Creative Practice: Tools,

Methods, and Techniques

Ideation Tools, Methods, and Techniques

Learning Goals
At the end of the lesson, the student is able to:

1 Identify the different tools, methods, and techniques of ideation.

2 Articulate the importance of ideation.

3 Differentiate the different methods of ideation.

4 Apply ideation tools, methods, and techniques.

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 The Osborn Checklist and Brainstorming
Osborn
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with
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each stormer
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same objective. In this operation all must shoot wild and pile up every possible alternative by way of ideas.
Adapt

Brainstorming
Combine

Modify
a group discussion
Substitute aimed at producing ideas or
solving a problem; the word ‘storming’ is a
military
Reverse term referring to ‘attacking’

Alexander Faickney Osborn Magnify/Minify

(May 24, 1888 – May 5, 1966)
American advertising executive and the author of
the creativity technique named brainstorming.
Rearrange Put to other uses
Eliminate
The Osborn Checklist and Brainstorming
Osborn laid down his most important rules in a
commandment-like numerical sequence:
. Criticism of ideas will be withheld until the next day.

. The crazier the idea, the better; it’s easier to tone down
than to think up.
. The more ideas we pile up, the more likelihood of
winners.
. In addition to contributing ideas of our own, let’s suggest
how another’s idea can be turned into a better idea; or how
two or more ideas can be joined into still another idea.

Criticism: We become less creative, not more, when we think in groups.

“We live with a value system that I call the Extrovert Ideal — the omnipresent belief that the ideal self is
gregarious, alpha, and comfortable in the spotlight. Introversion — along with its cousins sensitivity,
seriousness and shyness — is now a second-class personality trait, somewhere between a disappointment
and a pathology.” – Susan Cain author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking.
The Osborn Checklist and Brainstorming
Substitute – Who else, where else, or what else can we substitute
to replace a role, part, ingredient, material or approach?
Combine – What parts, units, or ideas from different categories
can we combine to form new ones?
Adapt – How can a product, an idea, plan, etc. be repurposed?

Modify – What parts, units, ideas, meanings, materials, color, shape, etc.
can we change?
Magnify/Minify – What parts can we increase/decrease, make longer/shorter, stronger/weaker, higher/lower,
thicker/thinner?

Put to other uses – How else could a product or process be used? Does it solve some other problem?

Eliminate – Can we remove or eliminate something to solve the problem?

Rearrange – Can we solve the problem by interchanging its parts, its patterns, or layout? Would rearranging
the order help solve the problem?

Reverse – What if we reverse the process? What if we did the exact opposite?
Brainstorming
Brainstorming combines a relaxed informal approach to problem solving with lateral thinking. It
encourages people to come up with thoughts and ideas. Some of these ideas can be crafted into original,
creative solutions to a problem
Individual Brainstorming. When you brainstorm on your own, you do
not have to worry about other people's egos or opinions, and you
can be freer and more creative. For example, you might find that an
idea you had hesitated to bring up in a group develops into
something special when you explore it on your own. However, you
may not develop ideas as fully when you are on your own, because
you do not have the wider experience of other group members to
draw on.
Group Brainstorming. Group brainstorming helps everyone feel that
they have contributed to the solution, and it reminds people that
others have creative ideas to offer. It's also fun, so it can be great for
team building. You can take advantage of the full experience and
creativity of all team members. When one member gets stuck with
an idea, another member's creativity and experience can take the
idea to the next stage. You can develop ideas in greater depth with
group brainstorming than you can with individual brainstorming.
Lateral Thinking
What is Lateral Thinking?
The term coined by Dr. Edward De Bono in 1967 which
refers to
 Thinking “outside the box” to solve problems.

