The product workers: creativity techniques in product development
Creativity techniques play an essential role in product development. They serve to generate innovative ideas and steer the development process onto new paths. In this episode of the Produktwerker podcast, Tim Klein and Dominique Winter talk about how creativity techniques can be used within agile product development, for example with Scrum.
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Brainwriting statt Brainstorming
Many rely on the tried and tested brainstorming method, but it often turns out that this method has its limitations. One of the main problems lies in social desirability, which often affects the quality of the ideas generated. Brainstorming regularly leads to participants censoring themselves or holding back ideas for fear of rejection. This is where brainwriting comes in, an alternative that is often considered more helpful in this context. Being able to jot down ideas reduces social pressure. All participants can write down their own thoughts without inhibitions, leading to a wider range of creative approaches.
The 635 Method: Three ideas in five minutes
Another approach that has proven its worth is the 635 method. Six participants each formulate three ideas in five minutes. These ideas are then passed on to the next six participants, who generate new ideas based on them. This iterative approach creates a large number of ideas in a short time without the influence of social factors restricting creativity.
However, since many people are involved in product development, there are also techniques that allow people to think from the same perspective. For example, Edward de Bono’s thinking hats have proven to be a useful tool. These metaphorical hats represent different schools of thought that can be acted out in the group. Each hat represents a different point of view: neutral, emotional, optimistic, critical, creative and structured. As the participants consciously slip into these different roles, a multifaceted view of the problem emerges, which can lead to a variety of possible solutions. Dominique Winter recommends that all participants always take the same perspective and not everyone wears a different hat at the same time.
Take different perspectives
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Another method that has proven itself is the Walt Disney method. She uses the roles of dreamer, realist and critic to look at an idea from different angles. This allows both visionary approaches and practical feasibility to be highlighted, which can lead to more balanced and implementable ideas.
As a personal recommendation from Dominique Winter, here is a very insightful lecture by John Cleese on the topic of creativity in management.
Advanced Topics
These podcast episodes fit the topic or were mentioned in this episode:
The current edition of the podcast is also available in the product workers’ blog: “Creativity techniques in product development”.
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