In this lesson we look at some examples of iconic design and find that they are typically not simply the moment of genius that we sometimes imagine.  We’ll discuss different forms of thinking and how they compliment one another.  In particular we’ll see that creativity is a combination of divergent thinking that generate novel, interesting or unusual ideas and convergent thinking that draws these into a useful problem solution.

1.1  Gift or Graft

Do you ever worry that you are not a very creative person, or spend long periods waiting for moments of inspiration?   Is creativity a gift of birth that you either have or don’t have, or is it something you can work at (graft)?

In this introductory section we’ll look at two classic examples of creativity and innovation that at first sight suggest creativity as an almost magic spark of insight.  However as we dig more deeply a different story emerges.

1.2  Types of Creativity

In this course you will learn techniques for creative thinking, but as important, ways to understand the creative process itself.

This section explores come of the different forms of creativity: artistic or technical, new for you or new for the world, incremental or revolutionary.   Crucially, we will see that truly creative solutions to problems need a combination of radical ideas and critical insight.

1.3  What’s Next

A brief overview of what’s coming in the rest of the course.