problem solving and creative thinking essay

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

How to Write the “Creative Side” UC Essay

What’s covered:, how to brainstorm for the “creative side” prompt, tips for writing the “creative side” essay, mistakes to avoid with the “creative side” essay, where to get your uc “creative side” essay edited.

The second University of California system essay prompt reads: 

Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem-solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.

Many people, when seeing the word “creative,” automatically think of something artistic, such as theater, visual arts, or music. If those pursuits don’t apply to you, you may be intimidated by this prompt.

However, almost everyone should be able to write a strong response to this prompt, if you use a broader definition of the word “creative.” Everyone has something they do or think that makes them different from the people around them. Simply, this prompt gives you the opportunity to talk about what makes you unique–even if it has nothing to do with the arts.

Classic Creative Pursuits

Of course, just because you don’t have to write about something traditionally creative doesn’t mean you can’t. Many students are immediately drawn to this prompt because they have an artistic talent that’s a big part of their identity. 

Maybe you love drawing, or go to a ceramics studio once a week, or enjoy playing the flute. Any of these activities could anchor a strong response to this prompt.

This prompt can be especially appealing if your artistic passion is more of a hobby, and thus doesn’t show up in your activities list. Many students feel pressure to show off their most impressive achievements in each and every part of their application. In reality, though, admissions officers aren’t expecting that.

You can definitely elaborate on something that is in that list, but the college essay can also be an opportunity to share something brand new, that doesn’t appear anywhere else in your application. Colleges understand that you’re more than just your grades and awards, and telling them about something you do just for fun can add a new dimension to even the strongest applications.

Unconventional Creativity

As noted above, there are also more creative (no pun intended) ways to approach this creativity prompt! Don’t be afraid to think a little outside the box with your definition of creativity. If you feel drawn to this prompt, but no topic immediately comes to mind, here are some questions you can ask yourself as you brainstorm:

• Is there something you do or enjoy that your friends/family think is unusual?
• Do you have a hobby or passion that’s not typical for a high schooler?
• Do you have any interests that are niche in general?

For example, maybe you love learning about the battle formations used by the Roman Empire. You could write about how, because of your obsession with this seemingly obscure topic, you connected with a group of historians that reenacts famous battles, and even had the opportunity to travel to Italy to do a reenactment at an academic conference.

In this example, your creative side manifests in a fearlessness about diving deeply into interests that may seem strange on the surface, and readers get to see that that fearlessness has helped you meet people you never would’ve known otherwise, and have once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Remember, admissions officers are always evaluating your readiness for college life, and this story proves that you’re ready to take advantage of all that a particular UC has to offer.

Alternatively, you could write about all the things you do to help your dog have the most enriching life possible, from creating an obstacle course for her in your backyard to teaching her how to stand on a paddleboard during a family vacation. Having a dog is common, but taking your responsibility as a dog owner so seriously is not. So, this example shows that for you, creativity means marching to the beat of your own drum in even the most ordinary situations.

Don’t Get Tripped Up By “innovative thinking”

Something about this prompt that can trip people up is the phrase “innovative thinking.” What exactly do the UCs mean? To be clear, they don’t expect you to have invented your own theory of economics, or found a hidden meaning in War and Peace by reading it backwards.

Rather, this prompt wants to know how you might approach a particular problem or idea differently than the people around you. In other words, think about how you are innovative in context –you don’t have to have changed the world, just brought an original perspective to a class, club or group of friends, or even to your family.

For example, maybe you pride yourself on your fantasy football prowess, and credit your success to your unusual draft strategy. Or maybe when your parents sold your childhood home, to prevent everyone from getting too down, you created your own version of Monopoly, where each square was a favorite memory you had at the house.

Neither of these examples involves solving climate change or curing cancer. But as noted earlier, sometimes showing who you are in mundane situations can add a lot to your application. That gives admissions officers confidence that you’ll contribute to their school not just with insightful discussion points and original research projects, but also as a kind roommate and a friendly face in the dining hall.

Show, Don’t Tell

This is perhaps rule #1 for college essays across the board, but when you’re writing an essay about creativity specifically, one of the best ways to take your essay from good to great is to showcase your creativity through your writing itself.

Not everyone is going to be Shakespeare, of course, and you never want to insert fancy adjectives that don’t actually make sense, as that takes your reader out of the flow of your story. What you do want to do is be extra thoughtful about the examples you use to illustrate your points, and about how stylistic choices can help underscore your creativity for your readers.

