By Alicia Calderón González (Delft University of Technology)

Finding out-of-the-box ideas and creative new approaches to what already exists are core elements of Design-enabled innovations. At DESIGNSCAPES, we believe that anyone can make use of their creative skills and come up with that idea that will ignite the next social transformation — whether in the private or public sector. 

That said, there are some obstacles we all face (professional creatives and others) when wanting to make use of our internal creative machinery. As with many other processes, coming up with original ideas can be encouraged and structured by methodology, as well as guided by a facilitator prepared to pose the right questions that trigger the creativity of an individual or group.

Cover of the book & example of an inside page.

A valuable asset in this endeavour is the Road Map for Creative Problem Solving Techniques by Katrina Heijne and Han van der Meer, a guide for facilitators based on decades of teaching and developing methodology on Creative facilitation at the faculty of Industrial Design Engineering of the Delft Technical University.  

Although the authors explain that this book is a “work in progress” (the field is constantly evolving), this “road map” serves as a complete toolbox of creativity techniques, such as Brainstorming, as well as a detailed manual on how to apply Creative Problem Solving, including every detail on how to set up a creative session with a group. 

 

  Authors Katrina Heijne and Han van der Meer with their book
Road Map for Creative Problem Solving Techniques

Here at DESIGNSCAPES, we will keep this book in mind as a resource for the different European initiatives we are getting to know in the project that tap into the creative skills needed to develop Design-enabled innovations. Whatever the resources or triggers you turn to, being able to elicit our creative ability for problem-solving is a crucial asset for every urban innovator.

You can order the book here. 

To order the book outside the Netherlands, please send an e-mail to klantenservice@boomhogeronderwijs.nl