Too often we tend to rush into convergent thinking (solution mode), when challenged.
Convergent thinking, is about reducing (narrowing in) the option space, identify the best options and take a decision.
Divergent thinking, is about exploring (opening up) for all kinds of options, in a committed and nonjudgmental atmosphere, focusing more on:
- QUANTITY over QUALITY
- VARIATION over CONSISTENCY
- BREAKING HABITS over FOLLOWING HABITS
- UNIQUENESS over RECOGNIZABILITY
- CHILDISH IMAGINATION over RULE-BASED THINKING
By starting with divergent thinking instead, you increase the chances for much better ideas, and the more remote ideas, the bigger the chance to find a serious hit.
The Double Diamond design model has been around since it was officially invented by the British Design Council, back in 2005. Simply put, it is a system designers can use to optimize their creative process.
It's a process, which takes a problem statement as input.
The two (double) diamonds symbolize a thinking pattern, which starts with a divergent thinking phase, followed by a convergent thinking phase, narrowing down the option space. This is done twice, first to explore the challenges (reasons) behind the problem and second diamond to generate ideas that solves the challenges ( and problem).
It consists af 4 main phases:
Diamond #1
Exploring the problem and its challenges.
DISCOVER (#1)
- Explore all the challenges behind the problem, no matter how good, bad or relevant.
DEFINE (#2)
- Select the most important challenge(s) to solve.
Diamond #2
Exploring ideas, concepts and solutions.
DEVELOP (#3)
- Create 100+ ideas.
DELIVER (#4)
- Select the 5 best ideas and conceptualize 5 different variations of the ideas, to select a solution from.
EXAMPLE PROBLEM STATEMENT
"Customers think our products are boring, and they don’t understand what we communicate to them, giving bad customer experiences.“
THE DOUBLE DIAMOND TOOLBOX
A process is nothing without the right toolbox, below you'll find different creativity tools / activities, which can help you facilitate the creative process, and use tools that takes advantage of divergent- and convergent thinking.
DISCOVER
The problem is always more complicated than you think.
DEVELOP
Quantity over quality, generate 100+ ideas.
BRAIN WALKING (30 min)
Create individual mind maps of challenges, in silence, and build on each others mind map.
1) INDIVIDUAL: BUILD A MIND MAP (3 MIN)
- Use an A3 paper and start with the main problem in the middle of the mind map.
- Add the challenges you see causing the problem.
2) INDIVIDUAL: BUILD ON YOUR NEIGHBORS MIND MAP
- After 3 min. everyone moves clockwise to the next chair.
- Continue building on your neighbors mind map.
- Repeat this every 3. minute, until everyone is back where they started.
3) INDIVIDUAL: SELECT 5 CHALLENGES
- From your mindmap – select the 5 most important challenges.
- Write a post-it for each challenge.
4) TEAM: SHARE YOUR CHALLENGES
- Divide the challenges into categories and assign each category a name
- IMPORTANT: Do NOT try to invent new challenges into the categories.
CATEGORIZE CHALLENGES (15 min)
Evaluate the number and size of the categories, have you overlooked important challenges?
1) TEAM: REVISE THE CATEGORIES
Review the different categories and challenges and discuss.
- Are we satisfied with the number of categories?
- Are we missing obvious categories representing the problem?
- Does some categories have to few challenges? (min. 2-3 challenges per category)
If any of the above statements are true, then try to merge categories or generate new
categories og challenges for the categories that have too few challenges.
ASSUMPTION DUMPTION (15 min)
Wrong assumptions inhibits creativity, we need to have all of them on the table.
DO YOU SEE ANY BARRIERS IN RELATION TO RESOLVING THE PROBLEM?
1) INDIVIDUAL: FIND ALL ASSUMPTIONS (3 MIN)
- Write a post-it for each assumption.
2) TEAM: SHARE YOUR ASSUMPTIONS (7 MIN)
- Split the assumptions into the categories: • A) Relevant • B) Irrelevant • C) Check.
- Repeat step 1 and 2 to identify all assumptions in the 3 categories.
3) TEAM: CHECK THE ASSUMPTIONS (5 MIN)
- Check category C assumptions, to see if they can be moved to category A or B.
- Confirm that there are no more underlying assumptions, in the team.
CLEAN UP (15 min)
Expanding the perspective of the challenge further.
1) TEAM: WITH THE NEW KNOWLEDGE (5 MIN)
- Use a self-selected brainstorm strategy to find new perspectives and approaches.
- Adjust constraints, if necessary, to boost team creativity and performance.
2) TEAM: ASK THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS (5 MIN)
- Can the problem really be solved?
- Do we have access to the owners of the challenges and constraints, when we need it?
- Are we a high-performance team? How do we get to be a high-performance team?