For example, maybe you play the guitar, and you start each paragraph of your essay with one of your favorite songs to play, and then explain why that song is so meaningful to you. Or maybe your favorite color is green, and you take pride in incorporating as much green into your life as possible, so you mention as many different shades of green in your essay as you can.

These examples are both meta-creative, in that they describe something that’s already creative in a creative way. Just talking about how much you love green could make an impact, but using the word “sagebrush” (in a context that makes sense, of course) assuredly will.

Explain the Broader Significance

Even though this prompt is only directly asking you to talk about your creative side, the unwritten instruction is “and what it says about you as a whole person.” Admissions officers want you to show them what kind of college student you’re going to be. If you only tell them that you like collecting seashells, and not about the bigger picture personality traits that hobby has helped you develop, they won’t understand why this essay is relevant to your candidacy.

Now, you don’t want to go too far in the other direction, and try to connect collecting seashells to everything else in your application. Keep your focus narrow. But your reader should be able to see how this hobby fits into your broader identity.

For example, you could talk about how collecting seashells has taught you patience, or to be okay with imperfection, or to appreciate the interconnectedness of life. These are all lessons that will help you succeed in college. What exactly you learned doesn’t matter–just honestly reflect on why this thing matters to you, and make sure to express that in your essay.

Don’t Be Afraid to Mix Up Your Tone

Many college essay prompts are inherently quite dry–a “Why Major?” essay is, by definition, going to be academic. That doesn’t mean your whole application has to be serious and straight-laced, though.

Of course, you always want to present yourself as a mature, respectful person. But you can do that while also injecting some humor or lightheartedness into your application when opportunities arise to do so. Admissions officers can get tired as they’re reading applications all day long, so one with energy is likely to be more memorable.

To give you a concrete idea of what we mean here, compare the tone of “I like knitting sweaters for my sphynx cat to wear in the winter” to “While I hardly consider my creations high couture, I like to think that when the weather starts to turn, my cat feels some excitement about what this year’s collection will bring.”

While the first example is informative, the second communicates the same point using a somewhat self-deprecating approach, by mixing pride with an ability to laugh at yourself. This personality trait isn’t the kind of thing that usually pops up in college apps, and thus is likely to catch an admissions officer’s eye.

Not that you want any of your college essays to be cliché , but especially in an essay that’s specifically supposed to be about creativity, falling into this trap would be disastrous. Now, you can still write about a common “creative” topic, like drawing or singing. You just want to be extra careful that your personal connection to this topic comes across clearly.

For example, say you wrote something like “I’ve always had a hard time expressing myself, but when I discovered singing, it became an outlet for even my deepest emotions, especially during hard times like the pandemic.” That is one of the most cliché statements people make about singing, so it won’t do anything to distinguish you in the eyes of UC admissions officers.

In contrast, take: “Singing helped me label my emotions even when I didn’t fully understand them. While practicing for a zoom performance of ”the last great american dynasty” by Taylor Swift during the pandemic, I realized that I wasn’t just nostalgic for pre-lockdown days, but also for my childhood, which wasn’t going to come back even once the world reopened.”

The basic point in these two examples is the same. But the second one takes the cliché and makes it personal, by explaining how this common sentiment has impacted the student’s development and understanding of themselves. 

It’s okay if the broader lesson you learned is somewhat cliché–the definition of a cliché is something that many people relate to, after all. Just make sure that rather than stating the cliché directly, just as people have heard it so many times, you explain what happened in your own life that led you to this realization. Even if a lot of people have learned the same lesson, none of them have learned it exactly the way you did.

Don’t Get Too Creative

Some students see this prompt as an opportunity to blow admissions officers’ minds, by having the whole essay rhyme to illustrate their love of poetry, or by quoting a different 80s movie in every other line to prove their passion for this decade of film. 

This kind of super outside the box approach can sometimes land. But it’s incredibly hard to execute, and it’s all or nothing: either your reader’s mind is blown, or they have no idea what you’re trying to say and you’ve wasted this opportunity to enhance your candidacy. 

If you’re a confident writer and have family members, teachers, or friends who you know will be honest with you about whether your essay is working, then you can give hyper-creativity a try. Just be ready to pivot in case the words on the page don’t look the way you envisioned them in your head.

