growth — reaches the most customers; easy to adopt
3. Money — highest long-term value; most potential paying customers
4. Customer — best solves the real problem; easiest to use

Generating custom lenses

• After running the standard lenses, list every possible approach and vote to narrow to the top five
• One person per option writes a sentence on why it is good and sketches a rough doodle
• The team adds sticky notes under each: what criteria does this do well at?
• Common custom lenses include excitement to build, partnership potential, or anything specific to the business context
• The CEO acts as final decider after the team votes
• Warming up on the classic lenses first makes it easier to craft one or two custom ones