CCT-Module Chapter-12 Angadanan

Module in Critical and Creative Thinking 1

Module
in
Critical & Creative Thinking
CCT is a course designed for the development of critical and creative thinking
skills among students. It uses the design thinking process as a platform for
meaningful and effective innovation and entrepreneurship.
CCT is offered in three modalities for students: The traditional 2 unit course (1
unit lecture and 1 unit laboratory (innovation lab) that guides students in the exercise
of CCT as they pursue specific problem solutions over the regular 18-week semester.
An alternative modality is for the student to participate in a 14-day Social

Innovation Program. Students enrolled in this modality are expected to engaged in
practical innovation projects through community immersion. In the process they are
trained to apply design thinking concepts and processes to engage in co-creation
activities with these communities in order to design solution to their needs. This
approach engages students in critical thinking and practice the use of variety of
creative thinking techniques as tools for innovation.
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the course, the students should be able to:
a. define and identify the functions and features of Critical Thinking;

b. differentiate Creative and Critical Thinking;
c. identify Critical Thinking Barriers in real life situations;
d. appreciate the significance of Creative and Critical Thinking in different
settings;
e. write a reflection on tasks performed to explain how the elements of
critical thinking are applied;
f. demonstrate critical thinking attitudes and skills in a given problem
situation requiring collaborative approaches;
g. demonstrate the application of design thinking process on building
emphatic understanding of users in authentic problem situations;
h. present research results outputs on USER Persona and write the final
USER PERSONA;
i. produce design solution proposal, present, and finalize the same;
j. put up a product design proposal with prototype for presentation and
feedbacking, and
k. produce final prototype of written report.
Chapter I: CRITICAL THINKING

This chapter provides a general orientation to critical thinking. It examines what is
meant by “critical thinking”, the attitudes, knowledge and skills associated with it, and
the barriers that can hinder effective development of critical approaches. Many people
can find it difficult to order their thoughts in a logical, consistent, and reasoned way.
Critical thinking is a cognitive activity, associated with using the mind. Learning to
think in critically analytical and evaluative ways means using mental processes suc as
attention, categorization, selection and judgment. However many people who have
the potential to develop more effective critical thinking can be prevented from doing
so for a variety of reasons apart from a lack of ability. This chapter also considers
how far the barriers affect our own thinking abilities and how will overcome or offset
this.
Learning Outcomes
This Chapter aims the students to:

 define and identify the functions and features of Critical Thinking;
 differentiate Creative and Critical Thinking;
 identify Critical and Thinking barriers in real life situations, and
 write a reflection on tasks performed to explain how the elements of
critical thinking are applied.
Learning Content:
 Critical Thinking and Knowledge,Attitudes and Skills
 Barriers to Critical Thinking Process
1. Please write down what you (the reader) think the phrase ‘critical
thinking’means. You will have heard different uses of the phrase in various
contexts, so pull together what makes sense to you from those uses. Even if
you have very little idea, do the best you can. At this stage there are no right
or wrong answers. Your answer is for you alone - so that you can compare it
with what we are about to tell you.
CRITICAL THINKING, KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND SKILLS
T erms to
Ponder
• Critical Thinking
 A complex process of deliberation which involves a wide range of skills

and attitudes.
 The objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a
judgment.
 Is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully
conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/ or evaluating
information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience,
reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.
• Knowledge
 Biblically, the word is a spiritual gift listed in 1 Corinthians 12:8. It has
been associated with the ability to teach the faith, but also with forms or
revelation similar to prophecy. It is closely related to another spiritual gift,
the word of wisdom.

 Facts, information and skills acquired by a person through experience or
education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject.
 Awareness or familiarity gained by experience of a fact or situation.
 Familiarity, awareness or understanding of someone or something, such
as facts, information, descriptions, or skills, which is acquired through
experience or education by perceiving, discovering, or learning.
• Attitude
 A settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically
one that is reflected in a person’s behavior.
 Manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a person or
thing; tendency or orientation, especially of the mind.
 A feeling or opinion about something or someone, or a way of behaving.
• Skills
 The ability to do something
 The ability to use one’s knowledge effectively and readily in execution or
performance
 Dexterity or coordination especially in the execution of learned physical
tasked.
 Learned power of doing something competently, a developed aptitude or
ability language skills.
Note :*knowledge refers to factual information and theoretical concept while a
*skill refers to the ability to apply knowledge to specific situation
Going Deeper With The Critical Thinking

Basing from the first definition of critical thinking which stated a complex
process of deliberation which involves a wide range of skills and attitudes.
This includes the following:
 Identifying other people’s positions, arguments and conclusions;
 Evaluating evidence for alternative points of view;
 Weighing up opposing arguments and evidence fairly;
 Being able to read between the lines, seeing behind surfaces, and
identifying false or unfair assumptions;
 Recognizing techniques used to make certain positions more
appealing than others, such as false logic and persuasive devices;
 Reflecting on issues in a structured way, bringing logic and insight
to bear;
 Drawing conclusions about whether arguments are valid and
justifiable, based on good evidence and sensible assumptions; and
 Presenting a point of view in a structured, clear well- reasoned way
that convinces others.
Take a Close Look
Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally about what to do or
what to believe. It includes the ability to engage in reflective and independent
thinking. Someone with critical thinking skills is able to do the following:
• understand the logical connections between ideas

• identify, construct and evaluate arguments detect inconsistencies and
common mistakes in reasoning
• solve problems systematically
• identify the relevance and importance of ideas
• reflect on the justification of one's own beliefs and values
Critical thinking is not a matter of accumulating information. A person with a good
memory and who knows a lot of facts is not necessarily good at critical thinking. A
critical thinker is able to deduce consequences from what he knows, and he knows
how to make use of information to solve problems, and to seek relevant sources of
information to inform himself.
Critical thinking should not be confused with being argumentative or being critical
of other people. Although critical thinking skills can be used in exposing fallacies and
bad reasoning, critical thinking can also play an important role in cooperative
reasoning and constructive tasks. Critical thinking can help us acquire knowledge,
improve our theories, and strengthen arguments. We can use critical thinking to
enhance work processes and improve social institutions.
Some people believe that critical thinking hinders creativity because it requires
following the rules of logic and rationality, but creativity might require breaking rules.
This is a misconception. Critical thinking is quite compatible with thinking "out-of-the-
box", challenging consensus and pursuing less popular approaches. If anything,
critical thinking is an essential part of creativity because we need critical thinking to
evaluate and improve our creative ideas.
The Importance of critical thinking
Critical thinking is a domain-general thinking skill. The ability to think clearly and
rationally is important whatever we choose to do. If you work in education, research,
finance, management or the legal profession, then critical thinking is obviously
important. But critical thinking skills are not restricted to a particular subject area.
Being able to think well and solve problems systematically is an asset for any career.
Critical thinking is very important in the new knowledge economy. The global
knowledge economy is driven by information and technology. One has to be able to
deal with changes quickly and effectively. The new economy places increasing
demands on flexible intellectual skills, and the ability to analyse information and
integrate diverse sources of knowledge in solving problems. Good critical thinking
promotes such thinking skills, and is very important in the fast-changing workplace.
Critical thinking enhances language and presentation skills. Thinking clearly and
systematically can improve the way we express our ideas. In learning how to analyse
the logical structure of texts, critical thinking also improves comprehension abilities.
Critical thinking promotes creativity. To come up with a creative solution to a

problem involves not just having new ideas. It must also be the case that the new
ideas being generated are useful and relevant to the task at hand. Critical thinking
plays a crucial role in evaluating new ideas, selecting the best ones and modifying
them if necessary
Critical thinking is crucial for self-reflection. In order to live a meaningful life and
to structure our lives accordingly, we need to justify and reflect on our values and
decisions. Critical thinking provides the tools for this process of self-evaluation.
Good critical thinking is the foundation of science and democracy. Science

requires the critical use of reason in experimentation and theory confirmation. The
proper functioning of a liberal democracy requires citizens who can think critically
about social issues to inform their judgments about proper governance and to
overcome biases and prejudice.
The future of critical thinking

In January 2016, the World Economic Forum issued a report "The Future of
Jobs". It says:
The Fourth Industrial Revolution, which includes developments in previously

disjointed fields such as artificial intelligence and machine-learning, robotics,
nanotechnology, 3-D printing, and genetics and biotechnology, will cause widespread
disruption not only to business models but also to labour markets over the next five
years, with enormous change predicted in the skill sets needed to thrive in the new
landscape.
The top three skills that supposed to be most relevant are thinking skills related to
critical thinking, creativity, and their practical application. These are the cognitive skills
that our website focuses on. (2004-2020, Joe Lau & Jonathan Chan)
Benefits of Critical Thinking Skills

Good critical thinking skills bring numerous benefits such as:
 improved attention and observation
 more focused reading
 improve ability to identify the key points in a text or other message rather than
becoming distracted by less important material
 knowledge of how to get your own point across more easily
 Skills of analysis that you can choose to apply in a variety of situations.
Some of the different skills developed in Critical thinking are the so called Ancillary
skills, which includes the following:
 Observation
 Reasoning
 Decision- making
 Analysis
 Judgement
 Persuasion
Critical Thinking and Knowledge
What does our knowledge have to do with critical thinking?
The bigger problem is that critical thinking varies so much. “Critical thinking is
needed when playing chess, designing a product, or planning strategy for a field
hockey match,” Willingham wrote. “But there are no routine, reusable solutions for
these problems.”

And this is where content knowledge becomes important. In order to compare
and contrast, the brain has to hold ideas in working memory, which can easily be
overloaded. The more familiar a student is with a particular topic, the easier it is for
the student to hold those ideas in his working memory and really think. Willingham
uses chess as a good example. Once a student has a played a lot of chess, then he
has many board positions memorized in his brain and can sort through which one is
better in each particular circumstance.
Willingham says that the scientific research shows that it’s very hard to evaluate
an author’s claim if you don’t have background knowledge in the subject. “If you lack
background knowledge about the topic, ample evidence from the last 40 years
indicates you will not comprehend the author’s claims in the first place,” (Willingham,
2017)
Critical Thinking and Skills
What do skills have to do with critical thinking?
Knowledge of logic (good reasoning) is not sufficient to guarantee that we are

actually able to reason well in day to day life. Critical thinking is not thought to be
completely divorced from reality. It is thought that we should not only want to know
facts about logic, but also want to be skilled in actually reasoning well in day to day
life. Knowing what it means to reason well can help us actually reason well, but it is
not enough. Practice is needed to help improve our critical thinking skills. Various
exercises given in critical thinking classes (e.g. to interpret arguments and identify
unstated premises) give us an opportunity to apply our knowledge of logic and help us
learn how to better apply logic to various unique contexts. We can continue to do
these exercises outside the classroom and continue to become more skilled as a
result.
Critical Thinking and Attitude
What does our attitude have to do with critical thinking?
A person can have the knowledge and skill that enables them to reason well, but
that doesn’t mean that she will actually reason well. The person with a critical thinking
attitude will actually be willing to reason well. (Some people have this attitude more
than others.) We could generally say that a person with the critical thinking attitude
wants to believe whatever is likely true and is interested in finding out which beliefs
are best supported by the information currently available. A critical thinking attitude is
related to the motivation to try to reason well, but it can also motivate an attempt to
use various strategies to overcome personal limitations. For example, a person with
the critical thinking attitude should also realize everyone suffers from cognitive biases
that often make reasoning alone inadequate, so she should sometimes be willing to
make her reasoning publically known to others who can help find errors in her
reasoning process. (See “Cognitive Bias & Informal Fallacies” for more information.)
Additionally, a person with the critical thinking attitude should often rely on the
expertise of others rather than to try to assess all arguments on her own because
expertise is often required to properly evaluate an argument. (A snake oil salesman
might persuade many non-experts that her medical product can cure various ills, but it
is unlikely to persuade a medical scientist.)

BARRIERS TO CRITICAL THINKING
Barriers of critical thinking vary from people to people but with right traits this can
be overcome. Here are some of the barriers to critical thinking.
1. Misunderstanding of what is meant by criticism

 Some people assume that criticism means making negative
comments. As a result, they refer only to negative aspects when
making an analysis. This is a misunderstanding of the term. As
we saw above, critical evaluation means identifying positive as
well as negative aspects, what works as well as what does not.
Some people will be upset and discourage because they taking
it as negative but actually there are constructive criticism that
help people to excel.
2. Over- estimating our own reasoning abilities
 Most of us like to think of ourselves as rational beings and we
tend to believe our own belief systems are the best and that we
have good reasons for what we do and think. Sometimes
overestimating own abilities leads to inefficiency, for example
generally you are not good in reasoning but because of too
much self- belief you are keep on making bad decisions.
3. Lack of Methods, Strategies or Practice
 Although willing to be more critical, some people don’t know
which steps to take next in order to improve their critical thinking
skills. Others are unaware that strategies used for study at
school and in everyday situations are not sufficiently rigorous
for higher- level academic thinking and professional work. With
practice, most people can develop their skills in critical thinking.
4. Reluctant to Critique Experts
There can be a natural anxiety about critically analysing texts
or other works by people that you respect. It can seem strange
for students who know little about their subject, to be asked to
critique works by those who are clearly more experienced. It
may help to bear in mind that this is part of the way teaching
works in most English- speaking universities. Critical analysis is
a typical and expected activity. If you are confident in critical
thinking bear in mind that there are others who find this
difficult.
5. Affective reasons
 Emotional self- management can play important role in critical
thinking. To critique means being able to acknowledge that
there is more than one way of looking at an issue. When we are
distressed by what we are learning, the emotional response
may help to focus our thinking but very often it can also
undermine an argument, but it can also undermine an
argument, especially if emotion seems to take place of the
reasoning and evidence that could convince others. Critical
thinking does not mean that you must abandon beliefs that are
important to you. It may mean giving more consideration to the
evidence that supports the arguments based on those beliefs,
so that you do justice to your point of view.
6. Mistaking information for understanding
 Learning is a process that develops understanding and insights.
Many lecturers set activities to develop expertise in methods
used within the discipline. However students can misunderstand
the purpose of such teaching methods, preferring facts and
answers rather than learning the skills that help them to make
well- founded judgments for themselves.
 Cowell, Keeley, Shemberg and Zinnbauer (1995) write about
students natural resistance to learning to think critically which
can mean acquiring new learning behaviors. Cowell et’al outline
the problem through the following dialogue:
• Student: I want you (Teacher) to give me answers to
the questions; I want to know the right answer.
• Teacher: I want you to become critical thinkers, which
means I want you to challenge experts’ answers and
pursue your own answers through active questioning.
This means lots of hard work.
 If you feel that critical thinking is hard work at times, then you
are right. There are lecturers who would agree with you.
However, if it wasn’t difficult, you would not be developing your
thinking skills into new areas. In effect, you are developing your
mental muscle when you improve your critical thinking skills.
7. Insufficient focus and attention
 Critical thinking involves precision and accuracy and this, in
turn, requires good attention to detail. Poor criticism can result
from making judgments based on too general an overview of
the subject matter. Critical thinking activities require focus on
exact task in hand, rather than becoming distracted by other
interesting tangents. When critically evaluating arguments, it is
important to remember that you can find an argument to be
good or effective even if you don’t agree.
ASSESSMENT TASK
Activity 1:
Choose from Topic/issue 1 and 2. Write 200-500 words reflection paper by
answering the questions. Base your writings in the given rubric for a more
comprehensive discussion.
Topic/Issue 1: Social media

