We all know that uncomfortable feeling when we don’t know what comes next or when there’s no clear right answer. And lately, that feeling seems to come up more often — adapting to AI, tackling problems that don’t have a textbook answer, and navigating careers that don’t follow predictable paths. For years, psychology researchers have viewed our relationship with ambiguity as a fixed personality trait. Some people tolerate it, others don’t. But what if that framing misses something important? What if navigating ambiguity is actually a skill we can develop?
Exploring that question resulted in the Stanford d.school Ambiguity Navigation Instrument (DANI) and a new research paper on the tool in Possibility Studies & Society.
DANI is a tool that measures students’ attitudes toward ambiguity and the ability to identify strategies for working in ambiguous situations. It was developed by Leticia Britos Cavagnaro, PhD, of the Stanford d.school; Erica Estrada-Liou and Christina Hnatov from the Academy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland; and Gary Lichtenstein and Thien Ta from Quality Evaluation Designs.
One unique aspect of DANI is that it frames navigating ambiguity as a learnable skill, while other tools treat tolerance to ambiguity as a fixed personality trait. This shift is significant because, in a rapidly changing world, knowing how to navigate ambiguity is a critical skill. According to the paper authors, “Today’s students need to develop the cognitive flexibility, ethical reasoning, and creative problem-framing skills required to take on wicked problems, explore uncharted territory, and creatively envision preferable futures.”
The study revealed an important insight: How you feel about ambiguous situations and the strategies you use to work through them don’t always move together. Learners might feel comfortable with ambiguity but lack effective approaches for navigating it. Or they might have solid strategies while still feeling unsettled. Both insights can inform individuals’ growth.
“The world isn’t getting more predictable — and our educational experiences shouldn’t pretend otherwise,” said Britos Cavagnaro. “Most assessments measure what we know. What we can do when we don’t know matters more.”
The research study, conducted at the d.school and the University of Maryland, demonstrates that DANI effectively detects changes in students’ relationships with ambiguity following design-focused educational experiences. The instrument provides educators with a reliable method to assess the effectiveness of design-focused education experiences while also offering students a starting point for reflection on their own approaches to uncertainty.
DANI is one of many ways that the d.school has been exploring skills and mindsets related to ambiguity. In addition to being taught in d.school classes, the topic is the focus of the book Navigating Ambiguity by d.school educators Kelly Schmutte and Andrea Small.
Britos Cavagnaro has been exploring a closely related thread — the connection between reflection and ambiguity — through her book Experiments in Reflection and Riff, an AI-powered chatbot designed to deepen the reflection process for higher ed and professional learners.
“We tend to think of reflection as something you do after the fact — a look back. But when you’re in an ambiguous situation, reflection is what helps you act. It’s a real-time skill, not just a retrospective one,” said Britos Cavagnaro.
While developed for design education, the DANI tool has potential applications across disciplines to support learning environments that better prepare students for an unpredictable future.
The team is currently working on an open platform for educators to implement DANI with their students and receive an analysis and visualization of the results. The authors have also created an interactive bot that allows members of the public to take the ambiguity assessment themselves. The bot provides personalized feedback and curated resources to help individuals strengthen their capacity to navigate ambiguity. Take the DANI ambiguity assessment quiz.
Credits
Written by Stanford d.school staff. Photo by Patrick Beaudouin.