How I Would Solve a Problem

Introduction

Step one would be to identify the issues. Be certain of what the problem is exactly. Other people might have differing opinions on how to solve that problem. Identifying the issue allows you to know just what would be suitable to solve the problem. As humans, we almost always progress under pressure. To be able to solve a problem, the real issue must be addressed. Some symptoms can look convincingly like the problem, and the availability of information leads many people to believe that finding answers to complex problems only requires more info about the problems but end up being fooled by useless data. One way to avoid such a thing happening would be to make sense of the information provided.

Analyzing the Problem

Data is only helpful if you take the time to make sense of it. It is important to spend a lot of time analyzing a problem to find a lasting solution. Try to understand that there is an underlying problem apart from that of the surface. Always try to widen your focus. The concept of multiple points of view is important when dealing with people too. Solving the problem of just one (or a small group) of those involved generally leads to resistance from other people affected by the problem. Use a comprehensive method that takes into account the various perspectives and concerns.

Identifying the Parameters

The next step would be to identify the parameters of the problem. After you’ve gathered the information and considered the people affected by the problem, the next step is to exclude all the factors that are not directly related to the problem. Your aim is to focus on the cause, its key primers, and their effect, so it’s important to define the parameters. These parameters should be broad enough to “include all the relevant cause-effect relationships” (Smith, 2021), but sufficiently narrow to avoid generalization and a loss of focus. Use these parameters to create a new, clear description of the problem you are finding a solution for. Within these parameters, it’s time to focus on the causes and potential solutions. Lastly, in identifying a problem, analyze any future developments that might crop up.

Future Path Analysis

Once the root of the problem is well understood, start analyzing future paths. Make predictions based on past and current trends and patterns for how the problem might evolve in the future. After identifying the problem, the next thing to do would be to brainstorm a method to solve that problem. Brainstorming is perhaps one of the most commonly used methods for generating many ideas in a short amount of time. Although it can be done individually, it is more often practiced in groups. The problem identified should be written up and put on some sort of upright surface to focus the brainstorming somewhat. In a brainstorming session, no criticism of a person nor their suggestion is allowed. Positive feedback for all ideas should be encouraged during any session. The aim of any brainstorming session should be to produce as many ideas as possible. Generating a sense of creative momentum is important in a session because that, in turn, creates a feeling of excitement. With the entire group engaged in such an enjoyable and engaging atmosphere, more ideas are liable to be spawned.

Evaluating Options

No matter how irrelevant or foolish an idea may seem, anything that comes out might be the catalyst for another idea that proves useful in the end. The next step would be to evaluate the options that were generated during the brainstorming session and rationally discuss the most feasible ones. Make a list of the pros and cons of each of your options that seem to be reasonable. When the entire group finds itself indecisive, then that is when one's intuition might point them to the right answer. Also, the option that you or a group might be choosing could have something to do with passions, values, and priorities (after you are clear about them), even though it might not feel like the right choice. Then make a list of all the options that might align with you, narrowing down the idea pool even further. After that, you further refine the list by experimenting with each of the, by now few, options.

Practical Application

An example of this method in action would be when I was looking for a way to easily get and play console games on my low-spec laptop. I knew that there were emulators that allowed PC gamers like me to play console games on laptops. I looked for popular emulators that people had used before and looked for reviews on how they worked on other PCs before I looked for a safe website to download the software from. Then, I had to download the relevant drivers for each of the emulators. I found that only three emulators would work well with my laptop. They were the Project 64 emulator for the Nintendo 64, PPSSPP for the PSP, and PCSX2 for the PlayStation 2. These had low enough system requirements for an x64-based processor that they could be run on my computer. Then I had to find controller drivers for my PS3 controller to install onto the computer. Without the relevant drivers, it would be impossible to use DualShock 3 on a Windows computer, but you can use an Xbox controller without going through that long process because Xbox was integrated into the Windows Operating System. Finally, you would have to find suitable software that would install those drivers and trick the operating system into thinking that the DualShock 3 was an Xbox controller. That way, you could use it on the emulators and play the games without a mouse/keyboard combo. The final thing you would need to do for some authenticity would be to buy a DS3 mapper. This would allow your computer to be a pseudo-console because you can map the controls on the joystick to different games, and you can save those settings for specific games. Next, you should run the emulators and configure the settings that would allow them to run efficiently and speedily on your computer.

Personal Experience

Another occasion was when I first came to the United States. When I was younger, I had piano lessons and was in the intermediate stage of the book my tutor was using. Due to some circumstances, I stopped playing for a period of five years. When I came to this country, I went to a Pentecost church that my dad went to. As I was there, I noticed that they did not have a regular drummer, so as I had been playing since I was six, I decided to step in whenever he was not there, or if he came too late. But, as I was playing the drums every Sunday, I was always looking at how the pianists played the piano and thought to ask one of them to teach me some basic chords. Eventually, I became able to play some simple 1, 4, 5, 6 chord songs and eventually began to use some passing and transition chords in my playstyle. This would not have been possible, however, without the foundation and information from my younger years.

Conclusion

All I had to do was filter that information of what I needed and incorporate that into my non-sheet-music style. Now I am good enough to play by ear, although a sufficiently complicated song would require extra practice. As was abundantly clear during that narrative, I accomplished the final part of solving a problem by communicating my decisions that I took to solve my “problems”. I was able to effectively play games on my computer and become a piano player. I identified the problem, brainstormed for a solution, and implemented the options that were viable to me. I also communicated my decisions and am still enjoying these situations even today.

References:

• Smith, J. (2021). Problem Solving: A Step-by-Step Guide. New York: Academic Press.