Method 635. A tool to generate ideas and develop solutions
02 / 09 / 2018
Creative ideas do not always come to us right when we need them. Furthermore, they sometimes appear at unearthly hours or in the most unusual places. But there are specific times in which we need to open a window to creativity, regardless of how blocked it is, and we need to let talent flow. But we are not alone… There are countless creativity techniques and tools that can help us develop new ideas, solve problems or establish a path we had not identified before.
One Day Design Challenge will present different techniques in several posts to stimulate the imagination and develop ideas applied to creative processes; some need to be used alone while others can be applied when working in a group.
The sector you work in is of no importance, it could be advertising, product design, architecture, copywriting or graphic design… What really matters is to have the tools to overcome a possible mental blockage and to find that inspiration we are searching for. A blank page can be terrifying, but it is also a great opportunity to create something new.
The 6-3-5 method (6 people, 3 ideas, 5 minutes) is a very dynamic technique, easy to implement and with surprising results. It consists of gathering a group of 6 people. Each of them receives a blank page and has 5 minutes to write down 3 ideas related to the proposed challenge or to the topic that has been previously defined. After 5 minutes, each one of them will give their piece of paper to the partner on his/her left, who will have to write down 3 more ideas that are different from the first ones. And so on. At the end of the exercise, we will have obtained 108 ideas in only 30 minutes. Not bad at all! Some of them will be absurd, others will not be feasible, but surely it will be possible to find some solutions that do work or at least, a path will have been found to continue working.
One of the most important advantages of this technique is the capacity to generate a large number of ideas as, once you see the ideas of your partners, your brain activates producing new connections as well. Another advantage is that everyone needs to participate, making it easier for those who usually do not talk much, because of shyness or a lack of confidence, to take part. Mind you, the handwriting needs to be clear so that the other participants understand what you have written, otherwise, this does not work.
This technique can be useful in very different contexts: to find solutions to problems, to develop a new project, to improve an existing situation, to foster teamwork and, certainly, to participate at the One Day Design Challenge by Roca. There can be no more excuses for sending your application for the next challenge.