What's the adjective for heuristics? Here's the word you're looking for.
heuristic
(of an approach to problem solving, learning, or discovery) That employs a practical method not guaranteed to be optimal or perfect; not following or derived from any theory. [from 1821]
(computing) That solves a problem more quickly but is not certain to arrive at an optimal solution.
(of an argument) That reasons from the value of a method or principle that has been shown by experimental investigation to be a useful aid in learning, discovery and problem-solving.
“Since the drivers' response choice is limited by impediments to problem-solving and conditioning, it is apparent that they were using a heuristic approach to their decision-making.”
