Creative Thinking

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Creative Thinking

• MECH 151
• January 31, 2000
• Eric Wang

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The Classic Lecture

• The process by which the material in the
  professors notebook gets into the students
  notebook without passing through the mind of
  either

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Outline

• Types of Creativity
• The Creative Process
• Obstacles to Creativity
• Concept Generation
• Assignment

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Food for thought

• A canary is standing on the bottom of a large
  sealed bottle that is placed on a scale. He takes
  off and flied around the inside the bottle. What
  happens to the readings of the scale?

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More food for thought

• What if we ask the same question, this time using
  a fish in bottle if full of water?

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Creativity

• That which is used strengthens and grows,
  while that which is not used withers and dies.
• - Socrates

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The Nature of Creativity

• Profound Creativity (e.g. Einstein)
• What is light and air?
• Why is fire hot?
• Why does an apple fall down
• Inspired Creativity (e.g. the artist)
• Genius from the subconscious
• Applied Creativity (e.g. the engineer)
• Imagination controlled with logic and reason

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The Creative Process

• Recognition of the need or problem
• A period of intense concentration
• take in all the elements of the problem
• engage in free thinking (mind wandering)
• seek divergent/non-traditional solutions

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The Creative Process

• A period of relaxation
• think of something else
• let the problem incubate in your mind
• concentration followed by relaxation is the
  common pattern behind creative thinking

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The Creative Process

• Illumination
• The solution suddenly and spontaneously appears
• Usually occurs when we are doing something else
• Evaluation or verification of the solution
• determine which solutions are promising
• examine the solution(s) critically

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Recap The Creative Process

• Recognition of the need or problem
• A period of intense concentration
• A period of relaxation or incubation
• Illumination, when the solution suddenly and
  spontaneously appears
• Evaluation or verification of the solution

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Obstacles to creative thinking

• Imposing constraints on the problem
• Inability to isolate the problem
• Feeling overwhelmed by the problem
• Using rigid problem-solving strategies
• Overemphasis on reason and logic
• Lack of time
• Stereotyping
• Fear of taking risks
• Cultural Intellectual blocks

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Overcoming Obstacles

• Avoid placing constraints
• View the problem in different ways
• Recognize non-engineering solutions
• Seek the non-traditional solution
• Divide complex problems into small ones
• Allow incubation after concentration
• Be open to all problem-solving strategies

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The First Steps in Design

• Gather needed information
• Properly define the problem
• Concept Generation
• innovation and creativity are required

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Concept Generation

• Dont settle on first idea
• Dont settle on the obvious approach
• Consider as many alternatives as possible
• Use structured idea sessions (for individuals
  groups)
• Discard bad ideas based on engineering
  analysis

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Activities for Individuals

• Listing
• Checklists
• Attribute listing
• Forced relationship technique
• Morphological analysis

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Listing

• Probably most common technique used
• Usually a memory aid (e.g. to do list)
• Also a powerful thinking aid
• Works best in competitive environments

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The Brickyard Example

• Imagine you are a consultant for a brickyard
• The company is in financial difficulty
• Hired to find new uses for bricks
• 3 minutes to write a list of new uses

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Brickyard Revisited

• In 3 minutes
• List all uses you can think of for a brick.
• Aim for fluency and flexibility of thinking and
  do no get hooked into premature judgment.

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Reflect on Listing Example

• What went through your mind in each case?
• Did you suffer from
• Premature judgment
• Labeling/stereotyping
• Lack of focus
• Fluency number of ideas
• Flexibility diversity of ideas

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Checklists

• Encourages close examination of design
• List design possibilities, areas, design points
• Example attempting to improve a device
• List
• Ways the device could be put to other uses
• Ways the device could be modified
• Ways the device could be rearranged
• Ways the device could be magnified
• Ways the device could be lessened

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Attribute Listing

• List all characteristics of product/project
• Ask How can they be changed?
• For example A telephone
• Color (any color, clear, plaid, personalized)
• Material (plastic, metal, glass, wood)
• Dial (button, lever, abacus)
• Handset (square, round, oval, microphone)

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Forced Relationship Technique

• Force a relationship between unrelated
  ideas/products
• For example weed cutter
• Force a relationship with a car wheel
• Round weed cutter
• rubber weed cutter
• weed cutter that rolls
• weed cutter that has spokes
• weed cutter that has brakes

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Morphological Analysis

• Divide problem into parameters
• Visualize every possible solution for each
  parameter
• Evaluate all combinations (solutions)
• For example weed cutter
• Power electric, gas, water pressure
• Blade action rotary, reciprocating
• Material steel, aluminum, plastic

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Creative Activities for Groups

• BRAINSTORMING

• Rules
• No criticizing
• No hesitating
• No holding back
• No owning of ideas
• No sticking to your own field of expertise

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Summary

• The nature of creativity
• The creative process
• Obstacles to creativity
• Creative activities for individuals
• Create activities for groups

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Creativity Assignment

• Develop a method for detecting leaks in
  surgical gloves during the manufacturing process