Creativity Techniques - wot i lurned in kya hai

This is a summary of the Creative Technique Cards I bring to Playgroup. I've posted it here rather than on PGblog because I need to show Soumitri that I have it, and I don't want to overload the PGblog either. If I can work out how to backlink, I'll do that.

I have tried not to expand on any of the techniques more than was written on my cards. That's because I wrote the cards when the studio was fresh in my mind, and i was working through my notebook while i did it. If i try to elaborate now, I'm afraid I'll overdefine the concepts (see "Lucy Church Amiably").
Playgroup has collected many more techniques (I'm still waiting to find out what mind-bottling is) and we keep trying out new ones. The hardest thing is finishing a technique. They're fun to play with, but we're starting to get a bit frustrated with not having outcomes. I've tried hatting the MX, and perhaps it would be good to start using current affairs as complex problems? It will all grow and change over time anyway, i'm sure we'll have plenty of use for the techniques once uni starts again.
I'm expect that my explanation of these techniques will be quite amusing to Soumitri, because i think they've been re-interpreted a few times between his brain and mine, changing context and meaning through discussion like Chinese Whispers. I don't see that as a deterioration. If a technique has changed but it works in some way, then it's a technique. If it's so bound up by context and restrictions as to be useless to all but pedants, then I don't consider it to be a creativity technique at all - rather, it's a ritual.

Actor Network Theory

As far as i can understand, this approach regards all objects as having the same importance in a network as people. Playgroup did a lot more research on this when I raised the question with them. I thank Not Ben for this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actor_network_theory

Backcasting

imagining future scenarios and then working out milestones on a timeline to indicate how we would get from our current situation to the future one. The 3 types of future scenarios could be described as

• idealistic
• business as usual
• mad max

Bionics and Analogy

sidewinder snake http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidewinder_(snake) informs the development of a missile. It's not all doom, velcro is another example. Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomimicry to feel happier.

Also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analogy *i love wiki*

Blimp

create tiny changes; you don't need to have the answers to act

Eight Categories

Can you divide a scenario into 8 equal categories? Use a pie chart similar to the Spider diagram, but forget the smaller circles. The only time i tried this, we couldn't get the categories down to 8 equal ones because we were talikng about types of designers, and no-one could agree. Maybe that's the point - to show which problems are complex and can't be broken down neatly into packages.

Form Development

• elsewhere - setting the origin for a line or centrepoint of an arc off the page you're drawing on, and then using those lines to inform the shape
• flow - erm, i can't remember, because I didn't use this technique. Rugrollers, can you help??
• primaries - using only primary shapes to develop the form: not just a composite of blocks, but also using the shapes to cut away sections of the form

IDEO Brainstorming

(as experienced by ME at the masterclass with David Webster in April 05)

• search for your problem: observe, talk to people, take notes and photos. Work in a team to do this
• write each idea or observation down, and pin them up
• sort and re-sort observations into themes or categories
• choose categories supported by largest number of observations
• brainstorm possible solutions - How can We Make this Better for the people who are having this experience?
• vote on your 3 favourite ideas
• choose one to work on in a small group
• make a mock-up and act out the story of using it

Lucy Church Amiably

defining words and meanings restricts them and their possibilities of use

Questioning Technique

• what is the problem?
• why is it like this?
• what else could it be?
• what should it be?

Scenarios

• prerequisites: what happened before?
• personas: who is involved?
• activities: what is happening?
• results: what is the end-state of the scenario?

6 Hats

Edward de Bono, not originally from Kya Hai but I ended up using it for the laptop adoption work. Approach a scenario wearing a specific hat to use a specific mindset:

• red = intuitive
• green = creative
• yellow = positive
• black = negative
• white = investigative
• blue = connective (?) /how do you organise the thinking for this scenario

Spider diagram

3 concentric circles divided into 8 equal wedges by lines. Each line represents something different and perhaps opposing, such as cultural capital, self-confidence, creativity or project management. The smallest circle is the least, the largest the most. Identify where on the diagram your abilities in each of the 8 aspects lie. Then identify where you would like them to lie. This is a great self-mapping tool when used repeatedly.

SWOT

self-reflective practice: identify your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats

There Is No Problem

we have situation A; we want to have situation B - and we don't need expert opinions

What is the Question?

simple, i know, but often overlooked