Although I am excited to start Module 2, I am quite saddened that Module 1 has come to an end.  Interestingly enough, I found myself applying concepts from Module 1 to the world around me. Producing creative solutions to challenges through a process called Design Thinking was something that highly motivated me since I enjoy working with formulas. Yes, a process to achieve creative solutions through a structured formula may seem ironic and uncreative, but the process managed to make us more open-minded. It also showed me that I have been subconsciously applying Design Thinking to my life–the only difference is that I never took initiative. I would always come up with ideas, but due to the limited country I was raised in (Saudi Arabia), I was unable to successfully execute any of my ideas. Coming to Egypt and witnessing the amounts of start-ups and local businesses thriving from simply observing and creating efficient and creative solutions deeply encourages me to execute my ideas even though they may be deemed as wild and crazy.

Looking back at the mini-challenges we did in class, such as Designing A Better Commute and re-designing the STOP sign and EXIT signs, I can now see the importance of human-centered design. Why should we adapt to things when we can simply create them to adapt to us? That question made me constantly view leave class and look for problem-tunities. This was simple for me to do since I have never stayed in Egypt for a long time. I was constantly in Saudi Arabia in a structured city called Dhahran. So coming here to Egypt and looking at problems and searching for their solutions with fresh eyes was simple.

The inspirational TEDx Talks we watched served as a tool in order to understand the purpose of the Module. The main message I understood from all the TEDx Talks collectively is that we must question the norm, and not simply accept it. Creativity can be taught, but it can also be discouraged. And from what I’ve learned of creativity if it is discouraged and not accepted, that in itself can lead to an inefficiency in governmental sectors and economies.

Creativity has the power to affect us all.

Although Module 1 focused on creative thinking and problem solving, I believe that it has set us up very well for Module 2. Furthermore, from Module 1, I am able to conclude that curiosity and the ability to suspend judgment and criticism are important for creativity to flourish.

 

During our activity last week, we aimed to define hunger, poverty, and waste. From this activity, I realised that the definitions of all three terms can vary from context to context. For example, the Egyptian Food Bank has chosen to define poverty as people who are orphans, elderly, widows, families in need, and are unable to work. This is of importance since the dictionary’s definition of poverty is: “the state of being extremely poor” and “the state of being inferior in quality or insufficient in amount”. These two vague definitions are inefficient when it comes to taking action in the real world. And that is why I believe the Egyptian Food Bank is successful, for it has a target and has defined as to who is eligible to be considered living in poverty.

The Egyptian Food Bank reminds me of something my mother does at home. Every week, my mother gathers a combination of leftovers and cooks new meals, puts them in foil trays, wraps them up, and goes around the community in her car and gives the janitors and workers the bag of food, free of charge. This act of kindness and selflessness, if implemented in the Egyptian community, can potentially end hunger by 2020 if everyone participates.

But before we met learned about the Egyptian Food Bank, we decided to try and define waste, hunger, and poverty. To do this, we created a mind-map like visual in order to track every groups’ definition of the terms. 

After an hour and a half of writing down every groups findings and definitions, I realised that poverty, hunger, and waste are interlaced.

I was quite alarmed at the statistics with regards to food waste and poverty in Egypt. As in, although we have a high poverty and hunger rate, we create a lot of food waste. This is highly unfortunate since this can simply be solved by managing food waste in order to tackle poverty and hunger. However, I believe that I am oversimplifying the problem.

Overall, I enjoyed this activity for it opened my eyes to my country, and has made me more vigilant when it comes to wasting food. I do hope to see the future of my country in better shape, and I do hope the Egyptian Food Bank does in fact reach its goal of eradicating hunger by 2020 (although it seems unrealistic due to Egypt’s massive population).

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After reading “For Better Citizenship, Scratch and Win” in the New York Times, I realized the high level of impact fun and money can have on the human reaction and response.

The example given in the article about Chinese taxpayers caught my eye for its innovation and creativity. Before the implantation of a creative solution, Chinese citizens sometimes evaded taxes, therefore, there were harsh penalties placed surrounding tax evasion in China. But why punish citizens when you can find a way to encourage citizens? The creative solution to solving tax evasion in China stemmed from this simple question: How can we get people to pay sales tax through a different approach? These were the possible solutions:

A. Hired a force of inspectors to raid restaurants and stores to catch people skipping the receipt, accompanied by big fines and prison terms.

B. Started an “It’s a citizen’s duty to denounce” exhortation campaign.

C. Installed cameras to photograph every transaction.

D. Turned receipts into scratch-off lottery games.

From all of the possible solutions, the Chinese government decided to go with solution D. “Instead of punishing under-the-table transactions, China wisely decided to encourage legal transactions by starting a receipt lottery” states Tina Rosenburg.