- Is there any synergy in the team, or is the team dysfunctional and needs to be rearranged?
3) TEAM: UPDATE THE CATEGORIES FROM EARLIER EXERCISES (5 MIN)
- Include new challenges and remove obsolete challenges.
FIND CHALLENGES (30 min)
Focus on identifying the most exciting and possible challenges.
PLACE ALL THE POST-ITS IN A GRAPH, AND FIND THE POSSIBLE AND EXCITING CHALLENGES.
TRY TO MAKE THE OTHERS MORE POSSIBLE AND EXCITING.
1) TEAM: PLACE ALL POST-ITS IN THE GRAPH (10 MIN)
- Use a blank A3 sheet or board and make a graph
- X-axis: Boring / Exciting.
- Y-axis: Possible / Impossible.
- Place every post-it relatively on the X- and Y-axis.
2) TEAM: TRANSFORM THE CHALLENGES (10 MIN)
- In the upper right corner is all the most promising challenges.
- Which of the boring and impossible ones can get more possible and exciting?
- Which challenges create the most value and is the most interesting to the team?
- If one challenge is very exciting, but impossible to achieve, which changes are then needed to
make it more possible? Or, conversely, more exciting?
3) TEAM: SELECT THE CHALLENGE THAT SHOULD BE SOLVED (10 MIN)
- Discus how many challenges you want to take with you to the next phase.
- Formulate, concisely, the team's new challenge to solve.
NEURO BRAINSTORM (30 min)
A brainstorming session which will generate all kinds of crazy, ambitious and different ideas.
1) INDIVIDUAL: FIND LOTS OF IDEAS (3 MIN)
- Find all the ideas you possibly can, also the completely unlikely ideas.
- Write each idea on a post-it.
- Use mind mapping or any other technique to explore different idea domains.
2) TEAM: SHARE YOUR IDEAS (10 MIN)
- In turn, everyone explains their ideas, and places the post-its in the middle of the table
THE TEAM MAY NOT DISCUSS OR QUALIFY THE IDEAS, ONLY LISTEN
3) REPEAT STEP 1 & 2
- Try to get inspired by the ideas of others and explore new original ideas.
WORLD CAFE (20 min)
Get some fresh blood and neurons, by exchanging brain power.
1) TEAM: SELECT A CREATIVE DIRECTOR / TEAM FACILITATOR (5 MIN)
- A team member gets appointed the role of team facilitator.
- All, except the facilitator, gets up and sits down with another team.
- Spread out and try to avoid sitting with your own team members, in a new team.
2) TEAM: FACILITATE THE NEW TEAM MEMBERS (10 MIN)
- Introduce the new team members to the current team ideas.
- Listens to the new team members ideas and feedback.
- Ask and answer questions and keep track of the new input and feedback.
3) TEAM: RETURN TO YOUR OWN TEAM (5 MIN)
- Share the new ideas and feedback from the other teams.
- Evaluate the new input and explore new ideas.
- Write each idea on a post-it.
NEGATIVE BRAINSTORM (30 min)
Create lots of bad ideas and find the good that is hidden in behind them.
1) INDIVIDUAL: FIND NEGATIVE IDEAS (3 MIN)
- Try to find funny and totally unrealistic bad ideas.
- Write each bad idea on a post-it.
2) TEAM: SHARE YOUR NEGATIVE IDEAS (10 MIN)
- Every team member explains their bad ideas and places them in the middle of the table.
- If you have time then repeat step 1 and 2, based on the newly found bad ideas.
3) TEAM: SELECT 4 NEGATIVE IDEAS (17 MIN)
- Take one bad idea, at a time, and analyze the following:
- Why is it bad? What is it precisely that make it bad?
- What is actually good about this idea? (there is always something good in bad ideas).
- Try to change the idea, so you remove the bad and keep the good.
Now the team have transformed 4 bad ideas to good ideas. If there is more time left, then repeat this funny brainstorm and come up with even more crazy and really bad ideas.
ASSUMPTION REVERSAL (15 min)
Exploring the good ideas hidden in reversed assumptions. Imagine that you own a restaurant, and have to come up with new ideas.
ASSUMPTION 1
Restaurants have menus.
REVERSED
Restaurants don't have menus.
NEW IDEA
Chef buys different ingredients daily.
Customers describes their personal dish and the chef makes it on the spot.
Customers names their dish and the recipe is printed to the customer.
ASSUMPTION 2
Restaurants sell food.
REVERSED
Restaurants give food away for free.
NEW IDEA
Customers don’t pay for the food.
Customers pays for the time and the services which they use in the restaurant.
Beverages may have a fixed price.
ASSUMPTION 3
Restaurants serves food.
REVERSED
Restaurants don't serve food.
