We solve new problems by creating new products and services. Ones that people can purchase and implement. The problem is, when faced with one, we servey the landscape of availible products and services, or referece timeless methods of solving them. For instance, transportation.
“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said ‘faster horses’.” –Henry Ford
When contemplating a solution, be sure to leap beyond what people hold as the current paradim for a solution. Everyone cannot think about this things, all the time. We save mental caloires by templating solutions based off what we’ve seen done previously—we want faster horses. This is a great start to evolving your problem-solving quotient (PSQ).
Your PSQ #
There are three perspectives you must adopt when problem solving. And a fourth that will allow you to transend.
- The baseline
- The percieved
- The historical
The Baseline #
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is where we begin. if you’re not aquatned with Maslow, he was an American phycologist in the 90’s who is best known for his theroy of human motivation. We use this as our starting point only because it’s the closest we get to for our motivation of invention. While we do solve problems that go beyond these lines, technically, we only cross them either to maintain these baseline needs. Think of any area of human invention and you will see this is true—we problem-solve so we can meet our physiolocial, phycological, and spiritual needs (my interpretation of the latter 3 on the hierarchy).