If you’re feeling iffy from the get-go, though, don’t stress. The vast majority of UC applicants, including accepted ones, take a conventional approach to this prompt. A straightforward essay that’s well-written and personal will impress much more than a wild ride that doesn’t take you anywhere in particular.

Do you want feedback on your UC “Creative Side” essay? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

Finally, if you want more information on how to write responses for the other UC essays, consider reading our breakdown of each personal insight question ! Or, check out these examples of strong UC essays , including responses to the “creative side” prompt, which were written by real students!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

• Resources ›
• For Students and Parents ›
• College Admissions ›
• Essay Samples & Tips ›

UC Essay Examples for the Personal Insight Questions

Sample essays with explanations of their strengths and weaknesses

• Essay Samples & Tips
• College Admissions Process
• College Profiles
• College Rankings
• Choosing A College
• Application Tips
• Testing Graphs
• College Financial Aid
• Advanced Placement
• Homework Help
• Private School
• College Life
• Graduate School
• Business School
• Distance Learning
• Ph.D., English, University of Pennsylvania
• M.A., English, University of Pennsylvania
• B.S., Materials Science & Engineering and Literature, MIT

Every applicant to one of the University of California campuses must write four short essays in response to the UC application's Personal Insight questions. The UC essay examples below reveal how two different students approached the prompts. Both essays are accompanied by an analysis of their strengths and weaknesses.

Features of a Winning UC Personal Insight Essay

The strongest UC essays present information that isn't available elsewhere in the application, and they paint the portrait of someone who will play a positive role in the campus community. Let your kindness, humor, talent, and creativity shine, but also make sure each of your four essays is substantive.

As you figure out your strategy for responding to the UC Personal Insight questions , keep in mind that it's not just the individual essays that matter, but also the full portrait of yourself that you create through the combination of all four essays. Ideally, each essay should present a different dimension of your personality, interests, and talents so that the admissions folks get to know you as a three-dimensional individual who has a lot to contribute to the campus community.

UC Sample Essay, Question #2

For one of her Personal Insight essays, Angie responded to question #2: Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.

Here is her essay:

I’m not great at drawing. Even after taking the required art classes in elementary and middle school, I don’t really see myself becoming a famous artist anytime soon. I’m most comfortable creating stick figures and notebook doodles. However, my lack of innate talent hasn’t kept me from using drawing communicate or entertain through cartoons.

Now, like I said, the artwork itself isn’t going to win any awards, but that’s only part of my creative process. I draw cartoons to make my friends laugh, to make my siblings feel better if they’re having a bad day, to poke fun at myself. I don’t make cartoons to show off my artistic ability; I make them because I think they’re fun to create, and (so far) other people enjoy them.

When I was about seven or eight, my sister got dumped by her boyfriend unexpectedly. She was feeling really down about it, and I was trying to think of something I could do that would cheer her up. So I drew a (pretty bad) likeness of her ex, made better by some rather unflattering details. It made my sister laugh, and I like to think I helped her through her break-up, even if only a little bit. Since then, I’ve drawn caricatures of my teachers, friends, and celebrities, ventured a little into political cartooning, and started a series about my interactions with my idiotic cat, Gingerale.

Cartooning is a way for me to be creative and express myself. Not only am I being artistic (and I use that term loosely), but I’m using my imagination to create scenarios and figure out how how to represent people and things. I’ve learned what people find funny, and what is not funny. I’ve come to realize that my drawing skills are not the important part of my cartooning. What is important is that I’m expressing myself, making others happy, and doing something small and silly, but also worthwhile.

Discussion of UC Sample Essay by Angie

Angie's essay comes in at 322 words, a little below the 350-word limit. 350 words is already a small space in which to tell a meaningful story, so don't be afraid to submit an essay that's close to the word limit (as long as your essay isn't wordy, repetitive, or lacking substance).

The essay does a good job showing the reader a dimension of Angie that probably isn't apparent anywhere else in her application. Her love of creating cartoons wouldn't appear in her academic record or list of extracurricular activities . Thus, it's a good choice for one of her Personal Insight essays (after all, it's providing new insight into her person). We learn that Angie isn't just a good student who is involved in some school activities. She also has a hobby she is passionate about. Crucially, Angie explains why cartooning is important to her.

The tone of Angie's essay is also a plus. She has not written a typical "look how great I am" essay. Instead, Angie clearly tells us that her artistic skills are rather weak. Her honesty is refreshing, and at the same time, the essay does convey much to admire about Angie: she is funny, self-deprecating, and caring. This latter point, in fact, is the true strength of the essay. By explaining that she enjoys this hobby because of the happiness it brings other people, Angie comes across as someone who is genuine, considerate, and kind.

