Solve Everyday Problems Creatively

Barry Nalebuff and Ian Ayres are two Yale University Professors who came up with “The Why Not” game based on their book “Why Not?: How to Use Everyday Ingenuity to Solve Problems Big And Small”. They argue that most original ideas are the result of two basic things:

• Problems in search of solutions; and
• Solutions in search of problems.

The game consists of coming up with one or two dozen “Problems in search of Solutions” and/or “Solutions in Search of Problems”.  For example, you can look for real problems in the world of business (“How could AAA improve it’s business?”), or government (“How can the IRS improve its ability to detect tax evaders?”) or everyday life (“How could we induce more polite driving behavior?”).

Instead of coming up with problems to find a solution for, you can take existing solutions to problems and find a new application.  For example: “What other problems might the needle exchange idea solve?” or “What other problems might the 15% tipping norm solve?”.  In case you can’t come up with problems to solve or with solutions to problems you can apply in other areas, you can download problems by clicking here.  (As an aside, if you come up with good solutions to the problems posed by others on the “Why Not” web site, you can post your solution and they will be automatically emailed to the original questioner.)

Once you have your collection of problems to be solved, fold them up and place them in a bowl.  Each player should also be given paper and pen which they can use to write down their answers.  Then, someone randomly draws a piece of paper from the bowl and a timer is set for 5 minutes; during this time everyone has to write down their best answer to the problem selected. Each proposal is then read aloud and the players vote for the best answer.

This game is a great way to get into the habit of actively looking for creative solutions to the everyday problems that are all around us.  Below you will find some examples of how creativity can solve routine, everyday problems.

Create a Business to Solve a Problem You’ve Identified

In his book, “The Million-Dollar Idea in Everyone: Easy New Ways to Make Money from Your Interests, Insights, and Inventions”, Mike Collins uses Laura Cunitz as an example of someone who saw an everyday problems and found a creative way to solve it. Laura had taken a part time job in her local knitting shop and she noticed that customers would come into the shop thinking about a specific project they wanted to make, such as a hat, purse, or sweater. However, the store owners only carried items that they felt were core to the business, such as yarn, needles, and pattern books. This meant the customer had to visit several stores to gather all of the items necessary for her project.

Laura created an online knitting store called Bella Knitting where she creates imaginative projects and offers visitors everything they need to create each project: including all of the necessary materials as well as how-to tutorials and videos.  In fact, she allows other knitters to submit their own projects, which she then licenses and pays them a royalty.  Knitters can always find something interesting to create at Bella Knitting and they can buy everything they need at the web site’s store.

Moms Are Natural Problem Solvers

“The Mom Inventors Handbook: How to Turn Your Great Idea into the Next Big Thing”, written by Tamara Monosoff, is a very detailed, hands-on guide for taking an invention from idea to reality. Tamara is an award-winning inventor and the founder and CEO of Mom Inventors, Inc. In her book she explains that moms are natural problem solvers and are always coming up with clever gizmos to solve everyday problems. For example, in “The Mom Inventors Handbook” she talks about a mom whose 10 month old daughter had started unrolling the toilet paper and clogging up the toilet. So she came up with a simple device that prevents small children and pets from unrolling the toilet paper. In this same way, there are lots of moms out there who could easily come up with creative devices lots of people could use.

To further illustrate how simple problems can be solved creatively, one of Tamara’s inventions is “Shoe Clues”, which are high quality stickers made of silicon with patented adhesive which are applied to the inside of the shoe heel. They help children reinforce “Left” and “Right” learning, and enable them to be self sufficient and put their shoes on by themselves.

American Inventor

In the now-canceled TV show “American Inventor”, inventor wannabes competed for a one million dollar prize.  One of the competitors created a bicycle that adds a safe seat to the front of the bike where another person can sit, instead of riding on the handles of the bicycle as is the usual practice for many kids.  Another competitor created a simple device you can use to keep the door in place when you go into a public restroom and the latch on the door is broken; she even included a hook to easily hang up your purse while you’re in the restroom, in case the stall doesn’t have one.  Although neither of these inventions won, they were both clever ways to solve everyday problems.

Conclusion

As you can see from the discussion above, creativity isn’t just for artists, writers, and musicians.  Anyone can benefit from being more creative: you can apply your creative solving abilities to start a new business, to license your inventions and earn royalties, or to solve everyday, run-of-the-mill problems.  So start playing the “Why Not Game” and get your creativity muscles in shape.

photo credit: Mika Hiironniemi

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• Using Creativity to Double Your Way to a Million Dollars
• 18 Ways to Be Uber Creative

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