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.

Transcript

1. Greatquestion.com.au Zoë Rose
5. Hi, I’m Zoë!
6. 1900s ish 1800 ish 1850s ish 1950s ish 2000s ish
7. 1900s ish 1800 ish 1850s ish 1950s ish 2000s ish 1st Prologue
8. 1900s ish 1800 ish 1850s ish 1950s ish 2000s ish 1st Prologue 2nd
9. 1900s ish 1800 ish 1850s ish 1950s ish 2000s ish 1st 3rd Prologue 2nd
11. Assuming that a method can be acultural is a cultural assumption.
12. 1900s ish 1800 ish 1850s ish 1950s ish 2000s ish 1st Prologue
15. `` Hofstede compass – USA
16. Hofstede compass – USA vs Australia
17. Alfred Binet Just trying to help French kids
19. Robert Yerkes The one on the left
24. Now ish 1950s to 1970s 1900- 1920 ish 1800 ish 1880s ish 1930s to 1940s World War 2 1st Prologue 2nd
25. I love you, JP Guilford
27. ‘Structure of the Intellect’ model
28. Our creative problem solving methods have individualistic roots.
29. Alex Osborn OG Madman
31. Carl Rogers Has probably changed your life
33. Our creative problem solving methods (might) have multicultural roots.
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
38. Our creative problem solving methods have ideological roots.
39. Our creative problem solving methods are a response to threat.
46. Empathise Define Ideate Prototype Test Fact finding Problem finding Idea finding Solution finding Acceptance finding
47. }
49. Horst Rittel Ruining everything
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
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
52. 1900s ish 1800 ish 1850s ish 1950s ish 2000s ish 1st 3rd Prologue 2nd
54. Karl Gauss Legit genius
56. • All heads half heads, half tails all tails If we all flipped a coin 100 times…
57. Our statistical methods have roots in probability.
58. Adolphe Quetelet Wannabe genius
59. Charles Darwin Charles Darwin
60. Francis Galton If only he wasn’t terrible
63. Ronald Fisher ‘The founder of modern statistics’
64. Karl Pearson ‘The founder of modern statistics’
65. Our statistical methods have racist roots.
69. Our statistical methods have ideological roots.
70. Our statistical methods are a response to threat.
72. Robert Yerkes Bastard
80. Greatquestion.com.au Zoë Rose
82. Ethical bit
86. Francis Galton If only he wasn’t terrible
88. • All heads half heads, half tails all tails
89. • All heads half heads, half tails all tails
90. • All heads half heads, half tails all tails
91. Find pic of bimodal distribution
93. All knowledge is cultural.
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
95. Zoe – the connection between eugenics and creativity methods is that as far as the proponents were concerned, they were both about existential threat
96. Low context cultures High context cultures US Australia Japan Korea UK Russia India Brazil Germany Kenya France
97. Priyanka Kulkarni- Rajwade Designer, Deloitte Mumbai
98. Kawal Oberoi Host, ‘Designed this way’ podcast Priyanka Kulkarni- Rajwade Designer, Deloitte Mumbai
99. Kawal Oberoi Host, ‘Designed this way’ podcast Abishek Avtans Lecturer, Indic languages Priyanka Kulkarni- Rajwade Designer, Deloitte Mumbai
100. My friend Former Hare Krishna Kawal Oberoi Host, ‘Designed this way’ podcast Abishek Avtans Lecturer, Indic languages Priyanka Kulkarni- Rajwade Designer, Deloitte Mumbai
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
103. प"र$%न
104. Greatquestion.com.au
107. Greatquestion.com.au
113. 1000 CE 1500 CE 2000 CE 2500 CE 0 CE 1000 BCE Tne history we’ve covered today Paripraśna
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
117. Now ish 1950s to 1970s 1900- 1920 ish 1800 ish 1880s ish 1930s to 1940s World War 2 Part 1
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
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
120. o Ask me!
122. Hofstede culture compass – USA vs Russia
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
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
131. Our creative problem solving methods have reactive roots.
134. ‘How might we…’
135. I love you, JP Guilford
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
143. Emma- nuel Kant Not a murderer (probably)
146. Group-oriented Values relationships Indirect communication Collaborative High context cultures
147. Low context cultures Individualistic Values independence Direct communication Competitive
148. Low context cultures High context cultures US Australia Japan Korea UK Russia India Brazil Germany Kenya France
151. R Fisher Basically invented mathe- matical statistics