Keith Sawyer points to a remarkable study that shows how exposure to the outdoors enhances creativity. The mechanisms are unclear, but it could be that there is a sense of possibility that comes from the outdoors due to the expanded boundaries of perception. By that, I think of how the topography, fauna and flora constantly […]
Creativity in the Wild: How Wilderness Exposure Enhances Problem Solving Read More »
Keith Sawyer’s latest post provides a terrific introduction to a new series coming on the design of learning that I’ll be doing on Censemaking in the coming weeks. The importance of the environments — social and physical — that support creativity cannot be understated and Dr Sawyer’s reflections, if taken seriously by educators and academic
Designing Creative Spaces for Learning Read More »
A brilliant recap of the work on design thinking. I don’t agree with the title, but admire the historical context brought to bear in illustrating what design thinking is, where it came from and how it has been used. It’s time to start looking at design thinking differently, not abandoning it.
Design Thinking: Another Look at Its Well-Exaggerated Death Read More »
Is it time to move on or shall we try to invigorate the discussion of concepts like innovation and design thinking with dialogue, evidence and (self-referentially) some innovation and design thinking to advance not only the discourse on these topics, but also their adoption, study and adaptation to help us tackle the complex, wicked and pervasive problems that seem to be growing in our world each day.
Innovation, Design Thinking and the Folly of Fads Read More »
Systems thinking, design thinking, developmental evaluation, creativity, networks and innovation: these are the keywords for health in the coming years. They are as author Eric Topol calls the dawning of the creative destruction of medicine. The public is already using social media for health and now the time has come for health (care, promotion and protection) systems to get on board and make the changes necessary to join them.
Social Media and Health: Leaders(hip) and Followers(hip) Read More »
Design thinking is a concept that has gained much purchase in the creative industries and beyond, but what does it mean and does it matter? Determining an answer to this question might mean the difference between advancing it further or ending the concept’s use altogether. The Latin form of the question of “what is design
Quid nunc cogitat? In search of a definition of design thinking Read More »
What if we could cultivate the means to be intimate with these methods in the service of better design and communication? What kind of design would that look like? Could we engage a much broader range of people into the discussion? Right now, we privilege those who can write and speak well, those who are forward (i.e., extroverted) and verbal, at the expense of those who might have as much to offer, but for whom writing, reading or oral communication might not be their strongest method of communication, yet that is all they are given.
Extra-Sensory Knowledge Translation and Design Read More »
Just as we create path dependencies for one set of values, so too can we do the same for others and with other people. The focus on the outcomes of systems rather than their design is problematic if we want change. Starting with design and values at the outset, being conscious of who we invite in and how we engage them and by remaining contemplative about how these systems unfold and the emergent patterns that shape them, designers of all stripes may be better positioned to create social change rather than just for social norms.
Design for Social Norms or Social Change? Read More »
Of the many persistent myths about innovation, the lone genius is about the most sticky. Continued research shows how untrue this is.
The Persistent Myth of the Lone Genius in Art and Science Read More »
Good chefs know a lot about innovation in complex environments as they prepare meals for their customers. We can learn a lot from watching what they do and how they do it. There is a renaissance in the food industry that is underway where local, seasonal foods and attention to regional specialties are replacing a
Complexity and Innovation: Lessons from elBulli Read More »