NEW IDEA
Customers bring their own food.
Customers rent a really nice place to make and eat food.
Customers can rent a chef and cooking equipment, if the customer needs it.
1) INDIVIDUAL: FIND THE REVERSED ASSUMPTIONS (3 MIN)
- Find reversed assumptions.
- Write each reversed assumption on a post-it.
2) TEAM: SHARE YOUR REVERSED ASSUMPTIONS (12 MIN)
- Discus the reversed assumptions.
- Look for any ideas hidden in the reversed assumptions.
- Write each new idea on a post-it.
SLICE & DICE (30 min)
Identify challenge properties and replace them with better ideas.
1) INDIVIDUAL: IDENTIFY CHALLENGE PROPERTIES (3 MIN)
- Find challenge properties.
- Write each property on a post-it.
2) TEAM: SHARE YOUR PROPERTIES (10 MIN)
- Every team member explains their properties, to the team.
- Find more properties together and create a list of all the properties.
3) INDIVIDUAL: ANALYZE THE PROPERTIES (7 MIN)
- Iterate the property list and ask yourself:
- Why SHOULD it be done, like we do it today? How can we do it differently?
- Explore new ideas to improve the properties.
- Write each idea on a post-it.
4) TEAM: SHARE YOUR IDEAS (10 MIN)
- Explain your ideas and explore new ideas together.
CHERRY SPLIT (30 min)
Find the essence of the problem and improve its properties, Sometimes the ideas are hidden in the main problem statement.
EXAMPLE PROBLEM
How do we improve our CUSTOMER SERVICE?
1) INDIVIDUAL: EXPRESS THE ESSENCE IN TWO WORDS (3 MIN)
- Find two essential words from the problem statement and explore their properties.
- For every property, take it one more level and find their properties too.
- Write each of the identified property on a post-it.
2) TEAM: SHARE YOURE PROPERTIES (10 MIN)
- Every team member explains their properties, to the team.
- Find more properties together and create a list of all the properties.
3) INDIVIDUAL: ANALYZE THE PROPERTIES (7 MIN)
- Iterate the property list and ask yourself:
- Why SHOULD it be done, like we do it today? How can we do it differently?
- Explore new ideas to improve the properties.
- Write each idea on a post-it.
4) TEAM: SHARE YOUR IDEAS (10 MIN)
- Explain your ideas and explore new ideas together.
FIND THE BEST IDEAS (30 min)
Focus on the 5 best and most important ideas.
PLACE ALL POST-ITS IN A GRAPH, AND FIND THE CHEAP AND SIMPLE IDEAS
TRY TO MAKE THE OTHER IDEAS CHEAP AND SIMPLE.
1) TEAM: PLACE ALL POST-ITS IN THE GRAPH (10 MIN)
- Use a blank A3 sheet or board and make a graph:
- X-axis: Cheap/ Expensive.
- Y-axis: Complex / Simple.
- Place every post-it relatively on the X- and Y-axis.
2) TEAM: EVALUATE THE IDEAS (10 MIN)
- Find all ideas that are not in the right upper corner
- Ask yourself:
- Can the complex or expensive ideas be more simple or cheap?
3) TEAM: SELECT THE 5 BEST IDEAS (10 MIN)
- Select 5 ideas. The best are typically in the upper right corner.
- Remember that expensive or complex ideas can be really good and relevant too.
4) TEAM: SHARE YOUR IDEAS (10 MIN)
- Explain your ideas and explore new ideas together.
IDEA CHECKLIST
- Are every idea part of the selection process?
- Are we satisfied with the variation in ideas?
- Have all ideas had a fair chance?
- Have we dropped our "Old darlings"?
- Are we still working on ideas?
CONCEPTUALIZE THE IDEAS (120 min)
Find the "sellable" concepts that embrace or encapsulates the selected ideas best.
1) INDIVIDUAL: FIND CONCEPTS (3 MIN)
- Take the 5 selected ideas, and put them in the middle of a blank A3 sheet.
- Make concept mind maps that builds upon the selected ideas.
2) INDIVIDUAL: BUILD ON YOUR NEIGHBORS MIND MAP (3 MIN)
- After 3 min. everyone moves clockwise to the next chair.
- Continue building on your neighbors mind map.
- Repeat this every 3. minute, until everyone is back where they started.
3) TEAM: SELECT 5 CONCEPTS
- Summarize and discuss all the concepts.
- Select the best 5 concepts, via a open joint selection. In some circumstances anonymous voting can also be a good way to select the concepts.
CONCEPT CHECKLIST
- Are all good ideas part of, at least, one concept?
- Are the concepts comparable (same detail level)?
- Can any concepts be merged or cannibalizes?
- Have we dropped our "Old darlings"?
- Have we asked for third party opinions?