Curriculum relation: Using statistics
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIFYPQjYhv8
QUESTIONS:
•How does social media affect you on a daily basis?
•In your future ideal career, how could you see yourself or your company using social
media?
•When you are reading a study (or statistics) what types of questions should you be
asking? Did any of the statistics in this video not seem right to you? Why?
•Do we let technology take over our “real” communication, or is communication just
changing?
•How is social media changing business?
•How is social media changing education?
Topic/Issue 2: Workplace motivation

Curriculum relation: Cause/Effect Essay
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc
QUESTIONS:
•What causes you to be motivated at work?
•What causes you to be motivated to go to school and to do your school work?
•When you work hard, what are the effects?(Whether at a job or at school).
•What are the effects or results of rewards on people? What about on yourself?
•What are the effects of punishments on people in jobs? In school?
•What are the possible effects of going all the way through college and graduating?
JOURNAL WRITING RUBRIC

Poor (1) Okay (2) Good (3) Excellent (4)
Knowledge/Understandi Presents Presents some Presents Presents

ng Information and Ideas incomplete accurate information accurate information accurate information
or and some ideas and complete ideas and insightful ideas
inacurate
information
and ideas.
Thinking/Inquiry  Expresses  Expresses  Expresses  Expresses
Analyzing and Explaining few ideas, some ideas, ideas, supported by many ideas,
with supported by relevant evidences supported effectively
limited support relevant evidences or rationales by relevant
by or rationales  Ask good evidences or
relevant evidence or  Ask questions rationales
rationales some  Ask
 Asks questions probing or insightful
few questions
questions
Communication  Meaning and  Meaning and  Meaning  Meaning and
Language and Style intent are intent are and intent are
frequently frequently intent are frequently
clear clear clear clear
 Shows limited  Shows  Shows  Shows
sense limited clear limited
of sense sense sense
purpose of of of
and purpose purpose purpose
audience and and and
audience audience audience
Application Frequent, Some major Some minor Few minor
Convention in Language major mechanical mechanical mechanical
mechanical errors errors errors
errors
Making Connections Makes few Makes some Makes Makes many
Getting Personal personal personal considerable personal
connections connections personal connections
with topic with topic connections with the topic
with topic
adoptedfromhttps://www.socialcircleschools.com/userfiles/270/Classes/11077/journal.pdf?id=5990
Overall Rating: _____________ / 20
20-18 : Excellent
17-13 : Good
12-8 : Okay 7-
5 : Poor
Activity 2:
Read and analyze the following items. Encircle the letter of the correct answer.
1. What is the importance of critical thinking?

A. Critical thinking can help you focus on issues and gather relevant, accurate
information.
B. Critical thinking can help you analyze questions and problems.
C. Critical thinking can help you organize your thoughts logically.
D. All of the above
2. Critical thinking can help beyond the classroom as in which of the following:
A. how seriously involved you should get with relationships
B. how to think with imagination
C. how to identify the real problem
D. how seriously involved you should get with relationships and how to identify
the real problem
3. Steps for critical-thinking skill development involve:
A. looking at things differently
B. Analyzing information
C. Solving problems
D. All of the above
4. Tips to keep emotions from affecting your objectivity in decision making include
which of the following:
A. Don't let yourself become engaged in "I'm right, you're wrong" situations.
B. Let your self-talk or inner voice control the situation.
C. Let your emotions guide your decision.
D. Don't deliberate when making a decision as it only prolongs the inevitable.
5. How does questioning help us explore, develop, and acquire new knowledge? A.
Questioning helps us gain insight where we may have limited knowledge.
B. Questioning challenges us to look at issues from many different angles.
C. Questioning is not a factor in developing new knowledge.
D. Questioning helps us gain insight where we may have limited knowledge and
challenges us to look at issues from many different angles.
Chapter II. CREATIVE THINKING, DESIGN THINKING

PROCESS
Creative thinking can be defined as a way of looking at problems or situations
from a different perspective that suggests unconventional solutions. It involves
addressing a situation, task, problem, or challenge with innovative or divergent
thinking. Creative thinking goes beyond a routine and a standard approach to
responsibilities. Creative thinkers devise new ways to carry out tasks, solve problems,
and meet challenges.
They think outside the box, and can assist departments and organizations to
move in more productive directions. Creative thinking can be stimulated both by an
unstructured process such as brainstorming, and by a structured process such as
lateral thinking.
Creativity is the ability to imagine or invent something brand new. It is the ability
to create a new idea(s) by combining, changing, or reapplying existing ideas.
Creativity can also be defined as an attitude; it is the ability to accept change and
newness, the willingness to play with ideas and possibilities, a flexibility of outlook,
the habit of enjoying the good while still looking for ways to improve it.
In addition to this, creativity can further be defined as a process; creative people

work hard and continually to improve ideas and solutions, this is by making steady
alterations, and modifications. Origin of Thinking Where did thoughts originate from?
Why do minds express the thoughts they do? Thoughts are the finite form of formless
intelligence.
Learning Outcomes
This chapter aims the students to:
 define and identify the functions and features of Creative Thinking;

 demonstrate critical thinking attitudes and skills in a given problem situation
requiring collaborative approaches;

 appreciate the significance of creative and Critical Thinking in different
settings, and
 demonstrate the application of design thinking process on building emphatic
understanding of users in authentic problem situations.
Learning Content:
 Creativity and Design
 Design Thinking Process, Tools and Mind Sets
 Rapid Qualitative Action Research: Data gathering-observation;
interviews;data clustering; statement of insights; writing and presenting
Personas
CREATIVITY AND DESIGN
T erms to
Ponder
 Creative Thinking
 the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production
of an artistic work.
 the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality.
 characterised by the ability to perceive the world in new ways, to find
hidden patterns, to make connections between seemingly unrelated
phenomena, and to generate solutions.
 involves two processes: thinking, then producing.
 a combinatorial force: it’s our ability to tap into our ‘inner’ pool of
resources – knowledge, insight, information, inspiration and all the
fragments populating our minds – that we’ve accumulated over the years
just by being present and alive and awake to the world and to combine
them in extraordinary new ways.” — Maria Popova, Brainpicking
 the process of bringing something new into being. Creativity requires
passion and commitment. It brings to our awareness what was
previously hidden and points to new life. The experience is one of
heightened consciousness: ecstasy.” – Rollo May, The Courage to
Create
 Design Thinking Process

 a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for
the implementation of an activity or process, or the result of that plan or
specification in the form of a prototype, product or process.
 a particular purpose or intention held in view by an individual or group
 a mental project or scheme in which means to an end are laid down
 a preliminary sketch or outline showing the main features of something
to be executed
 an underlying scheme that governs functioning, developing, or unfolding
 a plan or protocol for carrying out or accomplishing something (such as
a scientific experiment)
 the arrangement of elements or details in a product or work of art
 Mindsets
 a set of assumptions, methods, or notations held by one or more people
or groups of people that is so established that it creates a powerful
incentive within these people or groups to continue to adopt or accept
prior behaviors, choices, or tools.

 A fixed mental attitude or disposition that predetermines a person’s
responses to and interpretations of situations. (The Free Dictionary)
 A mental inclination, tendency, or habit. (Merriam-
Webster.com –
Medical Dictionary)
 A person’s usual attitude or mental state is
his or her mindset.
(Vocabulary.com)
 A person’s way of thinking and their opinions. (Cambridge Dictionary)
An attitude, disposition, or mood. (Dictionary.com)
 The ideas and attitudes with which a person approaches a situation, esp
when these are seen as being difficult to alter. (World English
Dictionary.)
 The established set of attitudes held by someone. (Oxford Dictionary)
Going Deeper With Creative Thinking And Design Thinking Process
Creative Thinking
“If you have ideas but don’t act on them, you are imaginative but not creative.”
Human beings are born creative and then taught to be uncreative as they grow
older. Just think about it: When you are a kid, there is an emphasis on art classes and
“reaching for the stars,” and when you get older, you’re told to get real, take the
straight and narrow path, and pay your taxes. Pursuing our creative potential tends to
come to a hault when we grow up. Creative individuals don’t always have the most
supportive environment in the workplace because they might be said to have unusual
thoughts and lack the know-how for real business innovation.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the author of the book “Creativity: The Psychology of

Discovery and Invention,” gives a pretty hefty definition of the word. He said,
“Creativity is a central source of meaning in our lives … most of the things that are
interesting, important, and human are the results of creativity… and when we are
involved in it, we feel that we are living more fully than during the rest of life.”
Creativity involves transforming your ideas, imagination, and dreams into reality.
When you’re being creative, you can see the hidden patterns, make connections
between things that aren’t normally related, and come up with new ideas. Creative
ability depends on creative thinking which is part hard work but largely creative
problem-solving.
Is this possible in business? I believe so, but you have to be willing to take risks
and progress through discomfort to get to the finish line.
“A product is creative when it is (a) novel and (b) appropriate. A novel product is
original not predictable. The bigger the concept, and the more the product stimulates
further work and ideas, the more the product is creative.” —Sternberg & Lubart,
Defying the Crowd
Creativity and Economic Development:
We are living in the age of creativity. Daniel Pink in his book, A Whole New Mind:
Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future (2006) defines Economic Development as:
1. Agriculture Age (farmers)

2. Industrial Age (factory workers)
3. Information Age (knowledge workers)
4. Conceptual Age (creators and empathizers)
Pink argues that left-brain linear, analytical computer-like thinking is being

replaced by right-brain empathy, inventiveness, and understanding as skills most
needed by business. In other words, creativity gives you a competitive advantage by
adding value to your service or product and differentiating your business from the
competition.
As Sam Palmisano said when he was CEO of IBM (2004), “Either you innovate or
you’re in commodity hell. If you do what everybody else does, you have a low-margin
business. That’s not where we want to be.”
Can creativity be learned?
The short answer is yes. A study by George Land reveals that we are naturally
creative and as we grow up we learn to be uncreative. Creativity is a skill that can be
developed and a process that can be managed.
Creativity begins with a foundation of knowledge, learning a discipline, and

mastering a way of thinking. You can learn to be creative by experimenting, exploring,
questioning assumptions, using imagination and synthesing information. Learning to
be creative is akin to learning a sport. It requires practice to develop the right muscles
and a supportive environment in which to flourish.
Studies by Clayton M. Christensen and his researchers uncovered The

Innovators DNA: Your ability to generate innovative ideas is not merely a function of
the mind, but also a function of five key behaviours that optimize your brain for
discovery:
1. Associating: drawing connections between questions, problems, or ideas

from unrelated fields
2. Questioning: posing queries that challenge common wisdom
3. Observing: scrutinizing the behavior of customers, suppliers, and competitors
to identify new ways of doing things
4. Networking: meeting people with different ideas and perspectives
5. Experimenting: constructing interactive experiences and provoking
unorthodox responses to see what insights emerge
Sir Richard Branson has a mantra that runs through the DNA of Virgin companies.
The mantra is A-B-C-D. (Always Be Connecting the Dots). Creativity is a practice, and
if you practice using these five discovery skills every day, you will develop your skills
in creativity and innovation.
“Creativeness is the ability to see relationships where none exist.”