Overall, the essay is quite strong. It is clearly written, uses an engaging style , and is free of any major grammatical errors . It presents a dimension of Angie's character that should appeal to the admissions staff who read her essay. If there is one weakness, it would be that the third paragraph focuses on Angie's early childhood. Colleges are much more interested in what you have done in recent years than your activities as a child. That said, the childhood information connects to Angie's current interests in clear, relevant ways, so it does not detract too much from the overall essay.

UC Sample Essay, Question #6

For one of his University of California Personal Insight essays, Terrance responded to option #6: Describe your favorite academic subject and explain how it has influenced you .

Here is his essay:

One of my strongest memories in elementary school is rehearsing for the annual “Learning on the Move” show. The fourth graders put on this show every year, each one focusing on something different. Our show was about food and making healthy choices. We could pick which group to be in: dancing, stage design, writing, or music. I chose music, not because I was interested in it the most, but because my best friend had picked it.

I remember the music director showing us a long row of various percussion instruments, and asking us what we thought different foods would sound like. This was not my first experience in playing an instrument, but I was a novice when it came to creating music, deciding what the music meant, and what its intent and meaning was. Granted, choosing a güiro to represent scrambled eggs was not Beethoven writing his Ninth Symphony, but it was a start.

In middle school, I joined the orchestra, taking up the cello. Freshmen year of high school, I auditioned for, and was accepted into, the regional youth symphony. More importantly, though, I took two semesters of Music Theory my sophomore year. I love playing music, but I’ve learned that I love writing it even more. Since my high school only offers Music Theory I and II, I attended a summer music camp with a program in theory and composition. I learned so much, and I’m looking forward to pursuing a major in Music Composition.

I find writing music is a way for me to express emotions and tell stories that are beyond language. Music is such a unifying force; it’s a way to communicate across languages and borders. Music has been such a large part of my life—from fourth grade and on—and studying music and music composition is a way for me to create something beautiful and share it with others.

Discussion of UC Sample Essay by Terrance

Like Angie's essay, Terrance's essay comes in at a little over 300 words. This length is perfectly appropriate assuming all of the words add substance to the narrative. When it comes to the features of a good application essay , Terrance does well and avoids common pitfalls.

For Terrance, the choice of question #6 makes sense—he fell in love with composing music, and he is entering college knowing what his major will be. If you are like many college applicants and have a wide range of interests and possible college majors, you may want to steer clear of this question.

Terrance's essay does a good job balancing humor with substance. The opening paragraph presents an entertaining vignette in which he chooses to study music based on nothing more than peer pressure. By paragraph three, we learn how that rather serendipitous introduction to music has led to something very meaningful. The final paragraph also establishes a pleasing tone with its emphasis on music as a "unifying force" and something that Terrance wants to share with others. He comes across as a passionate and generous person who will contribute to the campus community in a meaningful way.

A Final Word on Personal Insight Essays

Unlike the California State University system , the University of California schools have a holistic admissions process. The admissions officers are evaluating you as a whole person, not just as numerical data related to test scores and grades (although both are important). The Personal Insight questions are one of the primary ways the admissions officers get to know you, your personality, and your interests.

Think of each essay as an independent entity, as well as one piece of a four-essay application. Each essay should present an engaging narrative that reveals an important aspect of your life as well as explain why the topic you've chosen is important to you. When you consider all four essays in combination, they should work together to reveal the true breadth and depth of your character and interests.

• Tips for the 8 University of California Personal Insight Questions
• UC Personal Statement Prompt #1
• The Length Requirements for the Common Application Essay in 2020-21
• Addressing Diversity in a College Application Essay
• Common Application Essay Option 3 Tips: Challenging a Belief
• Should an Application Essay Be Single-Spaced or Double-Spaced?
• Tips for the Pre-2013 Personal Essay Options on the Common Application
• Common Application Essay Option 4—Gratitude
• Tips for an Admissions Essay on an Influential Person
• "Gym Class Hero" - a Common Application Essay Sample for Option #3
• Sample Common Application Essay for Option #5
• College Application Essay - The Job I Should Have Quit
• How to Write a Great College Application Essay Title
• Tips for Writing an Essay on an Event That Led to Personal Growth
• 2020-21 Common Application Essay Option 4—Solving a Problem
• 5 Tips for a College Admissions Essay on an Important Issue

The Role of Insight and Creativity in Problem-Solving Essay

The role of insight and creativity in problem-solving, the functions of reasoning, judgment, and decision-making in problem-solving.

