The Process of Problem Solving

[MUSIC] Being a great designer means you're able to solve great problems. 0:00 In more cases than one, a client will present you with a problem. 0:09 And your job is to solve that problem using your tools. 0:12 If you're a Web designer, the tools might be the elements and principles of art. 0:16 And a graphics application like Photoshop or Illustrator. 0:21 All problems need their own specific solutions. 0:25 We simply can't use a generic solution for everything. 0:28 However, we can approach every project with the same step by step process. 0:31 Before we take a look at that process, let's 0:36 first understand why we think the way we do. 0:39 What I'm about to go over has a lot to do with psychology. 0:43 However, it plays a very valid role 0:46 in visual communication and the design process. 0:49 When I say the word psychology, I'm simply referring 0:53 to an explanation of why we do what we do. 0:57 Or why we think the way we think. 1:01 In psychology, we have a term called Cognition, or more specifically, Cognitive 1:04 Thinking, which basically means our mental process or the order we think. 1:11 Cognition is always active, it never stops. 1:18 Even if our subconscious, it's continuous. 1:22 Problem solving is a form of cognition. 1:25 Please take note that there are many different 1:28 ways to solve problems using different techniques and principles. 1:31 The process I'm gonna share with you is one 1:35 that I've put together over years of designing and creating. 1:38 I've broken the process down into the four P's, the four P's of problem solving. 1:41 The first step is Prep, for preparation. 1:49 This is where we understand and diagnose the problem. 1:53 Our next step is Plan. 1:56 This is when we organize everything before acting, which 1:59 brings us to our third step Perform or Performance. 2:03 We simply put the plan into action. 2:08 Then out final step is Perfect. 2:11 This is when we check to see if our end goal has fulfilled the problem. 2:14 If not, we can go back, review, and rework the solution. 2:19 So again, the four P's of problem solving are Prep, Plan, Perform and Perfect. 2:25 For the remainder of this stage, we're gonna 2:33 walk through the problem solving process in detail. 2:34 But before we do that, let's take a quick quiz. 2:38