RESEARCH METHOD
21 Creative Toolkits
Creative toolkits are collections of physical elements conveniently organized for participatory modeling, visualization, or creative play by users, to inform and inspire design and business teams.1
Creative toolkits are really a means of conveniently packaging the elements of any of several participatory, generative design methods. Engaging people in creative expression through facilitated participatory exercises can provide them with a tangible artifact on which to project thoughts, feelings, desires, and emotions that might be otherwise hard to articulate using traditional research methods. Creative toolkits can also foster innovation through creativity, and they can provide a constructive impetus for team building.
The ingredients of creative toolkits are determined by the possibilities of the various activities that they aim to encourage. For example, kits for flexible or Velcro modeling will contain a significant range of three-dimensional forms, buttons, and ambiguous design elements that can be easily attached to each other and removed. Interface kits can contain paper or card elements representing design features for flexible arrangement, for suggesting mock or ideal web or device interactions. Collage kits can contain an inventory of images and words, or shape and symbol elements for open interpretation and use relevant to the design inquiry. Drawing kits will contain various papers, cards, markers, pencils, and pens, accommodating a range of potential exercises for participants. Large toolkits may combine several or all of these elements to accommodate a range of participatory design activities.
One goal of toolkit creation is to arrive at a set of elements that can be reused for a variety of research sessions in participatory design, even if some parts may need re-stocking after each use. For example, image and word cards in a collage kit could be laminated, and each collage photographed. In this instance, the toolkit could be reused across several participants within the same design inquiry, but would likely need editing for each new subject matter.
In addition to toolkits that may target specific design activities or subject themes, flexible parts can also be assembled to encourage play. Depending on the intent of the exercise, play kits can be built from original materials, or from existing parts, constructive toys, or games.
Another motivating factor in the creation of toolkits is portability, facilitating ease of storage, transport and use across locations, and the packing and unpacking of parts. This is particularly useful if participatory design sessions are held in a number of locations, such as private homes, or for design workshops in several different workplaces.
1. Creative, participatory tools for design have been pioneered by Liz Sanders. For examples and readings from research and practice, see: http://www.maketools.com
Further Reading
Sanders, Elizabeth B.-N., and Colin T. William. “Harnessing People’s Creativity: Ideation and Expression through Visual Communication” in Focus Groups: Supporting Effective Product Development. London: Taylor and Francis, 2001.
A typical Velcro modeling kit with form and element variations designed for physical manipulation and configuration by participants.
Courtesy of Liz Sanders, MakeTools, LLC
LEGO has predesigned kits for their method of “Serious Play,” for building metaphors, creative story making and imagination in business settings, through a series of application workshops. “Based on research that shows that this kind of hands-on, minds-on learning produces a deeper, more meaningful understanding of the world and its possibilities, LEGO Serious Play deepens the reflection process and supports an effective dialogue—for everyone in the organization.”2
Courtesy of Cecilia Weckstrom, The LEGO Group