Ideation and critical thinking

Critical thinking and ideation are both processes of thought where ideation can be regarded as part of, or an aspect of critical thinking. That is, when designers generate ideas they typically think critically about the process of ideation and the outcome of that process, which is critical. That is, designers engage with the critiques of their own ideas and consider alternatives. In a team situation, designers, while thinking critically about their own ideas, would allow for feedback in the form of criticism from other team members. Equally, in communicating ideas at large, designers would be open to criticism from others, that is, critical thinking as applied to the idea(s) presented. Being critical, on the other hand, in evaluating ideas, differs from thinking critically in that being critical may suggest a negative attitude, a fault-finding mindset or aversion to risk-taking (negative criticism). Positive criticism, on the other hand, would contribute to how designers understand their own creative thinking also raising awereness about personal accountability and wider ideation issues such as ethics and serving the greater good. Ideators, then, at best, are both creative and critical thinkers.

Playfulness and ideation

The ideation workshop embraces the power of playfulness and its creative role in design allowing the participants to follow their curiosity and imagination ("what if ..."). That is, the participants engage in playful thinking and behaviour with the intention to achieve serious objectives, that is, problem-solving. Ideation in this way ("serious play"), is unstructured yet constructive encouraging the participants to think both creatively and critically culminating in representations and presentations of ideas. And not because the participants are following instructions but because the workshop environment and brief invites and facilitates a playful and exploratory mindset. In this, the workshop is inspired by, and builds on pedagogical research* that reflects the workshop as a learning experience through thinking and doing. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666374020300248