ThinkShop

Think forward to innovation


Jump start your imagination with a sample of ThinkShop’s creative thinking exercises.

Each exercise takes you on a short virtual journey where you seek new perspectives, experiment with different ways of thinking - and then return to apply what you’ve discovered.

Think In Pictures
Abandon words for a while and draw a picture. Close your eyes and draw randomly with both hands. Let your hands flow over the paper and don’t try to draw anything specific. Open your eyes and look for images, symbols and objects in your drawing. Label these thoughts and use them to generate new solutions.
   
Think About Trends
Go shopping in a variety of retail stores and visit locations that offer unique experiences. Observe these environments with the heightened senses of a detective. Watch how people interact with merchandise and displays. Eavesdrop. Think about how the trends, people, places, and products you observed might impact your industry.
   
Think In Maps
Think of your challenge and imagine your goal. Now draw a map that outlines the steps along the way to your destination. Make the map as detailed and specific as possible. Use metaphors like detours, stop signs and high speed lanes to identify milestones. Use your visual map to create a concrete list of action steps that will help meet your goal.
   

Think About Assumptions
When you lift conditions that seem permanent and unchangeable, you can unleash a flood of new ways to think about a challenge.

Start by making a shocking statement about your situation. An auto designer may say, “Cars should not have steering wheels”. This might lead to other ways to steer a vehicle, such as with your feet or through a full body sensor. Your shocking statement can inspire new benefits, product features and completely new product ideas.
   
Think About Senses
Go on a sensory adventure. Take a walk in the woods, down a busy street or through a museum. Go where you can see, smell, feel, hear and taste things that are new to you. Immerse yourself completely in a different environment. You’ll return to your work feeling re-energized and with a fresh perspective on your task.