Creative Thinking Beyond Creativity

During the years of the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to seek new ways to connect and continue our lives from isolation. At this time, I approached companies that create new technologies and worked with backend, frontend, and full-stack developers, realizing that they have a structured mindset similar to that of a “creative.”

Break The Mold

We live in a society full of cliches, where creatives are constantly hearing phrases like “You must have a keen eye for detail since you draw so well” or “Since you studied design, help me decorate my house,” which I’m sure every designer or creative person is familiar with.

However, many phrases that start with “Since you’re creative…” or “As the one with the ideas…” have always caused me a great conflict because creativity is not exclusive to artists, writers, or designers. It is a skill that everyone has, and we must all tap into it when faced with a problem, in our case, a “Brief.”

When a doctor confronts a diagnosis, they evaluate factors such as age, medical history, symptoms, and the patient’s environment to provide the most accurate diagnosis possible through their knowledge, allowing the patient to be treated. The same applies to all professions. However, it is biased to believe that only professionals whose careers are closely related to the “creativity” area are the only ones capable of creating new ideas.

Creativity Permeates Everything

Now, open-source tools enable the development industry to grow by bringing together the community of designers and developers. As tools advance, new languages are created, and with the rise of artificial intelligence, the line separating developers from designers becomes blurrier.

For example, designers now need to understand programming languages to create animations, designs, and interfaces with better-optimized code. On the other hand, developers should not leave everything related to the user experience solely to the designer; their role is critical in the UX process, as they seek to generate better experiences in creative ways.

It is no longer sufficient for designers to deliver aesthetically pleasing designs only. We must understand the user, their behavior, and limitations, stay informed about the latest development tools, learn to code, and understand programming logic to be more efficient and assertive. Similarly, it is not enough for developers to receive and modify the design; they must also understand user needs and creatively find new solutions to improve the user experience.

They need to have an aesthetic and proactive judgment. This fosters constructive discussions within a cross-disciplinary team, aiming to create functional and aesthetic products for the user.

My invitation is for everyone to share their ideas. We can all generate new ideas and be “creative.” Every day, new tools are created, experiments are conducted, and the creative process is not exclusive to those in the “creative” industry. The best results are achieved by sharing ideas, seeking opinions, conducting experiments, and listening to others.