A problem is the gap between what is expected and what is already happening. Thus, in bridging this gap, a person can generate solutions through insight in that this person strives to understand the principles, which might feed into the solutions. Here, the person begins solving the problem by considering the requirements and interrelated elements regarding the problem before seeking a common plan that might lead to the desired goal.

Therefore, direction and flexibility are important aspects in the process of insightful problem-solving because the person involved directs the steps to finding a solution through a pre-determined plan while adjusting and modifying the plan along the way (Rickards, 1997, pp. 2-6).

On the other hand, creativity in problem-solving follows a classical model, which holds that the problem-solving process entails four distinct phases including preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification. In the preparation step, the person involved in problem-solving begins by identifying the problem before gathering information regarding the possible solutions to the problem through conscious thinking.

However, solutions may not be reached during the preparation phase and therefore the person goes into the incubation phase whereby the person may give up or continue considering different aspects of the problem, and in the process, restructuring the possible solutions subconsciously. This process produces tentative solutions, which can be synthesized further in the illumination (insight) phase.

Finally, the solutions identified undergo checks, further development, and refinement during the validation phase before they are implemented (Rickards, 1997, p. 10). The whole process is cyclic in nature because if the solutions fail the verification step, one needs to start all over again. Overall, the four-step creative process is a widely accepted model in solving various problems.

Problem-solving is the process of developing the options, which guide the process of decision-making. Therefore, the first step toward solving a problem entails decision-making in which the best solution to a problem is selected from a variety of options (Lee & Arthur, 1975, p. 3). Accordingly, sound judgment and logical reasoning inform the process of decision-making and therefore, problem-solving in different aspects.

Here, judgment is defined as the ability to solve various problems when there is no right or wrong answer during the period of making decisions. Therefore, judgment is an imperative in unique situations, which require one to weigh all the factors affecting the situation before incorporating personal experience, intuitions, and various initiatives in making workable decisions.

Moreover, judgment is unique to specific situations, and thus, it is bound to change from one situation to another. As a result, it is imperative that people are trained on various ways of choosing the ingredients and other interrelated elements of problem-solving so that they are prepared to face unique situations when they arise (Lee & Arthur, 1975, pp. 5-10).

On the other hand, creative problem-solving involves the interplay of three major activities in which the interaction between visual-spatial and analytical reasoning is one of them.

Here, the two aspects of reasoning play a major role in problem-solving because creative thinking arises from visual thinking in that the visual images obtained from the surroundings through sense perception are incorporated into the process of finding solutions to problems, which are not observable in nature.

Consequently, analytical reasoning aided by visual thinking contributes to the genesis of new ideas that feed into the process of creative problem-solving (Lee & Arthur, 1975, pp. 10-23).

Lee, S.S., & Arthur, S.E. (1975). Studies of problem solving, judgment, and decision making: Implications for educational research. Review of Research Education, 3, 3-42.

Rickards, T. (1997). Creativity and problem-solving at work. Brookfield, USA: Gower Publishing Company.

• The Behavioral Aspects of Individuals in the Psychology Field
• Semantic Memory and Language Production
• Development of Creativity - Psychology
• Blood Gas Measurement Methods
• "Introduction: Problem-Solving Courts" by Jeffery Butts
• Educational Psychology in Learning and Teaching
• Knowledge Transfer and Problem Solving
• The Importance of Relapse Prevention
• Basic Functions of Memory and Language
• The Concept of Autobiographical Memory
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2019, May 18). The Role of Insight and Creativity in Problem-Solving. https://ivypanda.com/essays/problem-solving-essay/

"The Role of Insight and Creativity in Problem-Solving." IvyPanda , 18 May 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/problem-solving-essay/.

IvyPanda . (2019) 'The Role of Insight and Creativity in Problem-Solving'. 18 May.

IvyPanda . 2019. "The Role of Insight and Creativity in Problem-Solving." May 18, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/problem-solving-essay/.

1. IvyPanda . "The Role of Insight and Creativity in Problem-Solving." May 18, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/problem-solving-essay/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "The Role of Insight and Creativity in Problem-Solving." May 18, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/problem-solving-essay/.

