1.2 Creativity

4. Resources for

participants: 5. External/Additi onal material: Additional material

1. Module Overview

a. Main competence: Creativity b. Additional competence(s ) covered by the module: Spotting opportunities, Design

c. Learning

Outcomes:

- Understand creativity in entrepreneurship - Discover customer insights (problems as opportunities) - Generate ideas of solution - Define concepts by means of insights - Define a value preposition d. Target Group: Suitable for business trainers and educators e. Proficiency level: Suitable for all proficiency levels f. Workload (virtual

ECTS): 50-100 hours (3 ECTS)

g. Assessment: Examination by a Business Case or a real challenge h. Format: Offline by post-its or online by a digital board like MIRO or MURAL 2. Instructor Manual (Learning Path): BASICS Creativity is the ability to conceive original ideas. In entrepreneurship, originality comes from creating value for the customer/user, for the organization and/or for the society at large. In entrepreneurship, opportunity arises when there are unsolved problems (or unsatisfied needs) or when the existing solutions can be improved. This might imply not only the design of a new product or service, but a wider range of types of solutions, such as a new relationship with the customer, a new business model, improved processes in a company, etc. Thus, we assume that the original idea is inspired by a problem, challenge or need of users, organizations and/or society. Consequently, the first step in the creative process is to determine this opportunity from a thorough understanding of the problem (or even discovering the problem). Consequently, the creative process starts with the identification of the problem from the point of view of the target group (i.e., user, group, society,…). From now on, we will call the target group just “user”, meaning that it could be a well-known group of users or potential users or other target groups (society, businesses, etc). After the problem is properly identified, the ideation phase takes place.

Phase 1-User insights (problem/need understanding)

The process consists of a facilitated divergence/convergence process. In the divergence stage, different problem formulations are hypothesized, while in the convergence stage, the best problem formulations are synthesized. The following figure illustrates this phase:

© Entrepreneurship by Design with ToolBoard Canvas (Jaume Teodoro, 2022)

The output of the synthesis stage is called user insights. The insights provide the necessary inspiration for the next step, the generation of solution ideas.

Phase 2 – Ideation (solution ideas)

The idea generation process consists of another cycle of divergent/convergent processes. In this case, different solution ideas are generated for each insight, with the focus on quantity rather than quality. Once a wide range of ideas is obtained, the best ones are chosen and others are discarded, based on given selection criteria. This process does not imply that we should solve all problems for all types of users, nor select all potential solutions to given problems. The creative process at this point requires betting on a certain point of view about the problem and end up with a value proposition for the user. The following figure illustrates this double process.

© Entrepreneurship by Design with ToolBoard Canvas (Jaume Teodoro, 2022) adapted from British Design Council

https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/news-opinion/what-frameworkinnovation-design-councils-evolved-double-diamond

PROCESS

The creative process requires freedom as well as a certain discipline if what is sought is to create a concept that is attractive to the user, as well as viable for the organization and feasible to carry out. In this sense, support in the form of a repository or visual map is essential. The Creativity Mural provides this support. This tool belongs to the book “Entrepreneurship by design with ToolBoard Canvas” (Jaume Teodoro, 2022)”

Step 1: Insight identification

Research techniques are developed by immersing with the user (ethnography) and in the environment (state of the art) to identify key knowledge about the user’s need in relation to the problem or latent need to which a solution is desired. It is about converting a latent need into an explicit need (a well-posed problem). The team leaves the office and meets potential users. Listen and watch. You can use any (or several) of the ethnographic techniques described. Based on this research, the team generates observations. Then, the team gathers around the creativity mural and together they identify the user’s insights.

Step 2: Insight selection (design principles)

The insights generated are many. Now it's about making decisions. Bet to establish a point of view about what problem to face and for what type of clients. To do this, the team defines a type of user (person) to whom it assigns insights. Unwanted insights are flagged. They are not deleted as the process is

3. Resource

(materials) for educators and business trainers:

iterative and it may be used later on, in the process of iterating/pivoting/modifying the point of view.

Step 3: Idea generation

Based on the chosen insights (the so-called design principles), an idea generation session is prepared with some of the exposed techniques. For the session to work, some rules are agreed (do not criticize, do not play, do not edit the ideas) and sticky notes are used to relate ideas with insights. Before starting, you can do a warm-up session (for example, from reviewing the Brief, or stretching or ice-breaking exercises). Once this is done, it is about generating solution ideas related to the Insights. The creativity mural is used to place the generated ideas.

