What Are Heuristics and What Are They Used For

Heuristics are mental shortcuts or rules of thumb that people use to make decisions, solve problems, or make judgments quickly and efficiently. They are often based on experience, intuition, or common sense, and they allow individuals to simplify complex situations and reach conclusions without extensive deliberation or analysis.

The Problem with Traditional Heuristics: Traditional heuristics are often manually curated—a time-consuming, labour-intensive process. They also tend to be rigid and less adaptable to new problems or variations within a problem domain.

Key characteristics of heuristics include:

  1. Simplification: Heuristics reduce the