When I tackle a problem, I tend to do so with words. For me, finding the solution often hinges on the right term, nuance, or turn of phrase to express an abstract idea. I quite literally talk (or write) myself through things, even when the problem isn’t about writing.
Words are the framework of my world, but I’m aware that’s not the case for everyone.
If I’m a linguistic problem-solver, then some of my friends are definitely visual problem-solvers who prefer diagrams and schematics. Others are social problem-solvers, whose first instinct is to seek collaboration.
Just as people learn in different ways, I can imagine a whole spectrum of problem-solving techniques that appeal to different people and work best in different situations. An artist sees the world as shades of color, an architect as expanses of space, a designer as a combination of the two. But right now, I’m curious about what works for you.
What kind of problem-solver are you? How does that affect which problems you choose to address? How does it change the way you see the world?
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Here’s a similarly fascinating idea:
A few weeks ago, Sam shared a visualization technique for discovering your teachable point of view. In the comments, I wrote this:
I find the different methods of visualization interesting as well. Perhaps it relates to the type of media we consume? As in, if you’re a film buff, you visualize things in movie form; if you’re a bookworm, you narrate things in prose.
I wonder if that also implies that the changes in our media formats (not even the changes in content) affect the way we think.
Do we condition ourselves (or we we conditioned by others) to visualize the world in different ways based on the structure of information we absorb? Will a writer always see the world differently than a mathematician?
Also – can we change people’s opinions simply by teaching them to think in words or images or movies or music, instead of what they’re currently doing?
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Today’s post is rather rough; I’m just thinking out loud and asking a lot of questions. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the topic. Let’s talk!
9 Comments on “How We See the Problem”
says:
Definitely! I'm a programmer, so I take the problem and break it down into small steps. To me, it's all about the components, and the interactions between them. But – blogging has made it easier for me to work through what I'm thinking in text as well.
says:
Regarding problem solving, I fall into the visualizers category. I prefer diagrams and trying to Visualize the outcome. Lateral thinking is also used often. I also bring out the end result in pictures, rather than words.
“As in, if you’re a film buff, you visualize things in movie form; if you’re a bookworm, you narrate things in prose.” I am not so sure. Poets write stuff , but what they describe imagery. So to a poet, both pictures and words matter.
Also, I would like some clarification on the last parts. I don't exactly understand what you mean by 'people's opinions'. If you could expand a little bit, I would love it!
I love the blog post. This seems to be a very interesting theme and I'm sure you're gonna get people talking.
PS: I just came across your blog. I love it. Subscribed to RSS! Keep rocking mate!
Cheers
Ajay
says:
Great post Jeffrey. I would say I tackle problems using visualization. Images help me find solutions faster. I think everybody operates differently and has different ways of seeing the same problem. There is no one correct way to solve the problem, and everybody can have the same result in the end. That's what makes each of us unique, the ability to see the situation in a different perspective from another person.
says:
Thanks for a very interesting post! It's something I've thought about a lot, too.
A friend of mine once explained to me the way in which she mentally visualized time: like a clock, with markings on the edges for the tasks or appointments or whatever she had to do. My way of visualizing time, however, is more like a sine wave, winter at the top, summer at the bottom, with sections of black for sections of time with specific activities. Curious, we asked other people and got all sorts of different answers. Some had mental calendars, others had lists, one person even recalled pictures in her head of what she was going to be doing.
Problem solving seems like it would be a similar thing, dependent on the person. I myself tend to approach things both through a visual method, thinking in terms of graphs or charts, and a verbal method, but the type of problem depends on the method. Something more conceptual, like thinking through philosophical or literary problems, requires words. Practical matters, like math and directions and scheduling and organizing, requires a picture.
says:
It's so interesting how different peoples' modes of thought are! I am a visual + hands-on learner, and I think for problem solving I fall somewhere in between visual and, as you said, linguistic. But my problem solving method has a lot to do with how I think in general…
When I think, I don't think in words, or in pictures, or in anything very concrete like that. I tend to say that I think in abstracts, in concepts. I take things in (I'm an observer), and I look at the whole. Sometimes this makes it difficult for me to work through a problem, and I find it helpful to talk or write it out to make sense of it all.
On the other hand, my husband thinks in many, many words… Endless words, endless thoughts and analyzations. He was on a medication once that made him go, “It's weird…I look at that tree, and I just see a tree. It's green and brown.” I welcomed him to my world.
As for conditioning ourselves… I'm not sure that I agree, but it's a very interesting concept!
says:
In the office, I would always explain to programmers that some of us were Powerpoint thinkers, i.e. visual, and some of us were Excel/spreadsheet thinkers, i.e. small pieces of processes. This is very true, we have different ways to assess and create meaning in what we encounter.
says:
Jeffrey,
Interesting ideas. I find that it is a combo of both for me. Language results in pictures when I solve problems. I'm no the most linear thinker, so usually I will write down the problem. Then I”ll sleep on it, and many times I”ll come up with the solution when I wake up. Not the most sophisticated process :), but that's my two cents on the subject.
says:
I can definitely relate with you on writing through my problems. Writing lets me see what I'm thinking, and sometimes surprises me. It forces me to focus my abstract ideas into something tangible enough to understand and even visualize from there. Great question.
says:
Hi Jeffrey.
I sure think in words and writing as well. I like numbers sometimes too, but that is not so common.
I think we do visualize the world in the way we usually work with it. A person who is of the written word will see the literary elements and relations to books in things around them, and a visual person will think of how something would look in a movie, or how a fun event is like a film scene. Our views are certainly colored by what we do and how we process.