AMIE INDIA Students Forum

[mandgm]

The creative designer is generally a person of average intelligence, a visualiser, a hard worker and a constructive
non-conformist with average knowledge about the problem at hand.

Generally, a creative designer has the following qualities.
* Visualization ability. Creative designers have good ability to visualize, to generate and manipulate visual images
in their heads.

* Knowledge All designers start their job with what they know. During designing, they make minor modifications
of what they already know or, creative designers create new ideas out of bits of old designs they had seen in
the past. Hence, they must have knowledge of past designs.

* Ability to manipulate knowledge The ability to use the same knowledge in a different way is also an important
quality of a designer.

* Risk taking A person who does not take the risk of making mistakes cannot become a good designer. For
example, Edison tried hundreds of different light bulb designs before he found the carbon filament.

* Non-conformist There are two types of non-conformists:-constructive and obstructive. Constructive non-
conformists are those who take a firm stand, because they think they are right. Obstructive non-conformists are
those who take a stand just to have an opposing view. The constructive non-conformists might generate a good
idea. But the obstructive non-conformists will only slow down the design process. Creative designers are
constructive non-conformists, and they want to do things in their own way.

* Technique Creative designers have more than one approach to problem solving. They are prepared to try
alternative techniques, till they reach a satisfactory solution.

* Motivation They always motivate others in the design team. In such a favourable environment creativity is
further enhanced.

* Willingness to practice Creativity comes with practice. Creative designers are ready to practice for a long
enough period.

[hemlata]

Below, we outline five key qualities of particularly productive creatives, followed by some recommendations for how to uncover them in potential hires, co-workers, and collaborators.

1. Communication skills. As Albert Einstein said, “If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.” Whether you’re leading a team, managing clients, or training a new hire, the ability to communicate clearly and concisely is an absolutely essential skill. We must all develop the capacity to efficiently manage our communication channels (email, Twitter, Facebook, etc), to rally people around our ideas, and to play well with others – our coworkers and our clients.

How to test for it:
One easy way to test this ability is by having a candidate explain a simple task. If you were hiring a Systems Administrator, for instance, you might ask something like, “Walk me through the process of setting up a web server.” It doesn’t have to be a hard question; the point is to get insight into their ability to communicate clearly.

2. Pro-activeness.
We tend to judge people based on their experience. This is, of course, the whole basis of the resumé. Yet, while on-the-job experience is valuable, we must dig deeper. A better indicator of productive creativity is one’s willingness to act, to take the initiative to put an idea in motion. As we’ve written elsewhere on 99%, “Those who take initiative possess tenacity and a healthy degree of impatience with idleness.”

How to test for it:
Inquire about past instances where the candidate was proactive. Have them explain how and why they started that club, magazine, or film series listed on their resumé. You can also get a glimpse into their future willingness to take initiative by asking questions like: “If I put you in charge of the company today, what would you do differently?” or “What are some things that you would change about the product (or sales process, or website, etc.) if you had the chance?”

3. Problem-solving.
“Thinking outside of the box” is really nothing more than creative problem solving – the ability to arrive at new solutions by looking beyond obvious or traditional approaches. As designer Michael Beirut taught us at the inaugural 99% Conference: “The problem contains the solution.” In this way, successful creatives don’t see problems as problems at all – they see them as opportunities.

How to test for it:
Aside from using Karl Duncker’s classic “candle task” to test problem-solving abilities, there are a few other options. When interviewing candidates for your creative team, don’t focus on leading questions. Instead, ask questions that emphasize shades of grey, and offer insight into the candidate’s thinking. For a Community Manager position, a good question might be, “How would you deal with an irate customer who won’t stop posting negative comments on message boards?”

4. Curiosity. “Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.” So said French philosopher Voltaire. As anyone who’s had a “Eureka!” moment knows, daring to ask a new question goes a long way toward finding the right solution. What’s more, a high level of curiosity – the hallmark of an inquiring mind – is typically indicative of other good qualities, such as inventiveness, resourcefulness, and fearlessness. It also tends to ward off boredom and apathy – sentiments that will poison any creative endeavor.

How to test for it:
When interviewing a potential hire, note how many unprompted questions they ask, and how much they’ve already learned about your company. You can also ask simple questions like, “Tell me about something outside of your area of expertise that you recently learned about?” or “What was the last book you read, and why?”

5. Risk-taking.
Being open to risk (and thus failure) is crucial. We can only truly learn and develop when we push ourselves outside of our comfort zones. According to choreographer Twyla Tharp, "If you only do what you know and do it very, very well, chances are that you won't fail. You'll just stagnate, and your work will get less and less interesting, and that's failure by erosion.” For Tharp, inventor James Dyson, and innumerable others, failure is a badge of accomplishment because it means that you took a risk, that you tried something new.

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[praveen]

Hi mandgm,

Please post such study material under "Study Materials section".
Moderators.. Please help me in making the forum user friendly.. if users are posting in different forum then it will be user friendly... it will be very difficult to find the topics and posts...