Thinking differently

New solutions come from many sources: adapting an idea from one field to another; connecting apparently diverse elements in a novel way. It’s very rare for ideas to arrive alone: more often, they grow out of other ideas, or out of creative reflection on experience. They are often prompted by thinking about things in new or different ways. Here, we outline some of the processes that can help to think and see differently.

Starting with the user

Starting with the user through user research and participant observation, including ethnographic approaches such as user/citizen diaries, or living with communities and individuals to understand their...

Positive deviance is an asset based approach to community development. It involves finding people within a particular community whose uncommon behaviours and strategies enable them to...

Reviewing extremes such as health services or energy production in remote communities. Design for extreme conditions provides insights and ideas for providing services to mainstream users....

Visiting remains one of the most powerful tools for prompting ideas, as well as giving confidence for action. It is common in the field of agriculture...

Many of society’s materials, spaces and buildings are unused, discarded and unwanted. Old buildings and factories remain fallow for years, acting as a drain on local communities both financially and emotionally. The trick is to see these spaces and buildings in a more positive light, as resources, assets and opportunities for social innovation.

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Thinking differently

Starting with the user

Positive deviance

Reviewing extremes

Visiting

Re-thinking space

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