— Thomas Disch, author, 334, (1974)
For example you can make comparisons between your company or institution
and others outside of your industry. Questions usually ask to client teams in advance
of the creativity and innovation ideation sessions are:What companies do you most
admire and why? What are they doing that you could adopt or adapt to your own
company?
Generative Research on Creativity

Generative research shows that everyone has creative abilities. The more
training you have and the more diverse the training, the greater the potential for
creative output. Research has shown that in creativity quantity equals quality. The
longer the list of ideas, the higher the quality of the final solution. Quite often, the
highest quality ideas appear at the end of the list.
Behavior is generative; like the surface of a fast flowing river, it is inherently and
continuously novel… behavior flows and it never stops changing. Novel behavior is
generated continuously, but it is labeled creative only when it has some special value
to the community… Generativity is the basic process that drives all the behavior we
come to label creative.” – Robert Epstein PhD, Psychology Today July/Aug 1996
Overcoming myths about creativity
Beliefs that only special, talented people are creative (and you have to be born
that way) diminish our confidence in our creative abilities. The notion that geniuses
such as Shakespeare, Picasso, and Mozart were `gifted’ is a myth, according to a
study at Exeter University. Researchers examined outstanding performances in the
arts, mathematics, and sports, to find out if “the widespread belief that to reach high
levels of ability a person must possess an innate potential called talent.”
The study concludes that excellence is determined by:
• opportunities
• encouragement
• training
• motivation, and  most of all, practice.
“Few showed early signs of promise prior to parental encouragement.” No one

reached high levels of achievement in their field without devoting thousands of hours
of serious training. Mozart trained for 16 years before he produced an acknowledged
masterwork. Moreover many high performers achieve levels of excellence today that
match the capabilities of a Mozart, or a Gold Medallist from the turn of the century.”
(The Vancouver Sun, Sept.12/98)
Thinking Process
The process of the development of thinking has been studied by psychologists

and a number of theories have been advanced. The theories are: 1. Piaget’s Theory
2. Sullivan’s Concept of Modes of Thinking 3. Bruner’s Theory 4. Psychoanalytic
Theory of Thinking.
1. Piaget’s Theory:
The Swiss psychologist, Jean Piaget, using his own children as subjects, devised
ingenious and simple experiments and showed how cognitive thought development
takes place. He explained behaviour in terms of the individual’s actions and reactions
in adapting to his environment.
Unlike animals and birds, human beings have very few instinctive responses and
have to constantly evolve new ways and means to deal with the environment. A lamb
or chick, few hours after birth, knows how to run away from danger or differentiate
between things which are edible and non-edible.
In contrast, the new-born human infant often does not know what to eat and what
not to eat, let alone being able to recognise danger and is not even capable of
recognising the mother. But three or four years later, the lamb or the chick grows up
to be a goat or hen and reaches a stage where it can produce milk or eggs.
The child, though not fully capable of taking care of itself, nevertheless reaches a
stage where he can run, talk, learn to read and so on. When faced with a danger like
a bully in the playground or a stray dog barking and coming towards it, the child may
choose to react in any way – run away (like a lamb), hide behind another human
being, scream and cry rooted to the same spot or attack by throwing mud or stones.
This ability to think of alternatives distinguishes man from many other animals.
The lamb is born with many strong practical instincts while the infant with few. But in
the course of development, the human child learns a variety of strategies for solving
problems that give a far greater flexibility than the lamb. This is man’s unique capacity
for adaptation.
Piaget first became interested in human adaptation when he watched his own
children playing. He noticed that the way they approached environmental problems
changed dramatically at different ages. He wondered whether it was their
coordination which improved or whether older children think differently from their
younger brothers and sisters.
Piaget became a keen child-watcher; he played with them, asked questions

about their activities, observed them silently for hours together when they were
playing alone and with others. He also devised games that would show how they
were thinking. Gradually, he understood that there is a pattern.
He realised that all children go through a series of stages as they grew. The
stages identified and described by Piaget are the sensory-motor stage, the
preoperational stage, the concrete operations stage, and the stage of formal
operations.
a. The Sensory-Motor Stage:
The new-born infant sucks anything which is put into his mouth, grasps anything
put into his hands, and gazes at whatever crosses his line of vision. You may have
seen small children putting everything into their mouth, their own hands, fingers toes,
toys and other objects which are within their grasp.
They do not realise that only some objects can be sucked and others not.
Similarly, a baby may grasp a rattle, shake it, put it into the mouth, drop it and so on.
However, the infant at some point realizes that the noise he has been hearing comes
from the rattle. He begins to shake everything he gets hold of trying to reproduce the
rattling sound.
Gradually he begins to realise that some things make a noise and others do not.
In this way, the infant begins to organise his experiences by fitting them into
categories. Piaget calls these categories schemata. They may be considered as
simple frameworks which provide a basis for intentional and adaptive problem-solving
behaviour in later life.
The child also learns that the objects in the real world, including people, have an
existence of their own, independent of its perception of them. This awareness is not
present in early infancy. Piaget describes the following experiment with his eight-
month old daughter Jacqueline.
“Jacqueline takes possession of my watch which I offer her while holding the
chain in my hand. She examines the watch with great interest, feels it, turns it once,
says “apff, etc… If before her eyes, I hide the watch behind my hand, behind the quilt,
etc. she does not react and forgets everything immediately.”

However, after a few months, i.e. at the end of the sensory-motor period,
Jacqueline became quite capable of finding the watch if it was hidden behind the quilt
or hand. This shows that she learnt that objects continue to exist even when they
cannot be seen. We often come across a toddler playing with a ball or watching
insects when they move under a chair or a cot.
The child begins to search and look for them, because he or she realizes that the
ball or insect exists though concealed. This indicates that the child has developed a
sense of object permanence or object constancy. This awareness is crucial to
cognitive development, for it enables the child to begin to see some regularity in the
way things happen.
The perception of regularities is absolutely essential because if every time he

encounters a ball or an ant he experiences it as a new stimulus he will never be able
to learn to associate the ball or an ant as an external object and that his actions affect
them.
Thus, by the end of the sensory-motor stage, the child acquires a kind of ‘motor
intelligence’ through direct interaction with his environment. The child knows that his
or her actions will have an effect on things outside him or her.
b. Pre-Operational Stage:
The second stage in thought development runs from about two to seven years of
age. The child in this stage is action-oriented. His understanding and thought
processes are based on physical and perceptual experiences. The child begins to use
symbols or representations of events, and form images about everything he
encounters.
The most obvious example of representation is the use of words or language and
it is at this stage that the child begins to use words to stand for objects. For example,
the child is able to talk about things that are not physically present, about lions, tigers,
ghosts, etc., though he has not seen them.
Children play a variety of imaginary games where a chair becomes a train or bus,
dolls become babies, leaves and flowers become food and so on. They are not fully
capable of making a distinction between themselves and the outside world.
They assume that objects have feelings. When playing with dolls, they think that
dolls cry, smile and behave like real babies. They consider their own psychological
processes, such as dreams, to be real and concrete events.
Piaget found that children at this stage tend to focus their attention on a single
aspect of an object or an event that attracts their attention, ignoring all other aspects.
This was demonstrated in the following famous experiment. Children were asked to
fill two identical” containers with beads.
When they had finished, Piaget poured the beads from one container into a tall
thin glass and asked them if one had more beads than the other. Invariably, the
children said ‘yes’, even though they realised he had not added or taken away any
beads. This illogical response arises because children can only think about one
aspect or dimension at a time, i.e. height or width. Piaget calls this single-
mindedness.
Piaget found that thinking during this stage is rigid and ‘irreversible’. J.L. Phillips
gives an interesting example of irreversibility. He asked a four-year old boy if he had a

brother; the child replied ‘yes’. He then asked the brother’s name; the answer was
‘Jim’. ‘Does Jim have a brother?’ The child responded with a definite ‘no’.
This illustrates that the child could not reverse the principle underlying the same
concept, i.e. of having a brother. Another feature identified in the above illustration is
the child’s inability to think of himself as somebody else’s brother. This inability to put
himself in Jim’s position and see himself as a brother is an example of egocentricism.
Another interesting aspect of pre-operational thinking identified by Piaget is the

concept of conservation. In the pre-operational period, the child does not know how to
‘intellectually conserve’.
The child steadfastly maintained that the rearrangement contained more marbles.
Piaget explained that at this point the child is struck by the visual-spatial evidence at
that moment rather than by the knowledge that these are the same four marbles in
new positions.
The child cannot realise and maintain the fact that the same number of marbles
could occupy more space. Piaget terms this, as an inability to ‘conserve’ the idea of
number. The child also has difficulty conserving other qualities of stimuli such as
volume, mass, etc.
The concept of conservation of volume was demonstrated in a simple experiment

using containers of different shapes and water. Transparent glass containers A, B, C
and D, as shown in Fig. 11.2, were placed in front of a child. The containers B and C
had identical quantity of water. The experimenter poured water from the container B
into A.
When the child was asked whether the amount of water contained in A is the
same as in C, the child unhesitatingly pointed towards container A (the taller one) and
said that it contains more water. Similarly, when the water from C was poured into D
and the child was asked whether the quantity of water in A and D is equal, the answer
was that the quantity of water in A is more.
The above experiment demonstrates what Piaget would call an inability to

conserve. The child’s idea or estimation of the quantity of water was influenced by the
size, height, shape and other characteristics of the containers. The child’s estimation
of the quantity of water showed a lack of stability and definiteness and appeared to
depend on the characteristics of the containers.
c. Concrete Operations Stage:

During this stage, which usually occurs between 7 and 11 years, the child
acquires basic notions of time, space, number, etc. and also a flexibility which was
lacking in the pre-operational stage. The child, during this stage, learns to retrace his
thoughts, correct himself, start working right from the beginning if necessary, consider
more than one dimension at a time and to look at a single object or problem in
different ways. Three logical operations characterize thinking at this stage: combining,
reversing and forming associations. These operations can be illustrated with a simple
example.
Ask children of different ages, say below seven years and above seven years
“Supposing, you are given this coin (showing a one rupee coin) to buy
chocolates. If the shop owner gives you two chocolates in exchange for this
coin (one rupee coin), how many chocolates would you get in exchange for
these four coins (showing four coins of twenty five paise)”. Children under seven
may come out with responses like four chocolates or eight chocolates and so on.
However, children above seven, in the concrete operations stage, will be able to
distinguish and combine all the small coins (twenty five) into a superclass of hundred
paise or one rupee. They will also be able to conserve this process of adding four
twenty five-paise coins into a single coin or reduce single one rupee coins to four
twenty five-paise coins.
They are also capable of associating a twenty five-paise coin with other coins like
two ten-paise coins and one five-paisa coin. Children at this stage, although quite
logical in their approach to problems, can only think in terms of concrete things they
can handle or imagine handling. But an adult is capable of thinking in abstract terms
to formulate tentative suggestions or hypotheses and accept or reject them without
testing them empirically. This ability is said to develop in the next stage.
d. Formal Operations Stage:
A remarkable ability is acquired in this fourth and final stage, which occurs
between 11 and 15 years of age. To demonstrate the development of abstract
thinking Piaget conducted a simple experiment. He gave an opportunity to the
children to discover for themselves Archimedes principle of floating bodies.
Children in the concrete and formal operations stage were given a variety of
objects and were asked to separate them into two groups: things that would float and
things that would not. The objects included cubes of different weights, matches,
sheets of paper, a lid, pebbles and so on. Piaget then let the children test their
selections in a tub of water and asked them to explain why some things floated and
others sank.
The younger children were not very good at classifying the objects and when
questioned, gave different reasons. The nail sank because it was too heavy; the
needle because it was made of iron; the lid floated because it had edges and so on.
The older children seemed to know what would float.
When asked to explain their choices they began to make comparisons and cross-
comparisons, gradually coming to the conclusion that neither weight nor size alone
determined whether an object would float; rather it was the relationship between
these two dimensions. Thus, they were able to approximate Archimedes principle
(objects float if their density is less than that of replaced water). The fact that these
children searched for a rule or a principle is what makes this stage of development
superior and significant.

Younger children find reasons by testing their ideas in the real world. They are
concrete and specific. While children at the formal operations stage and beyond go
further than testing the, ‘here and now’; they try to consider possibilities as well as
realities and develop concepts.
Thus, we see that at the final stage, the individual is able to arrive at
generalisations, and real thought processes begin to develop. Piaget’s developmental
theory essentially concentrates on the structural and formal characteristics of thinking.
He believes that his scheme of the development of thinking is universal. Piaget
introduces a number of concepts like adaptation, accommodation, assimilation,
centering, decentering, etc. It is not necessary to go into these concepts here.
2. Sullivan’s Concept of Modes of Thinking:
Yet, another approach to the development of thinking comes from the views of
H.S. Sullivan who was a leading psychoanalyst. Sullivan postulates three basic
modes. The first and the earliest one is called the prototaxic mode. This stage
operates in the first year of an individual’s life and during this stage one has no
awareness of oneself or one’s ego. Thought process is mostly in the form of a feeling
or apprehension. Thought, therefore, does not have a definite structure and is vague.
The next is the parataxic mode. During this stage the global or undifferentiated
response gives way to specific elementary thought images and contents. Logical
operations do not occur yet. According to Sullivan the autistic state of communication
reflects a parataxic mode. Thought process is still confused and vague and almost
comparable to the prelogical stage described by Piaget.
The final stage which is known as the syntaxic mode represents the development
of logical thought processes, enabling the integration and organisation of symbols. It
is at this stage that thought becomes clear with the possibility of logical operations.
This stage would correspond to the stage of formal operations described by Piaget.
A distinction, however, may be made in that, while Piaget’s theory was

specifically a theory of thinking, Sullivan does not deal with thinking exclusively. His
concept of modes is more or less a view of cognitive organisation in general, a
process by which the individual perceives and experiences the environment, which
necessarily includes thinking.
3. Bruner’s Theory:
Yet, another approach to the development of thinking was outlined by Jerome S.

