How can you improve problem solving skills as a freelance product designer?

It is said that if problem defined correctly than the half work is done already. The important aspect is the many users do not know the exact problem and they may tell their perspective which may not be the exact problem. It is the designer's job to extract the exact problem statement from the user's feedback.

I agree, there is nothing more important than understanding the problem itself. The more work you put up front in defining the issues, identifying the impact, outlining the risks versus benefits, the better outcomes you will achieve at the end. Taking the time to understand the current state before implementing any changes is extremely valuable.

The most underrated thing about generating ideas is thinking poles apart and, or bringing ideas from different fields to solve problems in your area. - Designers can start with the ideas they have seen or found in other fields. - Bring the most weird and contrasting solutions (again, find working solutions in other fields so we don't have to think.) - Now, narrow it down to fit in your product. - Repeat until you find the right idea.

In my experience, some research before generating ideas makes the whole difference in the quality of the ideas you are generating as a designer. Humans learn by associating patterns, there's no need to reinvent patterns that have already been learned, sometimes the problem has already been solved by another industry, and sometimes users themselves know the solution. So before going crazy on generating ideas, get your head above the water and look at the world around you.

After Brainstorming, or getting random Idea we will move to the workable Idea, which is most suitable for our problem, like if your cycle is not moving fast that means you are not paddling with lot of effort but there may other reasons also, like sprocket bearing is not grease well, there is dirt in paddle creating more frication, air in cycle wheel tube is less or any puncher, or any then go to solutions like what can be done to resolve it. after that according to problem define you can evaluate your idea like we can buy an air pump or go to nearby shop to refill air in bicycle likewise as per problem and select one.

Al evaluar alternativas, resulta crucial analizar sus ventajas y desventajas. Cada alternativa trae consigo beneficios potenciales y, posiblemente, desafíos. Reconocer y comunicar claramente estas implicaciones es crucial, ya que la elección de una opción conlleva la aceptación de sus consecuencias, tanto positivas como negativas. Adicionalmente, considero fundamental incluir en el proceso de selección a quienes la decisión afectará directamente, como el equipo, los clientes o los stakeholders. Mi recomendación es poner todas las alternativas disponibles en la mesa, contextualizar sus implicaciones y sugerir la más adecuada. De esta forma, se puede tomar una decisión de manera colectiva y bien informada.

Like every problem in day-to-day work or even in engineering final result matter as best suited idea can be finally implemented. So after analyzing and approval on all below steps 1. Cost 2. Value 3. Time 4. Quality then move forward and implement, NOTE your results as permanent memory like in Paper or Digital

The method and timeframe you use for testing can depend on the maturity of your product. If you're just starting out with a new concept, you may not have a user base to test with. Make sure you've done enough exploratory research and user interviews to validate the idea. Thereafter, use best practices and assumptions to launch an MVP, and then have your product be tested by your first batch of users; then reach out to them for feedback. If you do have users to test with, make sure you set up your research documentation in a way that allows for quick note-taking, organized and standardized questions and tests, and an effective way to analyze findings.

Finally it's time to go through of all your memory before facing other similar problems. Your memory for results and method is the learning with the problem given. Go through you result to save and add on above 4 points. Repeating with the same results means defined problem should be same, if problem is different now you know the method.

To improve problem-solving skills as a freelance product designer, work on diverse projects, understand user needs, define problems clearly, ideate and prototype, seek feedback, stay informed, collaborate, manage time efficiently, and continuously learn and network.

To improve the problem solving skills, one just need to do these; - Fully understand the customer not just the user - and their problems And then only a designer can provide the solution.

You can only get smarter by playing a smarter opponent. In this case it means take on complex non-client related projects and work on them a lot. Work it and occasionally walk away only to return to them later on. That is how I started.