This reward system worked positively since it human-centered and takes into consideration the emotions of the user. And as Rosenburg said it, “gratification is instant”.  This idea of developing tax payment into a form of a game also overlaps with The Speed Camera Lottery project (found below), which was sponsored by Volkswagen, and was inspired by The Fun Theory.

In my opinion, the article reflect’s society’s need for fun and gratification; however, this can be dangerous if the sole gratification comes from monetary rewards. And as Rosenburg states concisely, this “can weaken the social norms that are often a more powerful enforcer of rules”. Sweden could have easily continued The Speed Camera Lottery project, but they feared that it would negatively skew the people’s beliefs of good behavior.

Overall, I enjoyed the article for its different points of views, its insight into our society, and that we can, in fact, positively change people’s behaviors without penalties and negative consequences. It is all a matter of reframing and looking at problems with fresh eyes.

 

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Following the viewing of Tina Seelig’s Crash Course in Creativity: The Innovative Engine (found below), I found myself understanding the Creative Thinking & Problem Solving course even more. From what Seelig has described, we consciously use the innovative engine machine. A quote Seelig said that I wholeheartedly agree with was:

“We don’t teach people how to increase their imagination at school.”

Wow. What a very blunt statement. But she connects it all back to the learning environment we experience as evidence to support her statement.

In kindergarten, the classrooms are colorful and filled with toys, aimed to stimulate our minds. But as we get older, the classrooms become monochromatic and monotonous. The environment does have an effect on the way we think and feel. For example, when I went to high school, we had to learn a strict writing method called the Jane Schaffer writing method. Mind you that this was the most amazing thing I learned since I like to work in formulas, and it always sped up my essay writing process. However, I noticed that during peer review sessions of our essays that there was no excitement when it came to reading the essays. Everything was formulated. I couldn’t hear my classmates’ narrative voice as I read–their essays seemed to be something written by robots. This method took away our voices and caused us to write in an unimaginative way. And that is why when I entered the International Baccalaureate and was asked to write a creative writing piece for my Language & Literature class, I was immediately taken aback–We were suddenly allowed to be imaginative for once. And as Seelig briefly mentioned, a great way to increase our imagination is through reframing questions, challenging assumptions, and connecting-combining ideas.

Another interesting topic Seelig mentioned in the TED Talk is Chindōgu. This in itself is a very interesting idea since it stimulates ideation. Yes, the inventions and ideas may be deemed as useless, but they can lead to serendipity through connection and combination. Personally, I don’t view as chindōgo as useless items, but as a source of inspiration and a step towards greater things.

Overall, I enjoyed the video for its fresh outlook at creativity, and how it is not simply limited to the idea of being imaginative. It has more to do with being an effective observer and looking at problems with fresh eyes. And it is true that factors affecting culture, attitude, imagination, resources, habitat, and knowledge (The Innovative Engine) can indeed unlock creativity within each and every one of us.

After reading the article titled “Design Thinking” written by Tim Brown in Harvard Business Review, I was highly surprised at the level of impact design thinking had had on our daily lives. We’ve come so far in terms of technological advancements due creativity and ideation: From Thomas Edison’s lightbulb to Kaiser Permande’s aim to improve overall quality of both patients and medical staff, I realized the importance of creativity, ideation, and empathy; moreover, I found that the design thinking process can cause a chaotic system to finally become an efficient one in just a few (or perhaps many) tweaks.

The beauty of this article lies in its examples, and how Brown aims to tell us that all these “genius” ideas and feats don’t actually have to be formed from brilliant minds; rather, it is the process of design thinking that allows for the occurrence of amazing ideas and feats–which anyone can learn (and is sometimes done naturally).

While reading the article, I stumbled upon a quote that echoed in my head for hours after the reading:

The need for transformation is, if anything, greater now than ever before.

Greater now than ever before? Why? I thought to myself. So, I stopped and looked around my room and found that the necessity for transformation, growth, and development is, in fact, quite vital during this time. We use about 10+ different pieces of technology a day, and they all need to be powered via electricity, and the car we take to work every day requires gas, and the roads we drive on require skilled engineers in order for the roads to have the correct traction so that it can keep the car from skidding on the ground, etc. Basically, I noticed that everything is connected. Nothing in this world is an isolated case, rather, everything works in harmony in order to let the next thing continue. And as we continue to grow and develop, the more dependant these objects are upon one another, and that is why transformation is deeply needed during this time–everything is changing, and quickly.

Overall, I enjoyed the article due to its in-depth discussion about design thinking, and its normalization of the process in order not to intimidate readers and future creative thinkers.