Lateral Thinking Thinking used in solving problems through an

indirect and creative approach.
 The ability to use our imagination to look at a
is a manner of solving problems using
problem an indirect
in a fresh and
way and come up with a new
solution.
creative approach via reasoning that is
 Thinking usednotforimmediately
changing concepts and
obvious; it involves ideas thatperceptions.
may not be obtainable
using only traditional step-by-step
Example. logic
A woman gave birth to two sons who were born in the
same hour of the same day of the same year, but they are not
twins. How is this possible?
Lateral Thinking Techniques

!
Dr. Edward De Bono proposed four techniques for
lateral thinking: awareness, random stimulation,
alternatives, and alteration.
Awareness. We should first cultivate an awareness of how our
Criticism: Lateral thinking approaches have become more popular in recent years,
minds process information. Resisting established patterns is the
some critics argue lateral thinking should befirst
taken
stepwith
towarda grain
greaterofinnovation.
salt. Some academics
warns that there is little hard evidence that lateral
Random thinking works
Stimulation. Exposure in to
business and is an important
randomness
classroom settings. De Bono himself waspart notofa lateral
fan ofthinking.
extensive research,
Stimulation calling
may it by letting in a
be done
“artificial” and claiming that “nobody has been
varietyable to prove that taking
of information–by literature, history
a walk, or to a podcast,
listening
having a conversation
mathematics classes have prepared people for with a stranger, taking a different route to
society”.
work–can positively impact our problem-solving process. This is
opposed to what we normally do of trying to shut out all
The wisest thing to do is do your own research and make
distractions up your
and focus with own mindonabout
our minds the
the task at hand.
approach before you integrate it into your personal or professional routine. Still, there
Alternatives. Deliberately consider alternative solutions. Do not
are many “practical positive effects that are quickly
regularly reported
settle on whatasyou
a result ofthe
think is theperfect
efficient
answer to your
use of De Bono’s lateral thinking
dilemma, tools”.
but take a bit more time to think of other options. The
only way to truly consider the problem is to look at it from all
Antonioangles.
Melechi
Alteration.
honorary research fellow in the Reversing
department of the relationship between parts of a problem,
sociology
going in the opposite direction of what is implied, breaking
at the University of York
patterns down into smaller pieces, and translating relationships
into analogies and then translating them back are all examples of
ways to cultivate an “alteration mindset” while problem solving.
6 Thinking Hats
White Hat: Thinking where you focus on the available data. Look at the information that you have,
analyze past trends, and see what you can learn from it. Look for gaps in your knowledge, and try
to either fill them or take account of them.
Red Hat: Thinking where you look at problems using your intuition, gut reaction, and emotion.
Also, think how others could react emotionally. Try to understand the responses of people who do
not fully know your reasoning.
Black Hat: Thinking that looks at a decision's potentially negative outcomes. Look at situations
cautiously and defensively. Try to see why it might not work. This is important because it
highlights the weak points in a plan. It allows you to eliminate them, alter them, or prepare
contingency plans to counter them.
Green Hat: Creative thinking. This is where you develop creative solutions to a problem. It is a
freewheeling way of thinking, in which there is little criticism of ideas. You can explore a range
of creativity tools to help you.
Blue Hat: Thinking that represents process control. It's the hat worn by people chairing meetings,
for example. When facing difficulties because ideas are running dry, they may direct activity into
Green Hat thinking. When contingency plans are needed, they will ask for Black Hat thinking.
Yellow Hat: Positive thinking. It is the optimistic viewpoint that helps you to see all the benefits of
the decision and the value in it. Yellow Hat thinking helps you to keep going when everything looks
gloomy and difficult.
References
• https://www.hamilton.edu/magazine/summer12/the-man-who-taught-brains-to-storm
• https://www.imindq.com/brainstorming/
• https://www.wework.com/en-GB/ideas/professional-development/effective-brainstorming-techniques
• https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/cultivate-lateral-thinking/
GIF and Video Credits
• https://dribbble.com/shots/10092484-CREATIVITY-Animated-Text
• https://giphy.com/explore/grandoozy
• https://theedtechpodcast.com/on-the-second-day-of-digital-leadership-understand-what-your-aims-are/
• https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/problem-rubber-stamp-grunge-seal-vector-1455027743
• https://www.cadcrowd.com/3d-models/swivel-chair
Image Credits
• https://pixels.com/art/ideation
• https://alcorfund.com/insight/ideation-tools-purpose-methods/
• https://www.open.ac.uk/researchprojects/enduringlove/methods
• https://www.123rf.com/photo_59049304_hand-writing-techniques-word-cloud-business-concept.html
• https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/other/products-and-services/
• https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/osborns-checklist-and-brainstorming-5bf1c9667763
• https://www.momjunction.com/articles/baby-names-for-triplet-girls-and-boys_00412612/
 presentation created by
Laurence N. Magdalaga