Idea Generation and Innovation Activities

If you need inspiration for building new ideas.

One of the best ways to explore creativity is through building. Simple low fidelity prototypes can allow us to transform simple (and at times complex) ideas into something physical. In doing so we inevitably open a space for continuing to explore, reevaluate and iterate.

Observing the lives of others is not only an essential element of how we define our own identities, it can also be a great spark for creativity. This activity was inspired by a blog post by Russell Davies.

This specific activity is perfect both for honing your listening and observation skills, but also how to turn this into an everyday documentary-style output. Oh and by the way, he does warn that this activity should be done with a certain level of sensitivity to the subjects you are observing.

Applying existing best practices for new problems

Time: 5-10 minutes

1. (15-30 minutes) Write down 10 true statements about your creativity in your Creativity Notebook. These can be anything: ‘I feel the most creative when I’m dancing.’ ‘My desk needs to be messy/tidy for me to feel like I can be creative.’

2. EXTRA CREDIT: If you get even the slightest whiff of an 'aha!' moment, add a second layer sentence to your Noticing Wall (the back page of your Creativity Notebook). Noticing Wall Statements look like anything from, 'Huh, I never thought of it that way!' to 'Wow, I guess I really do need a messy desk to feel creative; I wonder why.'
   

Dixit Braamcamp. Turning a boardgame into a co-design tool for citizen participation in local development