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

• Business Essentials
• Leadership & Management
• Credential of Leadership, Impact, and Management in Business (CLIMB)
• Entrepreneurship & Innovation
• Digital Transformation
• Finance & Accounting
• Business in Society
• For Organizations
• Support Portal
• Media Coverage
• Founding Donors
• Leadership Team

• Harvard Business School →
• HBS Online →
• Business Insights →

Business Insights

Harvard Business School Online's Business Insights Blog provides the career insights you need to achieve your goals and gain confidence in your business skills.

• Career Development
• Communication
• Decision-Making
• Earning Your MBA
• Negotiation
• News & Events
• Productivity
• Staff Spotlight
• Student Profiles
• Work-Life Balance
• AI Essentials for Business
• Alternative Investments
• Business Analytics
• Business Strategy
• Business and Climate Change
• Creating Brand Value
• Design Thinking and Innovation
• Digital Marketing Strategy
• Disruptive Strategy
• Economics for Managers
• Entrepreneurial Marketing
• Entrepreneurship Essentials
• Financial Accounting
• Global Business
• Launching Tech Ventures
• Leadership Principles
• Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability
• Leading Change and Organizational Renewal
• Leading with Finance
• Management Essentials
• Negotiation Mastery
• Organizational Leadership
• Power and Influence for Positive Impact
• Strategy Execution
• Sustainable Business Strategy
• Sustainable Investing
• Winning with Digital Platforms

What Is Creative Problem-Solving & Why Is It Important?

• 01 Feb 2022

One of the biggest hindrances to innovation is complacency—it can be more comfortable to do what you know than venture into the unknown. Business leaders can overcome this barrier by mobilizing creative team members and providing space to innovate.

There are several tools you can use to encourage creativity in the workplace. Creative problem-solving is one of them, which facilitates the development of innovative solutions to difficult problems.

Here’s an overview of creative problem-solving and why it’s important in business.

Access your free e-book today.

What Is Creative Problem-Solving?

Research is necessary when solving a problem. But there are situations where a problem’s specific cause is difficult to pinpoint. This can occur when there’s not enough time to narrow down the problem’s source or there are differing opinions about its root cause.

In such cases, you can use creative problem-solving , which allows you to explore potential solutions regardless of whether a problem has been defined.

Creative problem-solving is less structured than other innovation processes and encourages exploring open-ended solutions. It also focuses on developing new perspectives and fostering creativity in the workplace . Its benefits include:

• Finding creative solutions to complex problems : User research can insufficiently illustrate a situation’s complexity. While other innovation processes rely on this information, creative problem-solving can yield solutions without it.
• Adapting to change : Business is constantly changing, and business leaders need to adapt. Creative problem-solving helps overcome unforeseen challenges and find solutions to unconventional problems.
• Fueling innovation and growth : In addition to solutions, creative problem-solving can spark innovative ideas that drive company growth. These ideas can lead to new product lines, services, or a modified operations structure that improves efficiency.

Creative problem-solving is traditionally based on the following key principles :

1. Balance Divergent and Convergent Thinking

Creative problem-solving uses two primary tools to find solutions: divergence and convergence. Divergence generates ideas in response to a problem, while convergence narrows them down to a shortlist. It balances these two practices and turns ideas into concrete solutions.

2. Reframe Problems as Questions

By framing problems as questions, you shift from focusing on obstacles to solutions. This provides the freedom to brainstorm potential ideas.

3. Defer Judgment of Ideas

When brainstorming, it can be natural to reject or accept ideas right away. Yet, immediate judgments interfere with the idea generation process. Even ideas that seem implausible can turn into outstanding innovations upon further exploration and development.

4. Focus on "Yes, And" Instead of "No, But"

Using negative words like "no" discourages creative thinking. Instead, use positive language to build and maintain an environment that fosters the development of creative and innovative ideas.

Creative Problem-Solving and Design Thinking

Whereas creative problem-solving facilitates developing innovative ideas through a less structured workflow, design thinking takes a far more organized approach.

Design thinking is a human-centered, solutions-based process that fosters the ideation and development of solutions. In the online course Design Thinking and Innovation , Harvard Business School Dean Srikant Datar leverages a four-phase framework to explain design thinking.