Bruner, who like Piaget, observed the process of cognitive development or
development of thinking. Bruner also postulated certain stages. The stages
formulated by him are enactive, iconic, and symbolic representations which are
considered more or less comparable to Piaget’s preoperational, concrete operational
and formal operational stages. However, Bruner differed from Piaget in focusing on
the representations the child uses in thinking rather than on the operations or
manipulations which take place in the process.
Bruner uses Piaget’s experiments to explain his point of view of cognitive

development which is briefly described below:
a. Enactive Representation Stage:
A child at this stage adopts the most basic or primitive ways of converting
immediate experience into a mental model. This mode of conversion is usually non-
verbal and is based on action or movement. Thus, a child’s representations of objects

and events in terms of appropriate motor responses or ‘acting out’ are known as
enactive representation. Bruner cites Piaget’s experiment to explain this stage.
“A baby drops a rattle through the bars of its crib. It stops for a moment,
brings its hand up to its face, and looks at its hand. Puzzled, it lets its arms fall
and shakes the hands as if the rattle were still there; no sound. It investigates
its hand again.”
Bruner suggests that in this situation, the child is representing the rattle when it
shakes its hand, that is the rattle means shaking its hand-and hearing a noise.
Gestures are enactive representations. For instance thumbs up means victory; index
finger on your lips means silence, and so on.
b. Iconic Representation:
An icon or an image or a pictorial representation is considered to be the method

of converting immediate experience into cognitive models using sensory images. This
stage was explained by extending Piaget’s study which was described in the previous
stage. The child a few months later when it drops the rattle tries to look over the edge
of its crib.
When an adult picks it up or if the child is unable to see it, the child may- start
screaming and crying. According to Bruner, this sense of loss indicates that the child
has an image of the rattle in its mind and that it now distinguishes between shaking
his hand and the rattle. This type of ‘picturing’ things to oneself is called iconic
representations thinking.
c. Symbolic Representation:
As the child grows, it reaches a stage where its cognitions are not always
dependent on motor activities or images and pictures. Its cognitive process begins to
function in terms of symbols. The symbols do not depend on images or concrete
appearances. For example, the word ‘giri’ neither looks nor sounds like a female
child.
Similarly, the number eight does not resemble the quantity eight. Consider a
simple arithmetic problem. A boy has four mangoes and he buys two more. How
many does he have? A child of five or six years may solve the problem by drawing
four and two mangoes and counting them, while an older child may write the
numbers, four and two, and adds them up without imagining the mangoes.
4. Psychoanalytic Theory of Thinking:
It would have been surprising if an all-embracing theory like Freudian

psychoanalysis did not make its contribution, though indirectly, to our understanding
of the process of thinking. The Freudian theory of development with its concept of
different stages like oral, anal, phallic and genital, drew several conclusions for the
understanding of thinking.
According to Freud, the early period of infancy is characterised by what is called

narcissistic thinking, wherein the thought process contains a high tint of wish
fulfillment. Freud refers to certain terms like omnipotence of the wish and the
omnipotence of thought or word.
The stage of omnipotence of the wish is characterised by the fact that this stage
thought is highly coloured by instinctual impulses, a total absence of distinction
between reality and non-reality. The next stage shows what he calls omnipotence of
thought. Here thinking becomes symbolic and verbalized but still remains highly
egocentric.
It is only at a later stage that thinking becomes objective and a distinction

emerges between the inner self and the outer world. Thought comes more and more
under the influence of perception and is emancipated from the stranglehold of
instinctual impulses. During the latency period, the thinking process expands and
according to Anna Freud, there is an enrichment of fantasy and abstract thinking.
Thought, according to Freud, is an integral part of the total function of living and
the nature of the thought process reflects the overall developmental stage of life itself.
In simple terms, thinking is one of the mechanisms of living and plays a vital role in
the overall process of- adjustment. Freud says that there is a thin dividing line
between reality and fantasy. If this is true, then, thinking is to fantasy what living is to
reality.
Theories of Thinking – Points of Consensus:
In the above paragraphs an attempt has been made, perhaps in slightly

extravagant detail, to present different explanations of the nature and development of
thinking. No doubt these different approaches differ among themselves but certain
points of consensus seem to emerge.
These may be summarised as follows:
(a) Basically all theories agree that in the earlier stages thought is essentially
sensory-motor in character and is bound by immediate sensory experiences.
(b) At the second level a distinction emerges between sensory experience and
thought, due to the development of the capacity to form images and later, thought
gets separated from sensory experience.
(c) At the third level the capacity to use symbols, words and ideas emerges along
with the expanded capacity for forming imagery. Thought is both concrete and
abstract and is still influenced by inner processes – it is egocentric.
(d) At the final level thought becomes an independent process, relatively free of
concrete experience, capable of interpreting and organising the same and goes
beyond the ‘here and now’.
(e) Abstract thinking emerges.
It may be seen that most of the theorists agree on these general features.
Individuals differ with regard to the rate at which this process of development occurs
and also the extent to which they go through to the last of these stages. Some
individuals tend to remain at the egocentric or concrete levels while others go beyond.
It is also possible that some individuals, after reaching a certain stage, can be
thrown back to an earlier level of thinking when confronted with severe psychological
crisis. Thus there can be a process of regression in thinking. Autistic children provide
evidence where thinking has not proceeded beyond the most elementary level,
whereas psychotic patients provide clear evidence of a regressive process.
It may further be pointed out that the process of development of thinking is very
much influenced by all the factors which influence development in general. The
process of socialization, education, personal experiences, etc., all influence the

development of thinking. In brief, the process of thinking develops along with the
person.
4 Stages of Creativity Thinking
1. Preparation:
In this stage the thinker formulates the problem and collects the facts and
materials considered necessary for finding new solutions. Many times the problem
cannot be solved even after days, weeks or months of concentrated efforts. Failing to
solve the problem, the thinker turns away from it initiating next stage.
2. Incubation:
During this period some of the ideas that were interfering with the solution will
tend to fade. The overt activity and sometimes even thinking about the problem is
absent in this stage. But the unconscious thought process involved in creative
thinking is at work during this period.
Apparently the thinker will be busy in other activities like reading literature or
playing games, etc. Inspite of these activities the contemplation about finding a
solution to problem will be going on in the mind.
3. Illumination:
Following the period of incubation the creative ideas occur suddenly.

Consequently the obscure thing becomes clear. This sudden flash of solution is
known as illumination and is similar to ‘aha (eureka)’ experience. For example,
Archimedes found solution to the crown problem.
4. Verification:
Though the solution is found in illumination stage, it is necessary to verify

whether that solution is correct or not. Hence in this last stage evaluation of the
solution is done. If the solution is not satisfactory the thinker will go back to creative
process from the beginning.
If it is satisfactory, the same will be accepted and if necessary, minor modification

may also be made in solution.
10 Ways to Murder Creativity
1. Always pretend to know more than everybody around you.

2. Get employees to fill in time sheets.
3. Run daily checks on progress of everyone’s work.
4. Ensure that highly qualified people do mundane work for long
periods.
5. Put barriers up between departments.
6. Don’t speak personally to employees, except when
announcing increased targets,shortened deadlines and
tightened cost restrains.
7. Ask for a 200-page document to justify every new idea.
8. Call lots of meetings.
9. Place the biggest emphasis on the budget.
10. Buy lots of computers.
--https://www.1000advices.com/guru/organi
zation_10ways2murder.html
DESIGN THINKING PROCESS, TOOLS and MINDSETS
Design Thinking is a design methodology that provides a solution-based
approach to solving problems. It’s extremely useful in tackling complex problems that
are ill-defined or unknown, by understanding the human needs involved, by re-
framing the problem in human-centric ways, by creating many ideas in brainstorming
sessions, and by adopting a hands-on approach in prototyping and testing.
Understanding these five stages of Design Thinking will empower anyone to apply the
Design Thinking methods in order to solve complex problems that occur around us —
in our companies, in our countries, and even on the scale of our planet.
“An idea is nothing more nor less than a new combination of old elements.”
---James Webb Young
Design Thinking is an interative process in which we seek to understand the

user, challenge assumptions, and redefine problems in an attempt to identify
alternative strategies and solutions that might not be instantly apparent with our initial
level of understanding. At the same time, Design Thinking provides a solution-based
approach to solving problems. It is a way of thinking and working as well as a
collection of hands-on methods.
Design Thinking revolves around a deep interest in developing an understanding

of the people for whom we’re designing the products or services. It helps us observe
and develop empathy with the target user. Design Thinking helps us in the process of
questioning: questioning the problem, questioning the assumptions, and questioning
the implications. Design Thinking is extremely useful in tackling problems that are ill-
defined or unknown, by re-framing the problem in human-centric ways, creating many
ideas in brainstorming sessions, and adopting a hands-on approach in prototyping
and testing. Design Thinking also involves ongoing experimentation: sketching,
prototyping, testing, and trying out concepts and ideas.
The Five Stages of Design Thinking
• Stage 1: Empathize—Research Your Users' Needs.

• Stage 2: Define—State Your Users' Needs and Problems.
• Stage 3: Ideate—Challenge Assumptions and Create Ideas.
• Stage 4: Prototype—Start to Create Solutions.  Stage 5: Test—Try Your
Solutions Out.
The Origin of the 5-Stage Model
In his 1969 seminal text on design methods, “The Sciences of the Artificial,”
Nobel Prize laureate Herbert Simon outlined one of the first formal models of the
Design Thinking process. Simon's model consists of seven major stages, each with
component stages and activities, and was largely influential in shaping some of the
most widely used Design Thinking process models today. There are many variants of
the Design Thinking process in use in the 21 st century, and while they may have
different numbers of stages ranging from three to seven, they are all based upon the
same principles featured in Simon’s 1969 model. We focus on the five-stage Design
Thinking model proposed by the Hasso-Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford
(d.school).
Stage 1: Empathise
“Empathy is the centerpiece of a human-centered design process. The

Empathize mode or stage is the work you do to understand people, within the context
of your design challenge. It is your effort to understand the way they do things and

why, their physical and emotional needs, how they think about the world, and what is
meaningful to them.”– d-school, An Introduction to Design Thinking PROCESS
GUIDE
The Empathy mode will help you conduct relevant research and become an
instant-expert on the subject and gain invaluable empathy for the person you are
designing for.
Stage 2: Define
“The Define stage of the design process is all about bringing clarity and focus to
the design space. It is your chance, and responsibility, as a design thinker to define
the challenge you are taking on, based on what you have learned about your user
and about the context.”– d-school, An Introduction to Design Thinking PROCESS
GUIDE
Defining involves synthesising and making sense of all the available information
you gathered during the Empathise mode, by discovering connections and patterns.
You will often want to use methods such as Affinity Diagrams, and Sharing Inspiring
User Stories and Personas. By the end of the Define mode, your goal is to construct a
meaningful and actionable problem statement, also known as a Point Of View (POV).
A good problem statement or POV will allow you to ideate in a goal-oriented

manner. Your POV defines the RIGHT challenge to address in the ideation sessions.
It may seem counterintuitive, but d-school recommends that you construct a more
narrowly-focussed problem statement as this will result in both a greater quantity and
higher quality solutions when you and your team start generating ideas. In the
ideation process, POV should be your guiding statement that focusses on your
insights about your users and their needs.
How do you define your Point Of View?
Step 1
• You define the type of person you are designing for – your user. For instance,
you can develop one or more personas, use affinity diagrams, empathy maps
and other methods, which help you understand and crystallise your research
results – observations, interviews, fieldwork, etc.
• You extract and synthesise your users’ most essential needs, which are the
most important to fulfill. Remember that needs should be verbs.
• You work to express insights you developed through the synthesis of
information that you gathered during your initial Empathise mode. The insight
should typically not simply be a reason for the need, but rather a synthesised
statement that you can leverage in your design solution.
Step 2
Write your definitions into a Point Of View template like this one:

Step 3 – POV Madlib
You can articulate a POV by combining these three elements – user, need, and
insight – as an actionable problem statement that will drive the rest of your design
work. It’s surprisingly easy when you insert your findings in the POV Madlib below.
You can articulate your POV by inserting your information about your user, the
needs and your insights in the following sentence:
[User . . . (descriptive)] needs [Need . . . (verb)] because [Insight . . . (compelling)]
Condense your Point Of View by using this POV Madlib.
Example: An adult person who lives in the city… needs access to a shared car 1-4
times for 10-60 minutes per week … because he would rather share a car with more
people as this is cheaper, more environmentally friendly, however it should still be
easy for more people to share.
Step 4 – Make Sure That Your Point Of View is One That:
• Provides a narrow focus.

• Frames the problem as a problem statement.
• Inspires your team.
• Guides your innovation efforts.
• Informs criteria for evaluating competing ideas.
• Is sexy and captures people’s attention.
• Is valid, insightful, actionable, unique, narrow, meaningful, and exciting.
Stage 3: Ideate
Ideation is the process where you generate ideas and solutions through sessions
such as Sketching, Prototyping, Brainstorming, Brainwriting, Worst Possible Idea, and
a wealth of other ideation techniques. Ideation is also the third stage in the Design
Thinking process. Although many people might have experienced a “brainstorming”
session before, it is not easy to facilitate a truly fruitful ideation session.
Ideation is often the most exciting stage in a Design Thinking project, because
during Ideation, the aim is to generate a large quantity of ideas that the team can then

filter and cut down into the best, most practical or most innovative ones in order to
inspire new and better design solutions and products.
When you’ve developed your POV it’s time to start ideating. Begin with your Point
Of View or problem statement. Break that larger challenge up into smaller actionable
pieces. Look for aspects of the statement to complete the sentence, “How might
we…?”
“How Might We?” Questions Frame and Open Up Your Design Challenge
You start using your POV by reframing the POV into a question: Instead of
saying, we need to design X or Y, Design Thinking explores new ideas and solutions
to a specific design challenge. It’s time to start using the Ideation method that
involves asking, “How Might We…?”
Examples of How to Generate HMW Questions Which Fuel your Ideation