Step 4: Idea selection

Select or combine the large set of ideas into a reduced set, by focusing on the creation of value. To do this, the team first analyzes the mural. By looking for patterns and repetitions, ideas are grouped. Once this is done, the team defines criteria for selecting the ideas. With these criteria, the main ideas are prioritized. In the mural this action corresponds to moving the key ideas to the central area of the mural and highlighting them.

Step 5: Value Preposition

The value proposition is a call to action about the benefit(s) that the idea brings to the user. This is phased in a statement such as: We help … [User] to … [Benefit] by doing ... [Solution]

The value proposition should be brief, concise and impressive. To do this, the statement includes the customer archetype (user), the benefit (need or problem to solve), and finally the solution, which is a way of grouping the main ideas that have been determined.

USEFUL TIPS

• It is important to follow the steps and to work in groups • It is required to work with collaborative online tools (Miro or Mural are good references) • A maximum of 5 groups simultaneously (20 students) for a teacher with experience in creativity

RESOURCES FOR PHASE 1 a. Users research with ethnographic techniques

Ethnographic research is the main tool for generating customer insights based on what the customer needs, wants or longs for. A good approach is to understand or identify what causes the user’s frustration, fears or expectations. Ethnographic research comprises a set of tools widely used in marketing and coming from anthropological research. The list of common tools is: - The in-depth interview is a type of interview with users and other stakeholders aimed at capturing observations about what they say, do, think and feel. - On-the-spot observation is another technique aimed at generating real knowledge. - Shadowing in this same line is a type of observation based on following users in what they do in relation to the topic to be investigated. On some occasions, the in-depth interview is complemented with focus groups aimed at capturing knowledge in groups of clients and other stakeholders. - Surveys can also be used to approach a large set of users.

b. Research of the environment and state of the art

State-of-the-art research consists of generating insights from the environment using different techniques. Typical techniques can be: market reports, expert interviews, value chain industry analysis, Porter’s five forces analysis, and other resources. Techniques for systematic review of the literature are also included.

c. Trend map

It consists of a visual about the trends that influence the topic being investigated. It is about analyzing social, political, economic, demographic and new technology issues. For doing it there are many divulgation reviews and trend digest web sites (trendwatching.com, springwise.com, trendsdigest.com, TechCrunch, Google Trends, …)

d. Identification of customer insights

The identification of user insights starts by linking the findings resulting from the users research with insights from the environment. It is a knowledge synthesis process that is carried out in a group by the entrepreneurial team. To do this, the team uses visual

4. Resources for

participants: 5. External/Additional material:

diagrams and sticky notes to identify typical users and their patterns.

RESOURCES FOR PHASE 2 a. Idea generation techniques

It includes brainstorming and other techniques derived from it (brainwriting, edge storming, longlist, what if, reverse brainwriting, ...). In all cases, it is about taking inspiration from the user's insights (key knowledge about the need, challenge or problem) to generate a large number of ideas without establishing any limitations in terms of suitability, feasibility or viability at the moment. The bottom line is that the people involved in the process feel free to think and without limitations beyond following the Brief of the project, that is, the problem or need that is sought to be solved.

b. Ideas selection techniques

The divergent process of idea generation is followed by a convergent process of idea selection. It is about choosing the best ideas based on given criteria. For example, impact, speed of bringing to market, technological knowledge, etc.

c. Definition of the value proposition.

The value proposition is defined based on the benefit that the idea generates for the user. It basically formulates how the solution solves the identified problem. There are many techniques for defining the value proposition. Authors such as Steve Blanck, Geofrey Moore, Guy Kawasaki, and Alexander Osterwalder proposed different syntaxis.

- Brown, Tim (2010). Change by

Design.(HarperCollins Publishers) - Blank, Steve (2010). Startup Owners’s manual (Willey) - Clayton, Christensen (2008). The innovators dilemma. (Harvard Business Publish-ing) - Ries, Eric (2011). Lean StartUp (Viking) - Ash Maurya (2015). Running Lean. (0’Reilly) - Vijay, Kumar (2017). 101 Design Methods (Wiley) - Marc Stickdorm & Jakob Schneider (2017). This is

Service Design Thinking. (BIS Publishers) - Chesbrought, William (2001). Open Innovation. (McGraw Hill) - Ostelwalder, Alex (2018). Value Preposition

Design (Deusto)