In the second week of my GDO710 Development Practices S2 module, we explored the topic of creativity. The Resources provided were both a collection of tools and insights into the creative process. I initially found the volume of content overwhelming, as I followed all the reference links and tried to digest them all as best I could. The content was rich and interesting with techniques and discussion points that I had not considered before in the context of UX design and development.
We were recommended to watch a video on Creativity and Innovation by Tanya Krzywinska (Krzywinska, 2022). The video discussed many concepts regarding creativity and ways to avoid conventional thinking. One point raised that struck me as interesting was a reference to Martin Heidegger Being in time (1962) which postulates – People become increasingly closed to that which is new and different. This began me to ponder the child's mind - one more open to imagination and creativity - allowing them unfettered experimentation and risk-taking in creative endeavors. This is unlike the general disposition of the more seasoned practitioner who is weighed down with experience and convention.
To counter this process - which the video addresses as "closure" - methods need to be applied to encourage creative thinking. One strategy the video describes is the ICEDIP method. I had not heard of the process before but I was asked to journal my thoughts on it. The video made me reflect on my own experiences with the creative process and whether any of the stages in the process directly related to processes I had used in the past.
ICEDIP
The ICEDIP method was developed by is Geoff Petty from How to be better at . . . creativity (Petty, 2017) and is an acronym aimed at helping users stucture the creative process, with each letter representing a step in the process:
Inspiration
Clarification
Evaluation
Distillation
Incubation
Perspiration
Inspiration
The Inspiration phase is about generating ideas, no matter how crazy unconventional, or unrealistic they are.
The process is uninhibeded and characterised by spontaneity, experimentation, intuition and risk-taking
(Petty, 2017)
Petty goes on to describe how good ideas are found amongst a larger pile of bad ones, with the idea to generate as much content as possible and filter through them later.
Although I was unfamiliar with ICEDIP, I reflected on times when I needed to draw inspiration during the creative process. I have usually been involved in application development from a technical standpoint, rather than one which is seen as conventionally creative. However, during my time as marketing manager, I was involved in revitalising an existing brand in the companies product portfolio. My team relied heavily on brainstorming and mood boards, using Pinterest as a way to reference tone and direction. Drawing from many different points of inspiration allowed us to think creatively and uninhibited.
Stakeholders initially were uncomfortable with the process. As a product was for hair and beauty scheduling software, some of the images we presented to them were provocative and arresting which was the direction we had identified we needed to develop to differentiate from the conventional image of many of our competitors. We were drawn to the work of Melvin Sokolsky as well as avant-garde fashion designers such as Jean-Paul Guate and Alexander McQueen, many of whom the wider team had never encountered before were well out of their comfort zone.
Clarification
This Phase is about defining goals and what you want to set out to achieve. It's a chance to see what could work for your project and what might not be appropriate. Key questions raised by Petty are:
What am I trying to achieve here? What am I trying to say? What exactly is the problem I am trying to solve? What would I like the finished work to be like?
(Petty, 2017)
In software development, this would be revisiting the requirement and re-evaluating them in light of the inspiration phase. What could be solved with some of the ideas and creative directions identified in the first phase and which are unrealistic or inappropriate?
Again I began to think about my own experiences on the project discussed above. We decided we wanted to develop buzz about the brand, and a talking point in the industry. The product itself was still in development with some of its requirements in a state of flux (it was a waterfall project that was languishing in development hell as its requirements continually shifted). We decided to focus on the striking imagery and catchy but cryptic slogans to produce a tease campaign that would raise more questions than it answered, raising the question "Just what is Primer Salon".
Evaluation
The "icedip" mnemonic may help you recall the six phases. Remember though, that each phase should be encountered many times, sometimes for very short periods and not necessarily in any particular sequence
(Petty, 2017)
The evaluation phase is actually referenced in the How to be better at . . . creativity (Petty, 2017) out the order in the mnemonic sequence, nearer the end of the process and is a way to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your offering. In Agile development, it would be a way to evaluate after each sprint, as well as analyse your application's performance and reception using qualitative and quantitive methods.
During my own experience on the rebranding project, we were able to analyse social engagement as well as sales revenue. Although brand engagement is quite different from UX research and analysis.
Distillation
In which you look through the ideas you have generated and try to determine which ones to work on
(Petty, 2017)
The editing phase is where you decided what you want to leave in what you want to leave out. In the world of Agile development, this would be where the conversation of Minimal viable product (MVP) would be discussed and a plan put in place on rollouts for each sprint.
Incubation
In which you leave the work alone, though you still ponder about it occassionally, leaving it on the surface of your mind'.
(Petty, 2017)
This part is crucial, as it lets the unconscious mind process the problem or solution/s. Some additional ideas or solutions may spring from these subconscious ponderings and may inform the final offering. Practitioners may take this opportunity to allow ideas to bed in with stakeholders who may be hesitant to buy into the concepts initially. I found with my rebrand that this in fact happened and reluctant parties who stood on the sidelines initially began to get excited about the new direction the brand was taking.
Perspiration
In which you work on determinedly on your best ideas.
(Petty, 2017)
For development, this would be the sprints. Of all the phases, this is the one I can reference the most regarding my development experience. Sprints are short, which meant there is constant feedback from the client to inform you if your creative choices have been well received. The Agile method allows for adjustments if these assumptions in the creative process aren't as well-received as hope.
In my Project example, a campaign is more difficult to change on the fly. The nature of a rebrand means the many metaphoric plates are spinning at the same time, from advertising, promotional material, social engagement, literature, and more. These have to all be carefully organised and timed for the launch date (or in this example, prelaunch date).
Looking at the ICEDIP method in relation to the other methods described this week, I can see that most of the creative methods could be incorporated in the Inspiration phase. ICEDIP cover the whole creative process, going beyond ideation and incorporating phases that help hone and commercialise ideas. It also allows for reflection, and evaluation so is a great framework for User Experience Design.
I found it difficult to apply the framework directly to my experience as a developer. It made me question how involved in the creative process I have been since my transition from the more conventionally "creative" roles I have held in the past. Part of the draw to the User Experience Design MA was my desire to reconnect with the creative process and learn ways to approach it in a more structured way. Although I have been actively self-learning UX principles up to this point, It was both encouraging and a little overwhelming to see so many creative techniques I was unfamiliar with. On the whole, really enjoyed this week's material and feel I have got a lot out of it creatively.
References
Krzywinska, T., 2022. Creativity & Innovation: Games and App Development. [online] Learn.falmouth.ac.uk. Available at: <https://learn.falmouth.ac.uk/courses/241/pages/week-2-what-is-creativity?module_item_id=12909> [Accessed 1 February 2022].
Nietzsche, F., 1892. The Birth of Tragedy out of the Spirit of Music.
Petty, G., 2017. HOW TO BE BETTER AT ... CREATIVITY.
Cover image "icicle" by -Mandie- is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd-nc/2.0/jp/?ref=openverse&atype=rich
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