Sessions
When you’ve defined your design challenge in a POV, you can start opening up
for ideas to solve your design challenge. You can start using your POV by asking a
specific question starting with, “How Might We?” or “in-what-ways-might-we?”. For
example: How might we… design a driverless car, which is environmental friendly,
cheap and easy for more people to share?
You then break the POV into smaller and actionable pieces as follows:
1. You might start coming up with too narrow questions, such as: “HMW create
a taxi which does not need a chauffeur”.
2. Or you questions might become too broad: “HMW redesign transportation”.
3. You should strive to ask an inspiring and specific question which can be
the main question which you use as your guide in your ideation sessions:
“HMW design a driverless car, which is environmental friendly, cheap and
easy to share for more people.”
4. After you’ve asked the foundational question you start breaking the POV into
several smaller and actionable sub-questions which you can center your
different ideation sessions around: “HMW design an electric car?” and “HMW
design a car which has a digital code as a key which is safe to share among a
lot of varying users.”
These are simple examples, all with their own subtle nuances that may influence
slightly different approaches in the ideation phases. Your HMW questions will ensure
that your upcoming creative ideation and design activities are informed with one or
more HMW questions, which spark your imagination and aligns well with the core
insights and user needs that you’ve uncovered.
“We use the How Might We format because it suggests that a solution is
possible and because they offer you the chance to answer them in a variety of
ways. A properly framed How Might We doesn’t suggest a particular solution,
but gives you the perfect frame for innovative thinking.”
– Ideo.org
How Might We (HMW) questions are the best way to open up Brainstorm and
other Ideation sessions. HMW opens up to Ideation sessions where you explore ideas
that can help you solve your design challenge. By framing your challenge as a How
Might We question, you’ll prepare yourself for an innovative solution in the third
Design Thinking phase, the Ideation phase. The How Might We method is
constructed in such a way that it opens up the field for new ideas, admits that we do
not currently know the answer, and encourages a collaborative approach to solving it.
Best Practice Guide to Asking How Might We
1. Begin with your Point of View (POV) or problem statement. Start

by rephrasing and framing your Point Of View as several questions
by adding “How might we?” at the beginning.
2. Break that larger POV challenge up into smaller actionable and
meaningful questions. Five to ten How Might We questions for one
POV is a good starting point.
3. It is often helpful to brainstorm the HMW questions before
the solutions brainstorm.
4. Look at your How Might We questions and ask yourself if they
allow for a variety of solutions. If they don’t, broaden them. Your
How Might We questions should generate a number of possible
answers and will become a launch pad for your Ideation Sessions,
such as Brainstorms.
5. If your How Might We questions are too broad, narrow them down.
You should aim for a narrow enough frame to let you know where
to start your Brainstorm, but at the same time you should also aim
for enough breadth to give you room to explore wild ideas.
Ideation Will Help You:
• Ask the right questions and innovate with a strong focus on your users, their
needs, and your insights about them.
• Step beyond the obvious solutions and therefore increase the innovation
potential of your solution.
• Bring together perspectives and strengths of your team members.
• Uncover unexpected areas of innovation.
• Create volume and variety in your innovation options.
• Get obvious solutions out of your heads, and drive your team beyond them.
Even though Design Thinking is not a linear process, it is crucial to take into
account the first two stages or modes in Design Thinking before you start ideating. If
you neglect to take these two modes and their guidelines into account before an
Ideation session, you risk becoming lost. The Empathise and Define guidelines will
help you develop the sufficient background knowledge and set a clear goal for your
ideation sessions.
Characteristics Required for Successful Ideation
Ideation requires purposefully adopting certain characteristics, whether they are

natural or whether they need to be encouraged and learnt. Regardless of one's
personality or way of thinking, we all fall into the trap of sticking to patterns and
familiar ground, and tend to use the same recipes for solving problems, as this
reduces the cognitive load required. Experts and novices alike need to be constantly

self-aware and purposely intend to adopt some of the following characteristics, which
create an open mind and fertile ground for sparking unconventional ideas.
• Adapting: Be able to switch how you see, understand, and extend thinking as
new input gets generated.
• Connecting: Be able to connect seemingly unrelated concepts, attributes or
themes in order to create new possibilities.
• Disrupting: Be able to overturn commonly held beliefs, assumptions or norms
in order to re-think conventional approaches.
• Flipping: Turn dead-ends or deadlocks into opportunities by flipping them
over or rapidly changing direction towards greater viability.
• Dreaming and Imagining: Be able to visualise a new picture of reality by
turning abstract needs into tangible pictures or stories, thereby allowing the
space required for inventing bridges to that reality.
• Experimental: Be open and curious enough to explore possibilities and take
risks; be willing and eager to test out ideas and eager to venture into the
unknown.
• Recognise Patterns: Seek to spot common threads of meaning, and ways of
seeing, doing and behaving; be able to recognise attributes or shared values
across a spectrum of influence and input; and finally be able to utilize these
commonalities to build solutions.
• Curiosity: Be willing to ask uncomfortable, silly or even crazy questions. Be
willing to explore and experience, in order to understand and learn something
new and different.
Please always remember that:
“It’s not about coming up with the ‘right’ idea, it’s about generating the
broadest range of possibilities.”
– d.school, An Introduction to Design Thinking PROCESS GUIDE
The Take Away – Design Thinking's Ideation Compass
Unlike the all too familiar designer's nightmare of staring at a blank page unable
to conjure up ideas from the creative ether, Design Thinking’s first two modes,
Empathise and Define, gives you a solid base to launch relevant and well-informed
ideas, which hit the mark in surprising and delightful ways, no voodoo required.
Sometimes it will make sense to visibly display personas, stories, scenarios and other
maps from which you have derived insights and the Point Of View to keep the ship
steering in the appropriate direction during your ideation session. Most of all, your
Point Of View should be centre stage.
When you've got your Point Of View, you'll start asking “How Might We?”
questions and you might feel as if you've already walked a long hard road to get
there. Keep calm and ideate! Everything you've been doing up until this point is really
about to come to life. Shake up the ranks and make some space for unleashing your
ideas, all of them, however weird and wonderful they may be. Be prepared to throw it
all out there.
Wait, did I hear you say you're shy? Are you worried others may poke fun at your
ideas? Are you concerned your manager may shoot down your ideas? Have no fear;
you can learn to create that happy place where you and your team members can
really unleash that inner, clever child. The first point of comfort should be that the
steps you have completed leads up to your Point Of View and “How Might We?”
questions, have already sufficiently set the boundaries within which you can freely
explore. True creativity really thrives within constraints, not on absolutely limitless
possibilities. Your “How Might We?” questions provide a clear guide to keep the
exploration in the ideation sessions meaningful and relevant.
The following are ideation techniques to help you in your ideation sessions. You
want an ideation technique that combines your conscious and unconscious mind—
fusing the rational with the creative. It must match the sorts of ideas your team must
generate and reflect their nature, needs and experience with ideation. Some crucial
ones are:
Brainstorming – You build good ideas from each other’s wild ideas.
Braindumping – This is like brainstorming, but done individually.
Brainwriting – This is like brainstorming, but everyone writes down and passes ideas
for others to add to before discussing these.
Brainwalking – This is like brainwriting, but members walk about the room, adding to
others’ ideas.
Worst Possible Idea – You take an inverted brainstorming approach, emboldening

more reserved individuals to produce bad ideas and yielding valuable threads.
Challenging Assumptions – You overturn established beliefs about problems,

revealing fresh perspectives.
Mindmapping – You use this graphical technique to connect ideas to problems’

major and minor qualities.
Sketching/Sketchstorming – You use rough sketches/diagrams to express

ideas/potential solutions and explore the design space.
Storyboarding – You develop a visual problem/design/solution-related story to

illustrate a situation’s dynamics.
SCAMPER – You question problems through action verbs (“Substitute”, “Combine”,

“Adapt”, “Modify”, “Put to another use”, “Eliminate”, “Reverse”) to produce solutions.
Bodystorming – You use role-playing in scenarios/customer-journey steps to find

solutions.
Analogies – You draw comparisons to communicate ideas better.
Provocation – You use an extreme lateral-thinking technique to challenge

established beliefs and explore paths beyond.
Movement – You take a “what if?” approach to overcoming obstacles in ideation and
finding themes/trends/attributes towards reliable solutions.
Cheatstorm – You use previously ideated material as stimuli.
Crowdstorming – Your target audiences generate and validate ideas through

feedback (e.g., social media) to provide valuable solution insights.
Creative Pause – You take time to pull back from obstacles.
Other methods for ideation include co-creation workshops (combining user

empathy research, ideation and prototyping), gamestorming (gamification-oriented
ideation methods) and prototyping. The beauty of ideation is its unbounded freedom,
although structured environments are critical. If you get stuck, you have fallbacks:
e.g., “breaking the law” (listing constraints to see if you can overcome them),
“stealing” ideas (emulating applicable concepts from other industries), inverting the
problem and laddering (moving problems between the abstract and the concrete).
Stage 4: Prototype
The design team will now produce a number of inexpensive, scaled down
versions of the product or specific features found within the product, so they can
investigate the problem solutions generated in the previous stage. Prototypes may be
shared and tested within the team itself, in other departments, or on a small group of
people outside the design team.
This is an experimental phase, and the aim is to identify the best possible
solution for each of the problems identified during the first three stages. The solutions
are implemented within the prototypes, and, one by one, they are investigated and
either accepted, improved and re-examined, or rejected on
the basis of the users’ experiences.
By the end of this stage, the design team will have a better idea of the
constraints inherent to the product and the problems that are present, and have a
clearer view of how real users would behave, think, and feel when interacting with the
end product.
Stage 5: Test
Designers or evaluators rigorously test the complete product using the best
solutions identified during the prototyping phase.
This is the final stage of the 5 stage-model, but in an iterative process, the results
generated during the testing phase are often used to redefine one or more problems
and inform the understanding of the users, the conditions of use, how people think,
behave, and feel, and to empathise.
Even during this phase, alterations and refinements are made in order to rule out
problem solutions and derive as deep an understanding of the product and its users
as possible.
Take Note:
The five stages are not always sequential — they do not have to follow any
specific order and they can often occur in parallel and be repeated iteratively. As
such, the stages should be understood as different modes that contribute to a project,
rather than sequential steps. However, the amazing thing about the five-stage Design
Thinking model is that it systematises and identifies the 5 stages/modes you would
expect to carry out in a design project – and in any innovative problem-solving
project. Every project will involve activities specific to the product under development,
but the central idea behind each stage remains the same.

The Take Away
In essence, the Design Thinking process is iterative, flexible and focused on

collaboration between designers and users, with an emphasis on bringing ideas to life
based on how real users think, feel and behave.
Design Thinking tackles complex problems by:
1. Empathising: Understanding the human needs involved.

2. Defining: Re-framing and defining the problem in human-centric ways.
3. Ideating: Creating many ideas in ideation sessions.
4. Prototyping: Adopting a hands-on approach in prototyping.
5. Testing: Developing a prototype/solution to the problem.
RAPID QUALITATIVE ACTION RESEARCH
Action research is a philosophy and methodology of research generally applied in

the social sciences. It seeks transformative change through the simultaneous process
of taking action and doing research, which are linked together by critical reflection.
Practitioners who engage in action research inevitably find it to be an

empowering experience. Action research has this positive effect for many reasons.
Obviously, the most important is that action research is always relevant to the
participants. Relevance is guaranteed because the focus of each research project is
determined by the researchers, who are also the primary consumers of the findings.
Perhaps even more important is the fact that action research helps educators be
more effective at what they care most about—their teaching and the development of
their students. Seeing students grow is probably the greatest joy educators can
experience. When teachers have convincing evidence that their work has made a real
difference in their students' lives, the countless hours and endless efforts of teaching
seem worthwhile.
What Is Action Research?

A succinct definition of action research appears in the workshop materials we use
at the Institute for the Study of Inquiry in Education. That definition states that action
research is a disciplined process of inquiry conducted by and for those taking the
action. The primary reason for engaging in action research is to assist the “actor” in
improving and/or refining his or her actions.
A. Data Gathering
In the age when “information is power,” how we gather that information should be
one of our major concerns, right? Also, which of the many data collection methods is
the best for your particular needs?
Whatever the answer to the two questions above, one thing is for sure – whether
you’re a business, organization, agency, entrepreneur, researcher, student, or just a
curious individual, gathering data needs to be one of your top priorities.
Data collection is defined as the “process of gathering and measuring information

on variables of interest, in an established systematic fashion that enables one to
answer queries, stated research questions, test hypotheses, and evaluate outcomes.”
There are numerous reasons for data collection, but below are primarily on
business and marketing related ones:
• It helps you learn more about your customers

• It enables you to discover trends in the way people change their opinions and
behavior over time or in different circumstances
• It lets you segment your audience into different customer groups and direct
different marketing strategies at each of the groups based on their individual
needs
• It facilitates decision making and improves the quality of decisions made
• It helps resolve issues and improve the quality of your product or service
based on the feedback obtained
Before we dive deeper into different data collection techniques and methods, let’s
just briefly make a difference between the two main types of data – quantitative and
qualitative.
Quantitative vs. Qualitative data
Quantitative Data
This type of data deals with things that are measurable and can be expressed in
numbers or figures, or using other values that express quantity. That being said,
quantitative data is usually expressed in numerical form and can represent size,
length, duration, amount, price, and so on.
Quantitative research is most likely to provide answers to questions such as who?

when? where? what? and how many?
Quantitative survey questions are in most cases closed-ended and created in

accordance with the research goals, thus making the answers easily transformable
into numbers, charts, graphs, and tables.
The data obtained via quantitative data collection methods can be used to test
existing ideas or predictions, learn about your customers, measure general trends,
and make important. For instance, you can use it to measure the success of your
product and which aspects may need improvement, the level of satisfaction of your
customers, to find out whether and why your competitors are outselling you, and so
on.
As quantitative data collection methods are often based on mathematical

calculations, the data obtained that way is usually seen as more objective and reliable
than qualitative. Some of the most common quantitative data collection techniques
include surveys and questionnaires (with closed-ended questions).
Compared to qualitative techniques, quantitative methods are usually cheaper

and it takes less time to gather data this way. Plus, due to a pretty high level of
standardization, it’s much easier to compare and analyze the findings obtained using
quantitative data collection methods.
Qualitative Data
Unlike quantitative data, which deals with numbers and figures, qualitative data is
descriptive in nature rather than numerical. Qualitative data is usually not easily
measurable as quantitative and can be gained through observation or open-ended
survey or interview questions.
Qualitative research is most likely to provide answers to questions such as

“why?” and “how?”
As mentioned, qualitative data collection methods are most likely to consist of

open-ended questions and descriptive answers and little or no numerical value.
Qualitative data is an excellent way to gain insight into your audience’s thoughts and
behavior (maybe the ones you identified using quantitative research, but wasn’t able
to analyze in greater detail).
Data Collection Methods: Phone vs. Online vs. In-Person Interviews
Essentially there are four choices for data collection – in-person interviews, mail,
phone and online. There are pros and cons to each of these modes.
In-Person Interviews
Pros: In-depth and a high degree of confidence on the data
Cons: Time consuming, expensive and can be dismissed as anecdotal
Mail Surveys
Pros: Can reach anyone and everyone – no barrier
Cons: Expensive, data collection errors, lag time
Phone Surveys
Pros: High degree of confidence in the data collected, reach almost anyone
Cons: Expensive, cannot self-administer, need to hire an agency
Web/Online Surveys
Pros: Cheap, can self-administer, very low probability of data errors
Cons: Not all your customers might have an email address/be on the internet,
customers may be wary of divulging information online.
In-person interviews always are better, but the big drawback is the trap you might
fall into if you don’t do them regularly. It is expensive to regularly conduct interviews
and not conducting enough interviews might give you false positives. Validating your
research is almost as important as designing and conducting it. We’ve seen many
instances where after the research is conducted – if the results do not match up with

the “gut-feel” of upper management, it has been dismissed off as anecdotal and a
“one-time” phenomenon.
To avoid such traps, we strongly recommend that data-collection be done on an

