What is the role of experimentation in analytical problem solving?

1 Why experiment?

Experimentation is not only a technique used by scientists or engineers, but a mindset and a skill that can be utilized by anyone to enhance their analytical problem solving. Experimentation can assist in exploring different possibilities and alternatives, validating or invalidating assumptions and hypotheses, and learning from mistakes. Furthermore, experimentation can be used to innovate and create novel solutions that meet goals and criteria. Ultimately, experimentation helps to avoid confirmation bias or jumping to conclusions while uncovering new insights and opportunities.

3 What to experiment with?

Experimentation is not only for physical or tangible products or prototypes, but also for intangible or abstract concepts or processes. You can explore various aspects of your problem or solution, such as variables, parameters, scenarios, and methods. Variables refer to the factors or elements that can affect or be affected by your solution, such as features, functions, components, inputs, outputs, etc. Parameters refer to the values or ranges that define the variables, such as size, shape, color, speed, duration, frequency, etc. Scenarios refer to the situations or contexts in which your solution will be used or applied, such as users, customers, environments, conditions, events, etc. Methods refer to the techniques or tools that you will use to implement or test your solution, such as algorithms, models, frameworks, software, hardware, etc.

4 How to experiment effectively?

Experimentation is an iterative and cyclical process that necessitates ongoing learning and improvement. To experiment efficiently, you should plan ahead and set clear and achievable objectives that are in line with your problem and goals. You must also be flexible and able to adjust or modify your experiments based on the results you obtain. Additionally, you should be creative, curious, critical, objective, collaborative, and communicative. Being creative means trying new things and questioning your assumptions. Being critical and objective means avoiding bias or errors in your experiments. Being collaborative and communicative means sharing your experiments with others and seeking feedback.

5 How to experiment ethically?

Experimentation is not a neutral or harmless process, but a responsible and accountable one that can have positive or negative impacts on yourself and others. To experiment ethically, you must consider the potential risks and benefits of your experiments in comparison to your goals and criteria, as well as respect the rights and interests of people or entities involved or affected by your experiments. Additionally, you should follow relevant laws and regulations, document and report your experiments and results accurately and transparently, acknowledge sources and contributions of others, evaluate and reflect on outcomes, and learn from successes and failures.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?