Ideation and critical thinking

Creativity and critical thinking, as well as communication and collaboration skills, are considered core workplace attributes for the 21st century, and particularly in relation to complex problem solving. Generally speaking, creativity is associated with generating ideas, while critical thinking is associated with judging them. In practice, however, the two are not so easy to separate. That is, creativity without critical judgment tends toward the fanciful or the impractical. At the same time, critical thinking gets short shrift when reduced to making a judgment, since, at its best, critical thinking is also a way of making a contribution. That is, critical thinking is fundamentally creative in the sense that its aim is to produce something new: an insight, an argument, a new synthesis of ideas or information, a new level of understanding. Thus creativity and critical thinking are improved when in symbiotic relationship with one another. This suggests that ideation, as a creative act, benefits from recognising the role of critical thinking in ensuring the value of novel ideas. See also: https://www.gettingsmart.com/2017/11/at-the-intersection-of-creativity-and-critical-thinking/

Pandemic as generator of ideas

As circumstances are changing under the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic so too must certain ways of living, working and even thinking. For example, rules on social distancing are having an impact on the ways people work and how they travel to work (working from home affects the use of public transport and office space requirements), on the ways people do their shopping (online sales impact distribution and point of sale arrangements) or on the ways education is organised and delivered (online learning impacts the need for traditional teaching and learning spaces). Faced with such challenges to contemporary ways of living and working, designers, through creative questioning (what-ifs), are well placed to help deliver innovative solutions. But attention should be given to the limits to idea communication during a period of social distancing, that is, online communication at the expense of physical presentation and encounters. Or, what is being lost if ideators cannot show, share or collaborate ideas face-to-face?

Ideation and complexity

As the distinctions between the natural world, built environment, and culture and society become increasingly blurry, and as the role of designers expands from dealing with straightforward, simple problems to tackling larger systemic issues, ideation can no longer been seen in simple terms. Indeed complex design problems are often "wicked problems" (to borrow a term from the social policy arena), problems that cannot be addressed by the traditional approach in which problems are defined, analysed and solved in sequential steps. That is, a wicked problem cannot be presented as a linear event but reflects nonlinear dynamics which invites a range of approaches of a collaborative nature that aims at engaging all stakeholders. However, for ideators the collaborative approach reveals another problem in that ideation is not just a creative activity but a competitive one too. That is, in the attempt to solve wicked problems ideators pit competing and sometimes opposing ideas or points of view against each other. The tension between the competitive and collaborative strategy for wicked problem solving may then result in a third strategy, or the authoritative approach whereby the responsibility for problem solving is handed to a few people, be they experts, a jury or a public agency. Or, possibly, a fourth strategy, that is, computer-assisted systems thinking to determine the "best solution" or, at all events the "least bad". Yet whatever strategy, creativity remains at the heart of problem solving.

Inclusive or exclusive ideation?

While there are many influences on 20th century design, when it comes to design intent two positions are noteworthy: "exclusive" and "inclusive". That is to say, exclusivity emphasises pure, simple and abstract shapes whereas inclusivity highlights hybrid, diverse and real forms. In the context of ideation, this may suggest that inclusive ideation is one that sees the design task or problem from local, environmental and societal perspectives, in contrast to exclusive ideation that limits the task to formal or stylistic considerations and often at the expense of an appropriate response to the conditions of the problem. That is, whereas exclusive ideation is presenting grand statements, universal assumptions or prototypical solutions, the inclusive approach is more modest and flexible encouraging multiple readings and interpretations while supporting sustainable and communal values. In other words, inclusive ideation situates the problem in specific societal and cultural contexts balancing practical, environmental and aesthetic concerns.

What is new?

Since King Solomon wrote the statement, 'There’s nothing new under the sun', many advances have taken place in society, but, from the larger perspective of life, and according to the ancient Scripture human nature has remained and always will remain the same. However the statement does not ignore inventions or advances in technology; rather, these innovations do not amount to any basic change in the world. Parmenides, the pre-Socrates philosopher, argues that change is impossible: "whatever is is, and what is not cannot be", a statement that is generally considered one of the first digressions into the philosophical concept of being. In contrast Heraclitus, the ancient cosmologist, holds that "No man ever steps into the same river twice" which is regarded as one of the first digressions into the philosophical concept of becoming. Now the world, from the perspective of ideation, is in ever-present change, flux or becoming. rather than one thing, which is timeless, uniform, and unchanging. Indeed ideation is a mode of becoming and what generates or inspires ideas, or stirs man's imagination and creativity is limitless. However, original ideas require the ability or capacity to break away from traditional ways of thinking or behaviour, which is a challenging task.

Ideation and alone time

The notion of the lone genius emerged in the Enlightenment and continues to fascinate both creative mind and the public at large. However, in an age of interaction, collaboration and participatory design, the lone genius has been reduced to a rather romantic mythical figure. Yet research suggests that alone time, but not isolation can be beneficial for creativity. For example, the US psychologist Gregory Feist has found that personality traits commonly associated with creativity are openness (receptiveness to new thoughts and experiences), self-efficacy (confidence), and autonomy (independence) – which may include “a preference for being alone”. In fact, Feist’s research on both artists and scientists shows that one of the most prominent features of creative people is their lesser interest in socialising. One reason for this is that creatives are likely to spend sustained time alone which allows for the reflection and observation necessary for that creative process. This need also highlights the difference between ideation, which requires sustained attention and deep focus and "brainstorming", that is a decidedly sociable process. But being social also means that when we surround ourselves with others, we are influenced by their opinions and aesthetics. To truly chart our own path or vision, then, we have to be willing to spend time alone, at least for some period of time.

Keeping Up

Design is a fast moving and fast changing activity in contemporary culture. So much so that designers who want to survive let alone staying at the top of their profession must reinvent themselves again and again and again. And to stay ahead of the curve, designers need not only keep up with fashion but make fashion which means to continually devise creative strategies and tactics to vary design production. For example, it's been said that Gehry, the architect, is regularly questioning himself: 'Am I repeating myself' (talk of the "Bilbao Guggenheim effect" is said to make the architect uncomfortable). In such competitive environments ideation is key, that is, it is not enough for designers to produce fabulous ideas but also to communicate them as realisable. To make ideas happen, then, it is increasingly important for designers to be able to translate their initial ideas, from traditional 2D drawings and sketch models to data (digital files) which can be fed into the Building Information Model, BIM (a 3-D, object-oriented, CAD approach for architects and engineers, which can store complete information about a building in a digital format). Indeed today's design process is a "supply chain" of data, from first thoughts to final product/building, including costs, scheduling and maintenance.