“ongoing and regular” basis. This will help you in comparing and analyzing the
change in perceptions according to marketing done for your products/services. The
other issue here is sample size. To be confident with your research you have to
interview enough people to weed out the fringe elements.
A couple of years ago there was quite a lot of discussion about online surveys
and their statistical validity. The fact that not every customer had internet connectivity
was one of the main concerns. Although some of the discussions are still valid, the
reach of the internet as a means of communication has become vital in the majority of
customer interactions. According to the US Census Bureau, the number of
households with computers has doubled between 1997 and 2001.
Multi-Mode Surveys
Surveys, where the data is collected via different modes (online, paper, phone etc.), is
also another way of going. It is fairly straightforward and easy to have an online
survey and have data-entry operators to enter in data (from the phone as well as
paper surveys) into the system. The same system can also be used to collect data
directly from the respondents.
a.1 Observation
Observing users in their world gives you the opportunity to empathize with their
experience, understand their context, uncover hidden needs and hear their honest
and unfettered feedback (IBM Design Thinking). Observation also requires taking on
a beginner’s mindset. What does that mean? Think about how 5-year-olds explore.
They ask lots of “why” questions, they make no predetermined notions as to how
something works, and they are truly fascinated by what they see. A successful
observation looks upon the customer’s world the same way.
Here are some tips on gaining a beginner’s mindset, shared by Stanford D.School:
• Don’t judge. Simply engage with users without the influence of value
judgements on their actions.
• Question everything. Question even things you think you understand.
Question users on how they perceive their world. Follow up a “why” with
another “why.”
• Be truly curious. Try to observe from a different perspective.
• Find patterns. Try to find common threads that weave a similar story.
• Listen. Let everything sink in and soak up the scene. Really listen to what is
being said to you or during your observation. Don’t get distracted about
thinking of what you will say next when someone is talking.
3 Methods for Observing Your Customers
1. Natural Environment
Go out to where your customers are, whether it is a retail shop or a dealership. This is
where you can gain a lot of insight in a short time. Sit and watch how interactions
happen. Feel free to approach customers, and ask them questions about their
experience. Some questions you can ask yourself are:
• How are users interacting with my product in a store?

• What type of questions are they asking?
• Who are they with?
The natural environment provides a lot of great opportunities for the observer. Don’t
just stop at one, however. Try to locate a wide variety of locations where your
customers shop.
2. Observation Lab
Another popular method is to create an environment to see how your customers

engage with and use your products. At the Procter & Gamble Mason Business Center
in Ohio, P&G set up a lab that takes customer discovery to a whole new level. At the
oral health science “Insight Suite,” a two-way mirror lets the company watch
customers use products in a bathroom and kitchen. Researchers can then note how
users interact with the products and what they use them for. Building a lab provides a
different type of insight compared to the natural environment. Since users knows they
are being observed, it may create skewed results. However, it is still a valuable way
to see how your customers engage with your products.
3. “Day in the Life” Home Observation
This one piggybacks off of observing the customer in a natural environment. Recruit
customers who you can spend a day with and see how they engage with your product
in a natural way. Let’s say you wanted to observe how a landscape crew uses their
equipment. Reach out to some landscaping companies and see if you can tag along
for the day. Observe how they schedule work in the morning, how a trailer get
stocked with the equipment, how employees use the equipment out in the field, etc.
Additional Observation Tips
• If possible, observe in groups. Two eyes are better than one, and you can
discuss the experience as a team once it is completed. If you can’t observe as
a team, share your observations with a team later.
• Get to know the people you are observing, not just as customers but as
people. Ask open questions on how they live and work.
• When observing, understand the context of the situation. What led to
them going in and buying a product? Why did they decide to use the product
that way? Watch the video below for a great example regarding the
importance of context and experiences. And remember, the role of
observation is to understand what the customer can’t – or won’t – always tell
you.
a.2 Interviews
Empathy interviews are the cornerstone of Design Thinking. Through ethnographic

research techniques like In-Depth Interviews (IDI) we can learn how different customers
feel about the problem we are trying to solve and how they might fix it if they could.
During an empathy interview, there is a moderator (question-asker) and a note-taker.

These interviews are usually conducted one by one for 30 minutes to an hour in-person,
over the phone or video chat. In-person is best, as it allows us to see the customer’s
reaction, body language, and hear their tone of voice, their excitement and their
frustration. By asking lots of open-ended questions and doing far more listening than
talking, we learn valuable insights from real customers to take back to the team for a truly
informed brainstorm session.
How many people do I need to interview?

You will need at least 5 customers for patterns to emerge, but there’s a bit more to it
than just finding five folks to chat with. Here are a handful of pro tips when recruiting:
1. As a default, we highly recommend scheduling 7 customers, so that, should

anyone cancel or not show up, you at least have 5 data points to work with.
2. A typical interview block schedule happens over the course of 1 day. We
typically book our interviews with the following schedule:
- 9am
- 10am
- 11am
- Lunch at 12pm
- 1pm
- 2pm
- 3pm
- 4pm
- Debrief for 15–20 mins
3. If there are multiple customer groups that you need to meet with (i.e.
customers who currently use an app, customers who do not use apps) book 7
customers per type per day. For example…
- Tuesday: All App Users
- Wednesday: All Non-app Users
List of standards for empathy interviewing, created by the D. School at Stanford:
1. Ask why. Even when you think you know the answer, ask people why
they do or say things. The answers will sometimes surprise you. A
conversation started from one question should go on as long as it
needs.
2. Never say “usually” when asking a question. Instead, ask about a
specific instance or occurrence, such as “Tell me about the last time
you ______.”
3. Encourage stories. Whether or not the stories are true, they reveal
how people think about the world. Ask questions that encourage
people to share stories.
4. Look for inconsistencies. Sometimes what people say and what they
do are different. These inconsistencies often hide interesting insights.
5. Pay attention to nonverbal cues. Be aware of body language and
emotions.
6. Don’t be afraid of silence. Interviewers often feel the need to ask
another question when there is a pause. If you allow for silence, a
person can reflect on what they’ve just said and may reveal something
deeper.
7. Don’t suggest answers to your questions. Even if they pause
before answering, don’t help them by suggesting an answer. This can
unintentionally get people to say things that agree with your
expectations.
8. Ask questions neutrally. “What do you think about buying gifts for
your spouse?” is a better question than “Don’t you think shopping is
great?” because the first question doesn’t imply that there is a right
answer.
9. Don’t ask binary questions. Binary questions can be answered in a

word; you want to host a conversation built upon stories.

10.Make sure you’re prepared to capture. Always interview in pairs. If
this is not possible, you should use a voice recorder. It is impossible to
properly engage a user and take detailed notes at the same time.
Other helpful hints that you can use to prepare for your interview sessions:
1. Write your questions in advance. It is ok to run off script from time to time,
but going in with a good solid list of questions will ensure a successful
interview.
2. Structure your questions to ease into the conversation. The key word
here is conversation. It is not an interrogation session. Making it feel
comfortable and casual will yield better, more honest answers.
3. An interview session should be between 30 – 60 minutes. I find the best
time is around 45 minutes, as it leaves time for you to prep for the next
interview and it doesn’t feel as long for the interviewee.
4. Your scribe should try to copy the interviewees’ answers verbatim. The
reason is you don’t want the scribe injecting their interpretation into the
responses. You want raw data. I find it best to audio record the sessions, even
when I have a scribe.
5. Interview at least five people. You need at least five to show a pattern. If
possible, try to get all of your interviewing done in one day, rather than
spreading this out over a long period of time.
Who do I recruit?
Consider the data you already have available on your customer types. Take these
traits into account along with the following considerations:
1. Customer Group Types: Segment-specific or General Population? For

example: Sci-fi movie fans of Netflix vs Netflix viewers.
2. Internal Customer Group Types: This could be the people who impact the
development of your product or service. IT, leadership, service
representatives, sales teams, etc.
3. Geography: Is it important that these customers are from all over the
US/world or can they be from the same area?
4. Demographics: Get an even mix of gender and often age ranges.
5. Age Range: Is there a specific age group you wish to speak with?
6. Experience: What services, products, or other events do these customers
need to have experience with?
7. Exclusions: What experience or traits do you wish to exclude?
Early Persona Discovery
At this early stage, the difference between who your customer is and is not may be as
simple as Sci-fi lover vs Action-movie lover. Even this is an early sign of your
customer persona!
What if I don’t know who our target customer is?
Even if you don’t know who these customers might be, I bet you and the team could
make an educated guess. Many times the customer traits are foggy and thus we do a
short Assumptions workshop. Here’s how to run one with your team:
1. Gather up your team members and any stakeholders that have knowledge
of the problem you’re trying to solve. Schedule a 1 hour meeting.
2. Choose a whiteboard writer/facilitator.
3. 15 mins: What we know. As a group, shout out all the things you know to be
true about the customers affected by the problem you’re trying to solve.
4. 15 mins: What we want to know. As a group, shout out all the questions and
other things you want to learn from these customers and the problem at hand.
5. 15 mins: What we assume. As a group, shout out all the things you assume
could be true about these customers and the problem at hand.
6. Final 15 mins: Take this list and tease out the definition of your target
customer. Who are they? Who are they NOT? The extra bonus here is that
this list doubles as your first draft of moderator guide questions! (More on that
in the next post.)
How do I recruit customers?
It varies depending on your budget, timeline, and team resources. The basics of
recruiting are:
1. Find a group of people

2. Ask them some questions to see if they qualify as the target group you’re
looking for (i.e. create a screener)
3. Schedule each customer and provide dates, times, location, directions, and
who to call should they have trouble finding the location or need to cancel.
4. Incentivize each customer. This can be through a gift card, check, or some
other value to the customer. In my experience incentives run $50 per 30
minutes. If you’re booking people for an hour at a time, give them $100 in
return.
5. Mail out or deliver incentives to those who have participated.
6. Parking: Don’t forget to add a little extra cash to cover the cost of parking if
applicable! (Boston lots can be upwards of $25 and beyond!)
The above can be daunting to take on all by yourself. Don’t worry! We’ve got some
options for you:
• External Recruitment Vendors: Some Companies/institutions offer

recruitment services. These services include things like screening customers
for applicability, scheduling, and sending out incentives.
• Internal Employees: Pulling together a group of internal employees who fit
your target customer is a great way to get started. (Sometimes your incentives
can just be getting together for coffee.) Free to do, just time to schedule.
Value in Speed But Beware of Bias: Not all projects will benefit from this
group due to the “curse of knowledge.” Recruits in this group may have an
intimate experience with your industry, systems, and processes, which will
impact how they respond. Beware of bias.
• DIY: On-The-Street Scrappy: If you’re short on time and money and just
need to ask a handful of questions, getting out of the building and talking to
people live on the street or in a coffee shop can be a really fast way to gain
insights. It’s scrappy, takes a bit more patience, and may mean your
conversations are shorter (people on the street are also often short on time!).
Little or No Cost: Free to do, but it is an investment in time. You may also
want to consider offering an incentive like a $10 gift card to the coffee shop or
store nearby. Shhh! Don’t spill the beans! Talking with people on the street
is best for asking questions about things not so sensitive to legal or
competitive intelligence. We do not recommend going out on the street to ask
about top secret projects!
RECAP
1. Recruit at least 5–7 people per target customer group
2. Consider our 7 Customer Trait Types when pondering who to recruit
3. Use what you know, want to know, and what you assume to reveal who your
target customer(s) may be
4. Recruit those customers! Consider your time, budget, and shared knowledge.
B. Data Clustering
Clustering is used to organize and analyse large numbers of ideas by
categorising them. By organising and reorganising ideas, students gain a better
appreciation of, and dialogue about, their ideas. As students create idea clusters, new
contexts and connections among themes emerge.
Because data is presented visually, the method is particularly suited for group
work where students assemble and optimise idea clusters together.
The method can be used post ideation. (couple with a search for idea generation
methods)
The exercise will generate categories that students can add to and develop
further and finally, use to pluck individual ideas from. (couple with a search for idea
selection methods)
• Post-its with ideas written on them are arranged in clusters/categories. The

clusters are then named. Use a wall or large sheet of paper to stick the
Post-its to.
• If necessary, have students reorganise their ideas until all ideas find their way
into a cluster. It’s up to students to develop the most suitable categories.
• Students should also categorise new ideas if they emerge throughout the
exercise.
It’s a good idea to have students present their final idea clusters for the class.
The way they cluster ideas is often telling of how they perceive their projects. When
presenting their clusters the students should also consider if they are getting ideas
within certain themes and if they need explore more opportunities, because the
clustering exercise often makes one aware of areas that need more uncovering.
Worth Considering
The innovation matrix is a variant of this method. Ideas are situated in a matrix,
where one axis describes the type of innovation (for example, from incremental to
radical innovation), and the other axis describes how feasible the ideas are. When
ideas are situated in a matrix, the students will then have a foundation for choosing
ideas to work further on.
Preparation: You will need to use a large sheet of paper, markers and Post-it notes.
C. Statement of Insights
A user need statement is an actionable problem statement used to summarize
who a particular user is, the user’s need, and why the need is important to that user. It
defines what you want to solve before you move on to generating potential solutions,
in order to 1) condense your perspective on the problem, and 2) provide a metric for
success to be used throughout the design thinking process.
Most importantly, the purpose of user need statements is to capture what we

want to achieve with our design, not how. They help advance our presumptive
solutions from specific features (such as a button or other UI implementation) towards
deep insights about the problem that the user needs to solve. Simplistically, user
need statements encourage us to see users’ needs as verbs (that is, goals and
end states) instead of nouns that describe solutions. For example, users don’t
ever need a dropdown (noun); they need to see the choices that they can make and
select one of them (verb). They don’t need a dashboard (noun) — they need to digest
varied information in one place (verb). The nouns are possible solutions to users’
needs, but they are not the only solutions. If we focus on these nouns, we run the risk
of ending up with suboptimal designs. The entire purpose of ideation is to explore
ideas, so don’t lock yourself down prematurely by selecting the solution too early.
Format: 3-Part
Traditional need statements have 3 components: 1) a user, 2) a need, and 3) a goal.

