Learning How to Apply Algorithmic Design and Data Structures

When I first started learning to code, I had no clue what people meant by algorithmic design or data structures. But as I’ve gone through this course, I’ve started to understand that these are basically just the building blocks for writing smarter, more efficient programs.

What Is Algorithmic Design?

Algorithmic design is all about planning how a problem will be solved step by step before you write the actual code. It’s like mapping out a route before a road trip. For example, if you need to search for something in a list, should you use a simple linear search or a faster binary search? If the list is short, linear might be fine. But if it’s long and sorted, binary search will get you the answer much faster.

What Are Data Structures?

Data structures are how you organize and store information in your program. Some examples are arrays, linked lists, stacks, queues, trees, and hash maps. Each one is good for different situations. For example, a linked list makes it easy to insert or remove elements without shifting everything like in an array. A stack works great for problems where you need to "undo" actions, like in a back button or calculator.

Why It Matters

Some designs are definitely better than others, depending on what you're trying to do. If you're constantly searching for data, a hash map might be better than a list. If you're navigating a hierarchy, a tree might be the way to go. Choosing the right structure saves time, memory, and a lot of frustration.

Now that I understand these concepts better, I plan my code more intentionally and avoid writing something that works but runs slow. For anyone just starting out, this really helps.

Reference

Weiss, M. A. (2014). Data structures and algorithm analysis in Java (3rd ed.). Pearson Education.