Systematic Creative Thinking: Tools for Success

Imperial College London via Coursera

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/systematic-creative-thinking

Introduction

# Course Review: Systematic Creative Thinking: Tools for Success ## Overview In a constantly evolving world, creativity is not just an asset—it’s a necessity. Coursera’s “Systematic Creative Thinking: Tools for Success” stands out as an exceptional course designed to elevate your creative abilities through structured methodologies. Whether you're a professional seeking innovative solutions in your field or a student eager to sharpen your creative skills, this course offers vital insights and practical tools to help you systematically generate ideas that may not typically come to mind. ## Course Structure and Syllabus The course unfolds over six comprehensive weeks, each focusing on distinct tools and approaches that can enhance your creative thinking: ### Week 1: Introduction to Morphological Analysis The course kicks off with the fundamentals of **Morphological Analysis**. You’ll explore how this method can generate unconventional ideas applicable in various domains—from design to storytelling. This week sets the stage for systematically approaching problem-solving through creative thinking. ### Week 2: Morphological Charts Building on the first week's groundwork, the second week introduces **Morphological Charts**, a powerful tool to categorize potential solutions. You’ll learn how to create these charts, enabling you to juxtapose different aspects of a challenge and facilitate combinational creativity. This session emphasizes the systematic organization of thoughts to enhance idea generation. ### Week 3: Introduction to TRIZ In the third week, you’ll delve into **TRIZ** (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving), a methodology developed in Russia that leverages historical problem-solving experiences across different fields. This segment emphasizes the importance of understanding principles of invention, focusing on overcoming contradictions—a crucial skill for anyone wishing to innovate effectively. ### Week 4: Applying TRIZ Tools As you progress to week four, the course deepens your TRIZ knowledge with the **Contradiction Matrix**, which offers tailored solutions for conflicting features in product development. This tool is invaluable for professionals looking to enhance products without sacrificing quality, thus, promising actionable insights for real-world applications. ### Week 5: The SCAMPER Technique Week five introduces the **SCAMPER** creativity tool, which stands for Substituting, Combining, Adapting, Modifying, Putting to other uses, Eliminating, and Rearranging. This powerful acronym will help you creatively navigate challenges in both professional and personal contexts by offering a structured way to provoke ideas and rethink existing concepts. ### Week 6: Divergence and Convergence Techniques The final week wraps up the learning with techniques for navigating divergence and convergence in creative processes. You will learn how to effectively generate a multitude of ideas and then critically evaluate and refine them, ensuring that you have not only expansive ideas but also actionable solutions. ## Course Recommendations **Who Should Take This Course?** - **Professionals:** Ideal for individuals in roles requiring innovation, such as product managers or marketing professionals, who need to approach problems from new angles. - **Students:** Helpful for students and personal development enthusiasts looking to build their creative toolkit for academic or future career pursuits. - **Creative Thinkers:** Anyone passionate about enhancing their creativity and those who might feel creatively blocked will find immense value in the structured approach this course offers. **Pros:** - Systematic and structured approach to creativity - Practical tools that can be applied to real-world situations - Engaging content that builds on previous concepts **Cons:** - Some may find the systematic approach too rigid if they prefer more free-form creative processes. - The focus on tools may not delve deeply into creativity theory for those more interested in the psychological aspects of creativity. ## Final Thoughts “Systematic Creative Thinking: Tools for Success” is more than just a lecture series; it’s a comprehensive guide to navigating the complex landscape of idea generation. It empowers learners to systematically break away from traditional thinking patterns and embrace innovative problem-solving strategies. This course is a recommended resource for anyone eager to amplify their creative prowess. Sign up today to discover how you can unlock your creativity and apply it systematically in various facets of life!

Syllabus

Week 1

There are various creative tools that can be used to provoke a series of ideas that might not normally come to mind. This week you will learn the principles of Morphological Analysis and apply the tool in various life scenarios, from design to developing movie plotlines, whilst developing a more systematic approach to idea generation.

Week 2

By representing a generic solution to an opportunity or challenge through subsystems and producing a chart that includes options for each subsystem, a morphological chart can be used to enable selection of a series of potential ideas. The tool uses combinational creativity to present a potential idea depending on the selection you make. This week we will explore the use of morphological charts for a number of applications. In addition, we will also explore how the charts are generated and how software can be used to reduce the large number of potential solutions.

Week 3

Experience and skill are recognised as important enablers in creativity. Familiarity with a domain provides access to building blocks that can be applied or explored in addressing a challenge. TRIZ is a Russian acronym that is generally translated as the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving and comprises a series of tools that enable access to a wide range of accumulated experience. This week we will introduce you to the principles and some of the thinking and approaches used in TRIZ. In particular, we will consider a set of principles of invention along with the oft found challenge that when improving one feature something else gets worse and how TRIZ can be used to address this apparent contradiction.

Week 4

Often when trying to solve a problem in improving one feature something else gets worse. By analysing successful solutions from patents, particular principles of invention have been identified that enable resolution without the compromise of a worsening feature. TRIZ represents a short cut to experience and a further tool that can be used to systematically aid in the generation of ideas and solutions. This week we will introduce you to one of the key tools in TRIZ, the contradiction matrix that can be used to identify which principles of invention are recommended to resolve a particular pairing of improving and worsening features in an application.

Week 5

This week, we will introduce you to the SCAMPER creativity tool where each letter represents a generic provocation, substituting, combining, adapting, modifying, petting to other uses, erasing and rearranging. You will become familiar with the concepts of SCAMPER and gain proficiency in its application in various professional and personal situations, for inspiring ideas.

Week 6

Many creativity processes incorporate a period of divergence where you explore differing ideas and a period of convergence where particular ideas are selected and refined. This week we will explore how some of the techniques we have explored in this module can be used to aid the generation of multiple ideas during the divergent phase, how criteria can be used to select which ideas to take forward and how some of the tools presented can be used to further elaborate ideas and use in solving problems.