These are then combined following the pattern [A user] needs [need] in order to
accomplish [goal].
For example, [Alieda, a multitasking, tech-savvy mother of 2] needs [to quickly

and confidently compare options without leaving her comfort zone] in order to
[spend more time doing the things that really matter].
The user should correspond to a specific persona or real end-user segment

you’ve done research on. It is helpful to include a short tagline that helps remind
everyone who the user is, especially if the need statement will be used by a large
team or by stakeholders who are removed from research:
• Alieda, a multitasking, tech-savvy mother of two

• Carol Ann, a researcher with an appetite for adventure
• Sam, a connected YouTuber in the city
The need should be real, should belong to users, should not be made up by the
team, and should not be phrased as a solution. Stay away from features, interface
components, and specific technology. For example, possible goals may be:
• To quickly and confidently compare options without leaving her comfort zone
• To meet and socialize with others, while maintaining family balance
• To get validation from others when making an important decision
Keep in mind: users do not always know what they need, even though they may
say so. A famous quote, attributed to Henry Ford, says, “If I asked people what they
wanted, they would have said faster horses.” It is your job to understand the real need
of your user.
The insight, or goal, is the result of meeting that need. It should be rooted in
empathy. Look beyond the obvious — what will this solution allow the user to
accomplish? For example, think about the user’s hopes, fears, and motivations:
• Spend more time doing the things that really matter

• Feel confident having new friends over for dinner
• Pursue a lifelong dream that has always taken the back seat
Benefits
The cognitive and collaborative process of making a user need statement and the
finished statement itself have important benefits for your team and your organization:
• Capture the user and the need
A need statement distills your knowledge of the users and their need into
a single sentence. It is especially helpful in condensing research insights
(survey answers, user-interview transcripts, empathy maps) before looking for
solutions — thus increasing clarity and allocation of time.
• Align the team along a concise goal
A user need statement is a concise, articulate way of communicating

your user and their need across multiple team members and stakeholders.
Once created, it should act as a guiding force — alignment throughout a project
of what you and your team seek to solve.
• Identify a benchmark and measurement for success
User need statements, if properly crafted, have the added benefit of providing a
metric for success prior to the onset of ideation, prototyping, and testing. Use
the insight, or goal, and ask yourself: how will we know if we accomplish this?
Then, as you create your needs statements, establish corresponding metrics
for success. This approach will decrease friction down the road and set a clear
bar for your team or organization.
Process
1. Set the scope
User need statements can be applied to varying scopes. It is likely you will
have multiple need statements within one project: an overarching, umbrella
statement and subordinate need statements that articulate smaller goals for
that user type. You should scope your need statements based on your current
project needs.
Start by creating an ‘umbrella’ or ‘parent’ (broadly scoped) need statement

when your goal is to:
• Establish alignment for a long-term vision or roadmap

• Define the problem statement at the onset of a product’s conception
A ‘parent’ need statement will likely have a broad goal that will overarch each
component of the project. For example, the need statement from above could
be regarded as a parent goal:
[Alieda, a multitasking, tech-savvy mother of 2] needs [to quickly and

confidently compare options without leaving her comfort zone] in order to
Conversely, it is beneficial to start with a ‘child’ (small-scope) need statement if

your goal is to:

• Increase your comfort and fluency with need statements
• Create personal benchmarks for success as an individual practitioner or
UX team of one
• Align the team on a user need within a larger product or service
• Set a goal for a week-long sprint
A ‘child’ need statement will have a specific need and a goal that can be
satisfied in 1-2 releases:
[Alieda, a multitasking, tech-savvy mother of 2] needs [to schedule an

installation appointment] in order to [coordinate her family’s schedule ahead of
time and prevent additional stress].
2. Conduct (or gather existing) qualitative research
Gather the research you will be using to fuel your understanding of the users
and their needs. Qualitative inputs such as user interviews, field studies, diary
studies, or qualitative surveys can drive deep insights about your users. Also
look at maps that your team has already made, such as empathy maps,
journey maps, or service blueprints.
3. Generate, then mix and match
Using your research, generate candidates for the 3 variables in your needs
statement: a user with tagline, a need, and an insight. Don’t worry about
creating the perfect statement from the onset; instead, think about each
variable in isolation, then start to mix and match. Combine different pairings
until you have a statement that represents the user’s real need.
First time practitioners are often apprehensive to include anything that is not a
verbatim finding from research in their need statements. However, it is
important to remember that our users will not always directly say or even know
precisely what they specifically need or why. Instead, it is our job as user-
experience professionals to use the research, combined with our expertise, to
derive insights. As Rebecca Sinclair, of Airbnb, reminds us “you are the
designer. Your job is to be a deep, empathetic listener and to imagine ways to
solve their problem. Take responsibility to create something better than the
customer could have imagined. They are the inspiration, but you are the
creator.” Practice this by continuing to ask yourself why:
• What does the user care about?

• Why is this important to the user?
• What emotion is driving the user’s behavior?  What does the user
stand to gain?
4. Critique your statement
Once you have a working statement, begin critiquing and iterating on it. Mix
and match, altering the language and combining different inputs. Challenge
yourself with questions:
• Are you thinking about your users’ needs as a verb, rather than a noun?
• Does this need statement launch you into ideation?
• Does the statement capture the nuances of what solving this need would
mean in your user’s life?
5. Add methods of measurement

Upon landing on a final need statement, identify how you can measure its
success. If you were to satisfy that need for your user, how would you know?
Common methods of measurement include:
• Customer satisfaction
• Number of returns
• Renewed policies or continued use
• Recurring purchases or subscriptions
• Likelihood to recommend the product
User Need Statements in Practice
A user need statement must be used throughout the product-development cycle in

order for teams to reap the full benefits. Below are examples of when and why it is
helpful to create and refer to a user need statement:
Example 1: Research
When: Analyzing and sharing a key finding from a user interview
How: After completing individual research analysis, create a user need

statement on your own. Compare this user need statement to that generated
by peer researchers. Combine and remix the various needs statements until
you have a user need statement that is the best objective representation of the
interview insights.
Why: To help you condense the essential from research into a single
actionable statement that is easy to digest, share, and distribute
Tip: Directly compare need statements for different users to articulate the
differences between user segments.
Example 2: Project Kick-off
When: Identifying goals at the beginning of a new-release cycle or sprint
How: Create the user need statement in a collaborative, hour-long workshop.

Ask participants to generate needs, then insights for a particular user. Prompt
them to mix, match, and rewrite until they agree on one statement.
Why: To force alignment and prioritization across a multi-disciplinary team in a

clear, articulated statement that team members can unite behind; also to
mitigate objections or concerns later on in the release cycle
Tip: Have each team member sign or initial the statement to indicate they
bought in and aligned behind the release goal.
Example 3: Retrospective
When: Reviewing the success of an added feature or capability after it has

been implemented
How: Begin a retrospective by returning to the user need statement created at

the onset of the project. Ask participants to rank their perception of success
against the statement.

Why: To compare the effectiveness of what was implemented, against the
original purpose (A user need statement should be accompanied by a clear
definition of what success means —for example, higher click rate, more return
purchases, etc.)
Tip: Compare self-evaluations of success to analytics and user data of the new
feature or capability. Identify relationships and themes, and use the insights for
the next release.
User Need Statements vs. Development Tasks, Stories, and Epics
At a glance, user need statements seem to be like other structures commonly

used product development. Development tasks, user stories, and epics often take the
same format: “[a user] needs [a way to do something].”
To better highlight the difference, let’s compare a need statement with a development
statement:
Need statement:
[Alieda, a multitasking, tech-savvy mother of 2] needs [to quickly and

confidently compare options without leaving her comfort zone] in order to
Development statement:
A user needs a comparison table in order to see different prices.
The need statement gives us a specific user, something that the user needs to
do, and a clear, empathetic insight into why Alieda has that need. The development
statement presents a generic user and a solution (comparison table), with an insight
that explains what the solution will support, and is not based on research. D. Writing
and Presenting Personas
adoptedfromhttps://theblog.adobe.com/putting-personas-to-work-in-ux-design-what-they-are-and-why-theyre-important/
A persona is like a baseball card for your target customer. The front of the card
shows a picture of who this typical customer might look like, and on the back is their
“stats.” Stats in this case means the needs, wants, desires, frustrations, and even
defining traits like their lifestyle.
Personas are archetypical users whose goals and characteristics represent the
needs of a larger group of users.
Characteristics of a Good Persona
While it’s easy to select a set of user characteristics and call it a persona, it’s
hard to create personas that are truly effective design and communication tools.
Here are a few characteristics of a good persona:
1. Personas reflect real user patterns, not different user roles. Personas aren’t a
fictional guesses at what a target user thinks. Every aspect of a persona’s
description should be tied back to real data (observed and researched).
Personas aren’t a reflection of roles within a system.
2. A persona focuses on the current state (how users interact with a product),
not the future (how users will interact with a product).
3. A persona is context-specific (it’s focused on the behaviors and goals related
to the specific domain of a product). When Personas Are Created in Design
Process
The research that goes into forming personas usually happens early in the
design process. In the Design Thinking process, designers often start creating
personas during the second phase, the Define phase. Like most design elements,
personas can be developed iteratively. Personas will be used during all later phases
of a design process to informing design decisions made by the team.
5 Steps To Creating a Persona
Personas can be created in a myriad of ways — it all depends on budget, type of

a project and the type of data designers are able to collect. While detailed step-by-
step instructions on how to create a persona are beyond the scope of this article, it’s
still possible to provide a general flow on how to do it:
1. Collect The Information About Your Users
The first step is to conduct user research to understand the target audience’s
mindsets, motivations, and behaviors. The most accurate personas are based on
actual field research — they are distilled from in-depth user interviews and
observation data of real users. It’s essential to collect as much information and
knowledge about users as possible by interviewing and/or observing a sufficient

number of people who represent a target audience. The more a researcher observes
and captures during these interviews, the more realistic the persona will be.
In a case when it’s impossible to interview/observe real individuals — time and

money don’t allow for the user research needed to define accurate personas — it’s
still possible to create a persona based on what the team knows about users.
Customer support logs, web analytics, competitive intelligence can be used to create
a persona. A persona created using this approach is known as a provisional persona,
and is a great placeholder until real personas are created.
During this step it is very important to avoid generating stereotypical users (users
that don’t have any relation to the actual user’s reality). Completely fictional stories of
imaginary people based on little or no research bring no value for the design process
and in fact, can bring harm. Furthermore, poorly constructed personas can easily
undermine the credibility of this technique.
2. Identify Behavioral Patterns From Research Data
The next step is analyzing research findings. The goal during this step is to find
patterns in user research data that make it possible to group similar people together
into types of users. There’s a simple strategy suggested by Kim Goodwin:
• Once research is finished, list all of the behavioral variables (i.e. ways in
which users behavior differed).
• Map each interviewee (or real-life user attributes) against the appropriate set
of variables.
• Identify trends (find a set of people clustering across six or eight variables).
These grouping trends will then form the basis of each persona.
3. Create Personas and Prioritize Them
Next, it’s important to assemble a persona’s descriptions around behavioral

patterns. The researcher’s task here is to describe each persona in such way that
expresses enough understanding and empathy to understand the users. During this
step, it’s best to avoid the temptation to add a lot of personal details: one or two bits
of personality can bring a persona to life, but too many details will be distracting and
will make the persona less credible as an analytical tool. Don Norman put it this way:
“[personas] only need to be realistic, not real, not necessarily even accurate (as long
as they accurately characterize the user base).”
Quite often, researchers create more than one persona for each product. Most
interactive products have multiple audience segments which are why it seems logical
to construct multiple personas. However, with too many personas, the process can
get out of hand. The personas can simply blur together. That’s why during this step
it’s also important to minimize the number of personas, so it’s possible to focus
design and this may guarantee better success. While there’s no magic number, as a
rule of thumb, three or four personas are enough for most projects.
Tip: If you have more than one persona it’s good to define the primary persona (the
most relevant) and follow the rule “design for the primary – accommodate the
secondary.” Design decisions should be made with the primary persona in mind and
then tested (through a thought experiment) against the secondary personas.
4. Find Scenario(s) Of Interaction And Create Persona Documentation

Personas have no value in and of themselves. They become valuable only when
they tied up to a scenario. A scenario is an imaged situation that describes how a
persona would interact with a product in a particular context to achieve its end
goal(s). Scenarios help designers understand the main user flows – by pairing the
personas with the scenarios, designers gather requirements, and from those
requirements, they create design solutions. Scenarios should be written from the
persona’s perspective, usually at a high level, and articulate use cases that will likely
happen.
Generally, when creating a document you should include the following information:
• Persona name
• Photo
• Demographics (gender, age, location, marital status, family)
• Goals and needs
• Frustrations (or “pain points”)
• Behaviors
• Bits of personality (e.g. a quote or slogan that captures the personality)
A great tool which will help you during this step is the Persona Creation and
Usage Toolkit developed by George Olsen. George has developed a comprehensive
list of all the factors that can be considered for persona description.
Tip: Avoid using real names or details of research participants or people you know.
This can bias the objectivity of your personas (you’ll focus on design for this person,
rather than a group of people with similar characteristics).
5. Share Your Findings And Obtain Acceptance From the Team
Socializing personas among stakeholders is critical in moving the design team

toward action. All team members and stakeholders should have a positive association
with personas and see the value in them. As people become familiar with the
personas, they start talking about them as if they were actual people. A well-
constructed persona almost becomes another member of the team.
Tip: Usually, having posters, cards, action figures, and other real, physical objects is
more effective to communicate personas and helps keep them top of mind versus
having a digital version, like a doc file or PowerPoint presentation.
Personas are powerful tools. Done properly personas make the design process
at hand less complex they guide the ideation processes and help designers to
achieve the goal of creating a good UX for the target users. Thanks to personas,
designers are able to work in a more mindful way by keeping the real user at the
heart of everything they do.
Recommended learning materials and resources for supplementary reading
 https://www.nngroup.com/articles/user-need-statements/
 https://blogs.perficient.com/2019/01/16/design-thinking-empathy-observation
-pt-3/
 https://faculty.chass.ncsu.edu/slatta/hi216/cc.htm
Flexible Teaching Learning Modality (FTLM) adopted
Online (synchronous)
//Edmodo, google classroometc..
Remote (asynchronous)
//module, case study, exercises, problems sets, etc…
ASSESSMENT TASK
Activity 1: CAPTURE IT
Using the Venn diagram, capture the differences and similarities of creative
and critical thinking and the relationship between the two.

