Abstraction Laddering is a problem-solving technique that moves a problem statement up (toward more abstract goals) or down (toward more concrete implementations) a hierarchy of levels to reveal new solution spaces. Developed in design thinking and communication theory, it breaks problem-definition fixation by showing that most problems can be stated at multiple levels of abstraction — each revealing different and complementary solutions.
The Concept Fan is a structured creativity technique developed by Edward de Bono that helps escape mental fixation when direct approaches to a problem have stalled. By stepping back to increasingly abstract levels of purpose — from a specific approach, to the goal, to the broader purpose, to the wider context — the Concept Fan expands the solution space and reveals alternative approaches invisible from the original problem framing. It's particularly powerful for problems where "thinking harder" in the existing direction has produced diminishing returns.
Reframing is the cognitive technique of changing the interpretive framework through which a problem is viewed — not changing the facts, but changing how they are understood, structured, or evaluated. Rooted in cognitive psychology and design thinking, reframing breaks the implicit constraints that most problem definitions carry and opens solution spaces that are invisible from within the original frame.