The four stages are:

• Clarify: The clarification stage allows you to empathize with the user and identify problems. Observations and insights are informed by thorough research. Findings are then reframed as problem statements or questions.
• Ideate: Ideation is the process of coming up with innovative ideas. The divergence of ideas involved with creative problem-solving is a major focus.
• Develop: In the development stage, ideas evolve into experiments and tests. Ideas converge and are explored through prototyping and open critique.
• Implement: Implementation involves continuing to test and experiment to refine the solution and encourage its adoption.

Creative problem-solving primarily operates in the ideate phase of design thinking but can be applied to others. This is because design thinking is an iterative process that moves between the stages as ideas are generated and pursued. This is normal and encouraged, as innovation requires exploring multiple ideas.

Creative Problem-Solving Tools

While there are many useful tools in the creative problem-solving process, here are three you should know:

Creating a Problem Story

One way to innovate is by creating a story about a problem to understand how it affects users and what solutions best fit their needs. Here are the steps you need to take to use this tool properly.

1. Identify a UDP

Create a problem story to identify the undesired phenomena (UDP). For example, consider a company that produces printers that overheat. In this case, the UDP is "our printers overheat."

2. Move Forward in Time

To move forward in time, ask: “Why is this a problem?” For example, minor damage could be one result of the machines overheating. In more extreme cases, printers may catch fire. Don't be afraid to create multiple problem stories if you think of more than one UDP.

3. Move Backward in Time

To move backward in time, ask: “What caused this UDP?” If you can't identify the root problem, think about what typically causes the UDP to occur. For the overheating printers, overuse could be a cause.

Following the three-step framework above helps illustrate a clear problem story:

• The printer is overused.
• The printer overheats.
• The printer breaks down.

You can extend the problem story in either direction if you think of additional cause-and-effect relationships.

4. Break the Chains

By this point, you’ll have multiple UDP storylines. Take two that are similar and focus on breaking the chains connecting them. This can be accomplished through inversion or neutralization.

• Inversion: Inversion changes the relationship between two UDPs so the cause is the same but the effect is the opposite. For example, if the UDP is "the more X happens, the more likely Y is to happen," inversion changes the equation to "the more X happens, the less likely Y is to happen." Using the printer example, inversion would consider: "What if the more a printer is used, the less likely it’s going to overheat?" Innovation requires an open mind. Just because a solution initially seems unlikely doesn't mean it can't be pursued further or spark additional ideas.
• Neutralization: Neutralization completely eliminates the cause-and-effect relationship between X and Y. This changes the above equation to "the more or less X happens has no effect on Y." In the case of the printers, neutralization would rephrase the relationship to "the more or less a printer is used has no effect on whether it overheats."

Even if creating a problem story doesn't provide a solution, it can offer useful context to users’ problems and additional ideas to be explored. Given that divergence is one of the fundamental practices of creative problem-solving, it’s a good idea to incorporate it into each tool you use.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a tool that can be highly effective when guided by the iterative qualities of the design thinking process. It involves openly discussing and debating ideas and topics in a group setting. This facilitates idea generation and exploration as different team members consider the same concept from multiple perspectives.

Hosting brainstorming sessions can result in problems, such as groupthink or social loafing. To combat this, leverage a three-step brainstorming method involving divergence and convergence :

• Have each group member come up with as many ideas as possible and write them down to ensure the brainstorming session is productive.
• Continue the divergence of ideas by collectively sharing and exploring each idea as a group. The goal is to create a setting where new ideas are inspired by open discussion.
• Begin the convergence of ideas by narrowing them down to a few explorable options. There’s no "right number of ideas." Don't be afraid to consider exploring all of them, as long as you have the resources to do so.

Alternate Worlds

The alternate worlds tool is an empathetic approach to creative problem-solving. It encourages you to consider how someone in another world would approach your situation.

For example, if you’re concerned that the printers you produce overheat and catch fire, consider how a different industry would approach the problem. How would an automotive expert solve it? How would a firefighter?

Be creative as you consider and research alternate worlds. The purpose is not to nail down a solution right away but to continue the ideation process through diverging and exploring ideas.

Continue Developing Your Skills

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, marketer, or business leader, learning the ropes of design thinking can be an effective way to build your skills and foster creativity and innovation in any setting.

If you're ready to develop your design thinking and creative problem-solving skills, explore Design Thinking and Innovation , one of our online entrepreneurship and innovation courses. If you aren't sure which course is the right fit, download our free course flowchart to determine which best aligns with your goals.

About the Author