Jonah Lehrer, author of Imagine, believes it’s because people don’t have time for creativity at work. Chaining yourself to your computer in search of an answer, Lehrer argues, is only going to leave you frustrated. “You may look productive, but you’re actually wasting time.” Instead, he advices “go for a walk. You should play some ping-pong. You should find a way to relax.”

Scientific research backs up Lehrer’s advice, finding that people who are relaxed and in a good mood are more likely to have innovative or creative thoughts. And companies like 3M are taking advantage of this fact. With a track record of innovation, 3M gives every engineer an hour a day to use as he or she likes. Some tackle side projects, while others indulge in a personal hobby. The only catch is that they must share what they pursue during those hours with colleagues.

It worked for Charles Eames and has paid off for 3M. When will more companies realize the creative spark that catches fire may just be an hour away?

Learning in higher education is becoming less a practice in memorization and regurgitation, and more an active, collaborative, and social process. As a result, a new way of viewing university and college campuses is emerging.

Driven by technology and social networks, the current generation of learners is creating an academic experience that is different than even a few years ago. “Circles of exchange” begins to explain this trend. Campuses are increasingly becoming large networks made up of individual student networks. As students connect with one another, the flow and diversity of information is strengthened, more ideas are shared, more knowledge is developed, and the potential for innovation increases.

The physical environment has a role in this. A thoughtfully designed learning space can be place for students to gather, collaborate, socialize, and exchange ideas. The creation of these spaces requires a better understanding of how and why people learn, the effect of ever greater sources of information, opportunities to customize learning experiences, and anticipation and accommodation of technological change. When understanding about these elements is brought to the design process, the campus will better support the needs of students.

Photo: Lure/Forest by Beili Liu

Well, some students are demanding more of their education and universities are stepping up, providing them an opportunity to work outside the traditional parameters of academia. Innovation centers give interdisciplinary teams of students a chance to tackle a project in which they design, fabricate, and test a prototype that solves a particular problem; sometimes in conjunction with for-profit companies.

No specified number of hours, no professor at a podium, no classroom—just a deadline and a problem to be solved. Which raises a problem: Your average classroom is not the highly flexible, dynamic space that will stimulate, support, and contribute to success of the young innovator. But, what is?

Looking to answer this question, Herman Miller convened a Leadership Roundtable to explore the innovation process and develop characteristics of creative spaces. Comprised of university innovation center leaders, national associations tracking educational innovation, and architects and designers, the group focused on several questions:

• What are the characteristics of an innovator?

• What are the barriers to creativity and innovation on campus?

• What attributes of creative environments that make them unique and supportive of the innovative mind?

The answers to these questions all touched on the type of space needed. Innovation centers require spaces that satisfy both the physical and psychological components of innovation. They have to be an ecosystem in which ideas can grow uniquely with each project.

Pictured: Prasad Boradkar, Director of InnovationSpace (a transdisciplinary laboratory at ASU).

Designers are creative thinkers who often venture far outside the proverbial box. What a wonderful world it would be if more of us could think like they do.

According to a recent Fast Company article, everyone from businesses to individuals can benefit from what’s called “design thinking,” a methodology or approach that can be used to solve virtually any problem.

Author of the article, Mark Dziersk, teaches a course at Northwestern University called “Design and Design Thinking,” a topic in which he’s very well-versed. As VP of Design at Brandimage/Desgrippes & Laga, one of the world’s largest design and branding firms, Dziersk bases his class on what he’s learned over his 28-year career working with clients ranging from Dove to Motorola.

In another Fast Company article, he lists “10 things you need to know” about design thinking, including the following key points:

*Design thinking needs to start at the beginning of any process – challenging the problem to be solved in the first place. Too often, people don’t call in the designers until the middle or end of a project, when it’s time to improve a product’s aesthetics or create attractive packaging.

*Design thinking focuses on empathy and perception around what people need and do, as opposed to what they say they want. This can sometimes run counter to research findings, states Dziersk. Referring to this insight as the “ergonomics of understanding,” he uses Herman Miller’s Aeron chair to illustrate the point, saying that focus groups told designers the chair was sure to fail. But they courageously moved ahead. The Aeron chair went on to become an award-winning ground-breaker in office seating and is now in the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection.

*Designers look past the project they’re currently working on to the next step in the strategy because they realize no problem is solved in isolation. They’re like orchestra conductors who look at the whole, not just the individual parts and pieces.

*Designers are storytellers; they like to use real life experiences to explain the “why” behind their design; that’s what makes it so memorable and so powerful. As an example, Dziersk talks abut Dyson vacuum cleaner inventor James Dyson, who often recounts the story of how many prototypes it took to get the design right.

Dziersk’s theories on design thinking are catching on; there are countless books, blogs and conference panels on the subject. Something supporters should be cautioned about, says Dziersk (who personally holds over 100 patents) are the nay-sayers – that familiar group of people who respond to new ideas by saying, “We just don’t do things that way,” or, “It will cost too much money.” 

Certainly, all designers have had to deal with plenty of that kind of response in their careers. But they don’t let that stop them. They just find creative ways to overcome whatever barriers are thrown in front of them. And that may be the best lesson of all.

By Keasha Palmer