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UXA2023 Zoë Rose - Creative thinking methodologies: a lost history

UXA2023 Zoë Rose - Creative thinking methodologies: a lost history

When were diamonds first used to describe the design process?

When was the first 'how might we' question asked?

What were the original steps of 'brainstorming'?

Some answers to these questions can be found in a 30 year period in America after the end of World War 2, when parallel intellectual movements centred around creating scientific methodologies for creativity and design thrived. Many of the ideas, principles, and design processes of that age are still with us today.

Other answers are much, much older.

In this talk, we will do more than describe yet another design process model. Instead, we will explore the historical and cultural origins of the design and creativity methods that are still common in design, and we will explore how they were both informed by and developed in reaction to the emergence of computing and large-scale data management. By the end of the talk, you will have a new perspective on how the origins of our methodologies can embed biased assumptions in the work we do today.

UXAustralia
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August 24, 2023
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  1. Greatquestion.com.au
    Zoë Rose

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  5. Hi, I’m
    Zoë!

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  6. 1900s
    ish
    1800
    ish
    1850s
    ish
    1950s
    ish
    2000s
    ish

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  7. 1900s
    ish
    1800
    ish
    1850s
    ish
    1950s
    ish
    2000s
    ish
    1st
    Prologue

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  8. 1900s
    ish
    1800
    ish
    1850s
    ish
    1950s
    ish
    2000s
    ish
    1st
    Prologue
    2nd

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  9. 1900s
    ish
    1800
    ish
    1850s
    ish
    1950s
    ish
    2000s
    ish
    1st
    3rd
    Prologue
    2nd

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  11. Assuming that a
    method can be
    acultural is a cultural
    assumption.

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  12. 1900s
    ish
    1800
    ish
    1850s
    ish
    1950s
    ish
    2000s
    ish
    1st
    Prologue

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  15. ``
    Hofstede compass – USA

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  16. Hofstede compass – USA vs Australia

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  17. Alfred
    Binet
    Just
    trying to
    help
    French
    kids

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  19. Robert
    Yerkes
    The one
    on the
    left

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  24. Now
    ish
    1950s
    to
    1970s
    1900-
    1920
    ish
    1800
    ish
    1880s
    ish
    1930s
    to
    1940s
    World
    War 2
    1st
    Prologue
    2nd

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  25. I love you,
    JP
    Guilford

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  27. ‘Structure
    of the
    Intellect’
    model

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  28. Our creative problem
    solving methods have
    individualistic roots.

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  29. Alex
    Osborn
    OG
    Madman

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  31. Carl
    Rogers
    Has
    probably
    changed
    your life

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  33. Our creative problem
    solving methods
    (might) have
    multicultural roots.

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  35. WW2
    Sputnik
    1950 1960 1970 1980
    1940
    1930
    Laika
    Belka and Strelka
    Yuri Gagarin – first person in space
    Alexei Leonov – first space walk
    Moon landing

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  36. View Slide

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  38. Our creative problem
    solving methods have
    ideological roots.

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  39. Our creative problem
    solving methods are a
    response to threat.

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  46. Empathise Define Ideate Prototype Test
    Fact
    finding
    Problem
    finding
    Idea
    finding
    Solution
    finding
    Acceptance
    finding

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  47. }

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  48. View Slide

  49. Horst
    Rittel
    Ruining
    everything

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  50. 1. There is no definitive formulation of a wicked problem
    2. Wicked problems have no stopping rule
    3. Solutions to wicked problems are not true-or-false, but good-or-bad
    4. There is no immediate and no ultimate test of a solution to a wicked problem
    5.Every solution to a wicked problem is a "one-shot operation"; because there is no opportunity to learn by
    trial-and-error, every attempt counts significantly
    6. Wicked problems do not have an enumerable (or an exhaustively describable) set of potential solutions, nor
    is there a well-described set of permissible operations that may be incorporated into the plan
    7. Every wicked problem is essentially unique
    8. Every wicked problem can be considered to be a symptom of another problem
    9. The existence of a discrepancy representing a wicked problem can be explained in numerous ways. The
    choice of explanation determines the nature of the problem's resolution
    10. The planner has no right to be wrong
    Wicked problems

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  51. “It is a principle of science that solutions to problems are only
    hypotheses offered for refutation… the scientific community does
    not blame its members for postulating hypotheses that are later refuted-
    so long as the author abides by the rules of the game, of course. In the
    world of planning and wicked problems no such immunity is tolerated.
    Here the aim is not to find the truth, but to improve some characteristics
    of the world where people live. Planners are liable for the
    consequences of the actions they generate; the effects can matter
    a great deal to those people that are touched by those actions.
    10. The planner has no right to be wrong

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  52. 1900s
    ish
    1800
    ish
    1850s
    ish
    1950s
    ish
    2000s
    ish
    1st
    3rd
    Prologue
    2nd

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  53. View Slide

  54. Karl
    Gauss
    Legit
    genius

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  56. • All heads half heads, half tails all tails
    If we all flipped a coin 100 times…

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  57. Our statistical
    methods have roots in
    probability.

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  58. Adolphe
    Quetelet
    Wannabe
    genius

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  59. Charles
    Darwin
    Charles
    Darwin

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  60. Francis
    Galton
    If only
    he
    wasn’t
    terrible

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  61. View Slide

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  63. Ronald
    Fisher
    ‘The
    founder of
    modern
    statistics’

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  64. Karl
    Pearson
    ‘The
    founder of
    modern
    statistics’

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  65. Our statistical
    methods have racist
    roots.

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  66. View Slide

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  69. Our statistical
    methods have
    ideological roots.

