Box Stimuli - Manual Thinking - Tools for co-creation

Box Stimuli

Template Box StimuliHow to think out of the box? Think in another box! Box Stimuli is a method for obtaining inspiration for new ideas from any randomly chosen object. The method works with any object, as long as it has little or nothing to do with the field of ideas you are searching for. The key is to itemize a list of characteristics from the chosen object, and relate these characteristics with your goal. The surprising connections that are established are a guarantee for original ideas.

This template helps you to break down any object into a wide variety of characteristics which serve as stepping stones for new original ideas. Print the template on a work template label an place in the center of the map as indicated in the example below. Itemize characteristics using the medium oblong shaped labels and place them directly around the labels of the template. Now one by one, find connections between each characteristic and your search goal, and draw the resulting ideas in large labels. Place the ideas around the central labels to complete the map.

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With a little practice you´ll find that any object can serve as an inspiration to create great ideas. For this purpose, in the Manual Thinking Workspaces you can find an inspiration wall created from Manual Thinking Boxes, filled with a variety of material samples and objects from different origins, holding a true treasure of inspiration. Thinking out of the box is no longer an abstract approach, but an easy and fun application!