Activity 2: ELEVATOR PITCH
This is an exercise used in business to help you think fast and get your point
across. It’s all about choosing and using words carefully and persuasively to achieve
your goals in any conversation.
You must convincingly “pitch” an idea, concept, product/service or proposal in the

time it takes to ride an elevator (about 30 to 60 seconds) so this is a timed exercise.
Make some notes about what you want to say; some topic ideas and note space are
provided below. Enjoy the ride
Ideas for EP Topics: My Topic:
 A product or service you are offering
 An idea for a website/social network
 A special project you need to fund
 A favour you need from someone
 An organization or business plan
 An invention you want to get patented
 A party plan for a birthday/wedding
 A campaign for a political position
 An advertisement for a local event
 An idea for a blog or a book
 A unique interior design for a space
adoptedfromhttps://www.schrockguide.net/uploads/3/9/2/2/392267/critical-thinking-workbook.pdf
Activity 3:CRAZY CAPTIONS
Put in your own creative wording for each of the given images. Write some dialog
between the characters, write a single-line caption, or turn the image into a clever
meme. Keep it short and witty!

Activity 4:1001 WAYS
This is a brainstorming exercise. Write everyday objects on slips of paper and

place all the slips in a box. You each draw a slip from the box, and the activity begins
on a 15 min. timer. You must now come up with as many new uses for your object as
you can. Write them down or sketch them out in the box—be as creative as you can!
(You can also do this exercise in pairs or groups
My Object: ___________________________________________
Activity 5: SKETCH THEM OUT
Everything around you—cars, buildings, even our personal electronic devices—

all started with an idea. This is an activity in creative visualization. In the space below,
sketch out an idea for an invention or a concept you think would be cool.
Some ideas are provided, but feel free to come up with your own.
Suggestions My Inventive Idea:
•A portable source for charging
a smartphone
•A traffic system that doesn ’t
rely on colours
•A machine that turns trash
into energy
•A “green ” vehicle
•An all-new method of personal
transportation
•A new immersive gaming
system
•An idea for a tablet or
smartphone app
•A challenging and fun new idea
for a sport
•A clever design for an interior
space
•An idea for a social networking
domain
Activity 6: STRANGE INTERVIEW

Pair up with a partner and test each other with these fun and challenging “job
interview” questions. This one is all about lateral thinking and common-sense
viewpoints. It’s also about active listening
1. A man buys a new car and goes home to tell his wife. He goes the wrong way up
a one-way street, nearly runs into seven people, goes onto the sidewalk, and
takes a shortcut through a park. A policeman sees all this and still doesn’t arrest
him. Why not?
2. If you had a machine that could generate one million dollars a day, what would
you be willing to pay for it?
3. Why is it against the law for a person living in New York to be buried in
California?
4. One house is made of red bricks, one of blue bricks, one of yellow bricks, and
one of purple bricks. What is the green house made of?
5. A little girl kicks a soccer ball. It goes 10 feet and comes back to her. How is this
possible?
6. In South Africa you can’t take a picture of a man with a wooden leg. Why not? 7.
7. You drive past a buss stopY and see three people waiting for the bus: an old lady
who is about to die, an old friend who saved your life, and your perfect partner.
Knowing you can only have one passenger in your car, what would you do?
8. How much dirt is there in a hole 3 feet deep, 6 feet long, and 4 feet wide?
9. If it took 8 men 10 hours to build a wall, how long would it take 4 men to build the
same wall?
10. How far can you walk into the woods?
11. How many books can you put in an empty backpack?
12. Your friend says he can predict the exact score of every football game before it
begins. He's right every time. How is that possible?
Activity 7: PERSONA MAKING
This activity requires students to be in groups. Each group should do the

following task:
 Design a survey questionnaire that is necessary in identifying the Deep Need

Statement of the User Persona. Your idea should focus on how are you going to
help/reach out to the community. Use constructive criticism in creating your
questions, shallow questions are should be omitted.
 Conduct interviews(via face to face or Online) of minimum of 10 (ten)
interviewees to gather data.
 Identify the User Persona’s “Deep Need Statement” from the datas collected.
 Sketch/Draw your USER Persona and present using a Graphic Organizer.
Present the group’s USER Persona for class interaction.
References:
Corpuz, B.C. et. Al.(2020).The Professional Teachers Magazine:Creative and Critical

Thinking.Volume IV No.1.ISSN 2243-920X.Cubao,Quezon City:Lorimar Publishing,
Inc.
Don Norman. Rethinking Design Thinking,

2013:https://jnd.org/rehtinking_design_thnking/retreivedfromJuly18,2020.
Elizabeth Stinson, Wired (2016): IBM’s Got A Plan To Bring Design Thinking To Big
Business https://www.wired.com/2016/01/ibms-got-a-plan-to-bring-design-thinking-
tobig-business/retrievedJuly25,2020.

Fisher, A.(2013).Critical Thinking:An Introduction Second Edition.ISBN 978-1-107-
4098-3.Cambridge,UK:Cambridge University Press.
Forrester Study (2018) “The Total Economic Impact™ Of IBM’s Design Thinking
Practice: How IBM Drives Client Value And Measurable Outcomes With Its Design
ThinkingFramework” https://www.ibm.com/design/thinking/static/media/Enterprise-De
sign-Thinking-Report.8ab1e9e1.pdf
CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING

LABORATORY ACTIVITY No. 1
Research Writing and Presentation of USER Personas
Instruction: In your own respective field of specialization, in line with this is to make your
own USER Personas that will address the problems encountered by the Users.
PERSONAS
What is it &
why should I do it?
Personas are portraits of fictional but realistic individuals that are used as a
common reference point to communicate particular groups in your intended
audience. Personas are created by drawing together the characteristics of similar
people - their behaviours, motivations and the like - into one ‘archetype’ through
which the group can be understood. By creating a fictional character to embody these
characteristics, you don’t lose the little details that make someone the person they
are. In this way, Personas help ensure that your work stays focused on people, rather
than an abstract description of the group they are said to represent.
Developing successful Personas is all about knowing what to put in, and what
to leave out. They’re often developed from a range of different sources, each of
which might contain huge amounts of detail. The trick is to recognise the common
characteristics that could form the basis of a Persona, and what selection of personal
details to include in order to bring this ‘to life’. Doing this right can be hugely
beneficial as it lets you brainstorm ideas and test potential solutions from their
perspective. Often its handy to create a number of Personas so that you can focus on
the key characteristics of each subgroup of your intended audience.
Note: Use the persona template below in making your own.

Reference:https://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/mod/oucontent/view.php?
id=80415&printable=1
3 REASONS FOR 3 REASONS FOR ME

ME TO ENGAGE NOT TO ENGAGE
WITH YOU WITH YOU
WHO AM I?
1. __________ 1. __________
2. __________ 2. __________
Add Picture or Drawing
3. __________ 3. __________
PERSONA NAME:
_________________
AUDIENCE SEGMENT:
MY INTERESTS
MY PERSONALITY MY SOCIAL
MY DREAMS
ENVIRONMENT

Note: An example of persona as your basis in crfating your own USERS Persona is stated in
the figure below:

CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING
LABORATORY ACTIVITY No. 2
Prototype Production and Presentation
Instruction: In your respective field of specialization since you’re done crafting your USER’s
persona, craft your product proposal as your basis in making your own prototypte using the
following steps stated below.
Take care of the following points when you are preparing for a Product Proposal:
 Introduce your product ideas.
 Write about the solutions to those problems.
 Write a complete detail about pricing for all the process.
 Provide a sample proposal in support of your proposal.
 This product proposal is a basis in making your own prototype.

Title of the Module
Part 2/Laboratory Part- Laboratory Activity 3- Co-Creation Gallery

Walk in an Innovation Congress
Introduction
 Critical and creative thinking involves students thinking broadly and deeply using
skills, behaviours and dispositions such as reason, logic, resourcefulness,
imagination and innovation in all learning areas at school and in their lives beyond
school.
 Co-creation, in the context of a business, refers to a product or service
design process in which input from consumers plays a central role from beginning to
end. Less specifically, the term is also used for any way in which a business allows
consumers to submit ideas, designs or content. Another meaning is the creation of
value by ordinary people, whether for a company or not.
Learning Outcome
 Put up a product design proposal with prototype for presentation and

feedbacking
Learning Content
Co-creation
We define co-creation as the collaborative development of new value
(concepts, solutions, products and services) together with experts and/or
stakeholders (such as customers, suppliers etc.). Co-creation is a form of
collaborative innovation: ideas are shared and improved together, rather than
kept to oneself. It is closely connected to – and mentioned alongside – two
other buzz-words: ‘open source’ and ‘mass-customisation’.

Gallery walk is a classroom-based active learning strategy where
students are encouraged to build on their knowledge about a topic or content
to promote higher-order thinking, interaction and cooperative learning. The
students in groups move through different stations where a question is posted
for them to answer and interact and share knowledge in the process.
//Edmodo, google classroom, moodle, schoology, Podcast

etc..
Assessment Task
Activity 1: Co-Creation
This activity requires the students in group or students go in their existing

group. The group should do the following activities:
 Design your prototype with the presence of your client.

 Get feedbacks, comments and suggestions.
 Present the feedbacks, comments and suggestions to the group for
more insights.
 Construct your prototype in conformity with your clients.
References (at least 3 references preferably copyrighted within the last 5

years, alphabetically arranged)
1. https://fronteer.com/what-is-co-creation/
2. Francek, Mark. "What is Gallery Walk?". Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience.
Retrieved 12 September 2015.
3. ^ Jump up to: Francek, Mark. "Why Use Gallery Walk?". Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level
a b c
Geoscience. Retrieved 12 September 2015.

Title of the Module
Part 2/Laboratory Part- Laboratory Activity 4- Final Product:

Writing the Final Report
Introduction
 In this stage the students will make their final product and write their final
report.
Learning Outcome
 Produce their final prototype written report

//Edmodo, google classroom, moodle, schoology, Podcast

etc..
Assessment Task
Activity 1: Final Output with Written Report
This activity requires the students in group or students go in their existing

group. The group should do the following activities:
 Construct the final product.
 Make the final report about their final product.
 Follow the rubrics in constructing your product and final report.
Final Output- Written Report with Final Prototype
CRITERIA
• 5- Excellent
• 4-Very Good
• 3- Good
• 2- Fair
• 1- Poor
I. WRITTEN REPORT 5 4 3 2 1
The report is discussed clearly and coherently.
It follows the prescribe format.
II. FINAL PROTOTYPE
The final develop prototype is user friendly.

It is acceptable in terms of cost.
It is acceptable in terms of design.
It is an original design
It manifest neatness.
The materials used are readily available
It is properly labeled.
III. TIMELINESS
The written report with the final prototype is submitted on the

given deadline.

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Module in Critical and Creative Thinking 1

Module in Critical and Creative Thinking 2

Critical & Creative Thinking

An alternative modality is for the student to participate in a 14-day Social

At the end of the course, the students should be able to:

a. define and identify the functions and features of Critical Thinking;

Chapter I: CRITICAL THINKING

This Chapter aims the students to:

CRITICAL THINKING, KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND SKILLS

 A complex process of deliberation which involves a wide range of skills

Module in Critical and Creative Thinking 4

Going Deeper With The Critical Thinking

Take a Close Look

• understand the logical connections between ideas

The Importance of critical thinking

Critical thinking promotes creativity. To come up with a creative solution to a

Good critical thinking is the foundation of science and democracy. Science

The future of critical thinking

Module in Critical and Creative Thinking 6

The Fourth Industrial Revolution, which includes developments in previously

Benefits of Critical Thinking Skills

Critical Thinking and Knowledge

What does our knowledge have to do with critical thinking?

Module in Critical and Creative Thinking 7

Critical Thinking and Skills

What do skills have to do with critical thinking?

Knowledge of logic (good reasoning) is not sufficient to guarantee that we are

Critical Thinking and Attitude

What does our attitude have to do with critical thinking?

Module in Critical and Creative Thinking 8

1. Misunderstanding of what is meant by criticism

Topic/Issue 1: Social media

Topic/Issue 2: Workplace motivation

JOURNAL WRITING RUBRIC

Knowledge/Understandi Presents Presents some Presents Presents

Overall Rating: _____________ / 20

1. What is the importance of critical thinking?

Chapter II. CREATIVE THINKING, DESIGN THINKING

In addition to this, creativity can further be defined as a process; creative people

This chapter aims the students to:

 define and identify the functions and features of Creative Thinking;

Module in Critical and Creative Thinking 12

CREATIVITY AND DESIGN

 Design Thinking Process

Module in Critical and Creative Thinking 13

Going Deeper With Creative Thinking And Design Thinking Process

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the author of the book “Creativity: The Psychology of

Creativity and Economic Development:

Module in Critical and Creative Thinking 14

Pink argues that left-brain linear, analytical computer-like thinking is being

Can creativity be learned?

Creativity begins with a foundation of knowledge, learning a discipline, and

Studies by Clayton M. Christensen and his researchers uncovered The

1. Associating: drawing connections between questions, problems, or ideas

“Creativeness is the ability to see relationships where none exist.”

Generative Research on Creativity

Module in Critical and Creative Thinking 15

The study concludes that excellence is determined by:

“Few showed early signs of promise prior to parental encouragement.” No one

The process of the development of thinking has been studied by psychologists

Piaget became a keen child-watcher; he played with them, asked questions

a. The Sensory-Motor Stage:

Module in Critical and Creative Thinking 17