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  70. Our statistical
    methods are a
    response to threat.

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  71. View Slide

  72. Robert
    Yerkes
    Bastard

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  77. View Slide

  78. View Slide

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  80. Greatquestion.com.au
    Zoë Rose

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  82. Ethical bit

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  86. Francis
    Galton
    If only
    he
    wasn’t
    terrible

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  87. View Slide

  88. • All heads half heads, half tails all tails

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  89. • All heads half heads, half tails all tails

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  90. • All heads half heads, half tails all tails

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  91. Find pic of bimodal distribution

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  92. View Slide

  93. All knowledge is
    cultural.

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  94. WW2
    Guilford works with pilots
    1920 1930 1940 1960
    1910
    1900
    WW1
    1950
    Guilford’s address
    Invention of the IQ test
    1.7 million US soldiers take IQ tests

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  95. Zoe – the connection between eugenics and
    creativity methods is that as far as the
    proponents were concerned, they were both
    about existential threat

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  96. Low context cultures High context cultures
    US
    Australia
    Japan
    Korea
    UK
    Russia
    India
    Brazil
    Germany
    Kenya
    France

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  97. Priyanka
    Kulkarni-
    Rajwade
    Designer,
    Deloitte
    Mumbai

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  98. Kawal Oberoi
    Host,
    ‘Designed
    this way’
    podcast
    Priyanka
    Kulkarni-
    Rajwade
    Designer,
    Deloitte
    Mumbai

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  99. Kawal Oberoi
    Host,
    ‘Designed
    this way’
    podcast
    Abishek
    Avtans
    Lecturer, Indic
    languages
    Priyanka
    Kulkarni-
    Rajwade
    Designer,
    Deloitte
    Mumbai

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  100. My friend
    Former Hare
    Krishna
    Kawal Oberoi
    Host,
    ‘Designed
    this way’
    podcast
    Abishek
    Avtans
    Lecturer, Indic
    languages
    Priyanka
    Kulkarni-
    Rajwade
    Designer,
    Deloitte
    Mumbai

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  101. Rob Eling
    Student of
    the Vedas
    Kawal Oberoi
    Host,
    ‘Designed
    this way’
    podcast
    Abishek
    Avtans
    Lecturer, Indic
    languages
    Priyanka
    Kulkarni-
    Rajwade
    Designer,
    Deloitte
    Mumbai
    My friend
    Former Hare
    Krishna

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  102. View Slide

  103. प"र$%न

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  104. Greatquestion.com.au

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  105. View Slide

  106. View Slide

  107. Greatquestion.com.au

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  108. View Slide

  109. View Slide

  110. View Slide

  111. View Slide

  112. View Slide

  113. 1000
    CE
    1500
    CE
    2000
    CE
    2500
    CE
    0 CE
    1000
    BCE
    Tne history we’ve covered today
    Paripraśna

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  114. View Slide

  115. WW2
    ‘Applied Creativity’ (Brainstorming book)
    1950 1960 1970 1980
    1940
    1930
    Parnes’ ‘How
    might we’ questions
    Guilford’s creativity lecture
    TRIZ
    CPS (??)
    Osborn dies

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  116. View Slide

  117. Now
    ish
    1950s
    to
    1970s
    1900-
    1920
    ish
    1800
    ish
    1880s
    ish
    1930s
    to
    1940s
    World
    War 2
    Part 1

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  118. Now
    ish
    1950s
    to
    1970s
    1900-
    1920
    ish
    Ages
    ago
    (1600s
    ish)
    1880s
    ish
    1930s
    to
    1940s
    World
    War 2
    Part 2
    Part 1

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  119. Now
    ish
    1950s
    to
    1970s
    1900-
    1920
    ish
    Ages
    ago
    (1600s
    ish)
    1880s
    ish
    1930s
    to
    1940s
    World
    War 2
    Part 2
    Part 1
    Part 3

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  120. o Ask
    me!

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  121. View Slide

  122. Hofstede culture compass – USA vs Russia

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  125. According to Guilford:
    Divergent thinking
    is the ability to generate multiple
    solutions to a situation or problem
    Convergent thinking
    is the ability to find one good solution
    to a situation or problem

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  127. The term
    ‘UX’ is first used
    IDEO’s ‘Design thinking’ | Agile manifesto
    The Double Diamond
    2000 2010 2020 2030
    1990
    1980
    Today
    Thaler’s ‘Nudge’ book

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  128. View Slide

  129. View Slide

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  131. Our creative
    problem solving
    methods have
    reactive roots.

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  132. View Slide

  133. View Slide

  134. ‘How
    might
    we…’

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  135. I love you,
    JP
    Guilford

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  136. View Slide

  137. View Slide

  138. WW2
    Invention of the IQ test (France)
    1.7 m
    soldiers take IQ test
    Guilford works with pilots
    1920 1930 1940 1950
    1910
    1900
    WW1

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  139. View Slide

  140. View Slide

  141. View Slide

  142. View Slide

  143. Emma-
    nuel Kant
    Not a
    murderer
    (probably)

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  146. Group-oriented
    Values relationships
    Indirect communication
    Collaborative
    High context cultures

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  147. Low context cultures
    Individualistic
    Values independence
    Direct communication
    Competitive

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  148. Low context
    cultures
    High context
    cultures
    US
    Australia
    Japan
    Korea
    UK
    Russia
    India
    Brazil
    Germany
    Kenya
    France

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  149. View Slide

  150. View Slide

  151. R Fisher
    Basically
    invented
    mathe-
    matical
    statistics

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  152. View Slide