The initiative of our group was to develop a process and facilitation of a design-centered collaboration workshop around fostering creativity and co-creation through design thinking methodologies. Our workshop was intended to help teams of non-designers identify a problem within their organization, develop an idea to tackle the issue, and plan how it could be implemented.
process
The structure of the hexagon played an integral part in the development of our framework. Each step represents a different side or approach aimed to generate a general goal of working towards solving a problem; with all the sides in place, a structured plan is displayed. By continually bridging together convergent and divergent thinking in a workshop environment, we created a sense of understanding from a larger outlook and found many subproblems or solutions that encompassed the bigger picture. We needed to demonstrate creative problem-solving skills as a precondition to facilitate creative thinking within groups and guide participants in developing their individual potential.
Run-through
We tested our workshop design with a group of classmates which allowed us to pre-evaluate which concepts, techniques, and time management would prove efficient in our Creative Coast event. Allowing the participants to determine the flow of the workshop without us, the facilitators, interfering other then to keep a handle on time management proved to be a successful practice.
creative coast workshop
The final workshop included entrepreneurs, CEOs, and established professionals in the Savannah area. Given the topic of “creating a digital-based startup”, participants collaborated with each other and collectively worked through each activity. Clients felt out of their comfort zones since the group was comprised of non-creative professionals who were used to practicality and structure. However, they finally let their creativity flow, promoted an active learning environment and, in turn, generated a unique outcome.
