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First Principles

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source:

https://addyosmani.com/blog/first-principles-thinking-software-engineers/⁠

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What is First Principles Thinking?

Starting point or assumption that we use to build our argument

Breaking problem down into its fundamental parts and working through each part in order until we reach an answer

Differs from other techniques because it allows us to focus on the most important elements without getting distracted by extraneous details or secondhand information

History

ancient Greek phil Aristotle, argued that all knowledge and understanding must be derived from first principles

Daily Engineering Practices

1. Feature Development Approach

Instead of asking: "How do other cars implement this feature?"

Ask: "What is the core user need we're addressing?"

Example:

Traditional: "Let's add a touchscreen menu like Competitor X"

First Principles:

1. What information does the driver need?

2. When do they need it?

3. What's the safest way to deliver this information?

4. Is a touchscreen actually the best solution?

2. Problem-Solving Framework

Step 1: Problem Definition

1. What's the actual issue? (not the reported symptom)

2. Who experiences this problem?

3. Under what conditions does it occur?

4. What's the fundamental need?

Example:

Reported Issue: "Infotainment system is slow"

First Principles Breakdown:

What operations are actually slow?

What's the user's definition of "slow"?

What's the minimum acceptable response time?

Is the issue with processing, UI rendering, or data retrieval?

Step 2: Solution Design

Before writing any code or designing any component:

1. What's the simplest possible solution?

2. What assumptions am I carrying from previous projects?

3. What would this look like if we built it from scratch today?

4. What technical limitations are real vs. assumed?

3. Code Review Checklist

□ Is this solving the fundamental problem?

□ Are we inheriting unnecessary complexity?

□ Can this be simplified without losing functionality?

□ Are we following patterns just because "that's how it's done"?

4. Daily Stand-up Questions

What fundamental problem am I solving today?

Am I building on assumptions or first principles?

Can I break down my current task into more basic elements?

Practical Examples

Example 1: Vehicle Diagnostics System

Traditional Approach:

- Add more error codes

- Create more detailed logs

- Build better UI for existing system

First Principles Approach:

1. Core Need: Identify and fix vehicle issues quickly

2. Basic Requirements:

- Accurate problem identification

- Clear actionable information

- Minimum diagnostic time

3. Fresh Solution:

- Real-time sensor analysis

- AI pattern recognition

- Predictive maintenance alerts

Example 2: API Design

Traditional:

/api/v1/vehicle/status/battery/charge-level

First Principles:

1. What data does the client actually need?

2. When do they need it?

3. How often does it change?

4. What's the most efficient way to deliver it?

Result:

- WebSocket for real-time critical data

- Cached endpoints for static data

- Batch operations for multiple data points

Daily Implementation Tools

1. Problem Breakdown Template

1. What are we trying to achieve?

□ Core user need

□ Business requirement

□ Technical requirement

2. What are the fundamental constraints?

□ Physics/Hardware limitations

□ Safety requirements

□ Regulatory requirements

□ Everything else is negotiable

3. What solutions are possible if we ignore current implementations?

□ List all possibilities

□ Evaluate each against core needs

□ Consider hybrid approaches

2. Code Architecture Questions

□ Is this the simplest possible solution?

□ What patterns am I using and why?

□ Can this be broken down further?

□ Am I solving the right problem?

3. Testing Approach

1. What are we actually testing?

□ Core functionality

□ Edge cases

□ Performance requirements

2. What's the simplest way to validate?

□ Unit tests for core logic

□ Integration tests for workflows

□ Performance benchmarks for critical paths

Common Engineering Scenarios

1. Legacy Code Integration

Instead of: "How do we make this work with the legacy system?"

Ask: "What's the fundamental purpose of this integration?"

Steps:

1. Identify core functionality needed

2. Document data flow requirements

3. Design clean interfaces

4. Build adapters if necessary

2. Performance Optimization

Instead of: "How can we make this faster?"

Ask: "Why does this need to be fast?"

Analysis:

1. What's the actual performance requirement?

2. Where is time being spent?

3. What's the theoretical minimum time needed?

4. What approaches would meet this minimum?

Action Items for Engineers

Daily:

Question one assumption in your current task

Break down one problem into first principles

Document any "that's how we've always done it" moments

Weekly:

Review one completed task through first principles lens

Share insights with team

Update team documentation with new learnings

Remember: First principles thinking is not about reinventing everything - it's about understanding the fundamental problems we're solving and ensuring our solutions actually address them.

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