Hand-developed creative prototyping. Methodological proposal and experimentation

Abstract

The generation of original and innovative ideas is a challenge for any professional. There are several studies that demonstrate how the capacity to explore creativity is reduced until reaching educational levels where it is hardly experienced, and for this reason it is necessary to introduce it in the classroom to complement their academic training before their incorporation into the labour market. The use of new technologies implies in turn an abandonment of manual or craft skills, losing in this area a very relevant possibility of creative development. Most of the methods that are usually used to generate ideas are related to oral and written conceptualization, but manual ideation is practically not contemplated. This study proposes a methodology for generating ideas based on traditional ideation from the physical creation of models as part of the creative process. This methodology has been used with satisfactory results in 38 courses at the Industrial Organisation School (Spain), with 382 people between 18 and 30 years of age participating in the study, demonstrating that the development of creative skills obtained through this new approach can have a very significant impact on students' later career development.