|
When something new is created it doesn't usually have a name. As an example, the pioneering anthropologist Margaret Mead said "When the early letters were written, we did not even have a name for what we were doing, except the general term 'field work'." To limit yourself to thinking in words is to limit yourself to what has already been conceived and named.
A useful way to promote thinking without words is to sketch. But, in contrast to sketching as taught in art classes, don't waste time trying to create pictures that other people can easily recognize. For instance, instead of drawing a realistic person you can draw a circle and write an appropriate word or two inside the circle to indicate, to yourself, who that person is. Rectangles and crudely outlined objects can likewise be used to represent things such as houses, equipment, and information. Arrows, which can be labeled if necessary, are useful for indicating actions and links.
It is the process of creating a sketch, not the sketch itself, that is of value. Whether you sketch a situation as it is now or how you would like it to be, creating the sketch forces you to be specific. In turn, being specific leads you to a clearer understanding of the situation and forces you to make important, but easily overlooked, design decisions.
After you have created a new solution on paper you may discover that what you have created is difficult to translate into words. This is when you will appreciate the value of sketching to take you where words cannot go.
 List of
tips |
Top
of Page |
Next tip |
© Copyright 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, and 2003 Solutions Through Innovation www.SolutionsCreative.com All rights reserved.