Bringing Research to Life Through Creative Methods
Over the course of our research project, our interdisciplinary team (from natural sciences to psychology to art and design) has learned a great deal about the power of incorporating creative practices in scientific research, as well as the challenges of implementing them.
The goal was to explore several creative methods—such as empathy mapping, insight clustering, and idea prioritization—to improve the study of knotweed and develop knowledge mobilization strategies. By taking a more unconventional approach, we hoped to discover new and innovative ways to gain knowledge and spread awareness to diverse audiences.
Why Creative Methods?
In the research process, we can often find ourselves stuck in a rut, struggling to develop new ideas and approaches to our work.
This is where creative methods come in.
These tools can help us think outside the box and generate new and unexpected insights. In the context of our project, it helps us make the scientific side of things easier for our target audience to engage with.
A Brief Walkthrough
In a series of posts over the next few weeks, several of our team members will be reflecting on their experiences in this project. But before we get started, we thought it’d be helpful to give you a quick overview of each of the 22 creative methods we explored and at which points we would use them.
Creative Method #1: Research Participant Map
Key Concept: You can discover key target audience opportunity areas (i.e. those most relevant to your research and mobilization goals) by mapping potential audiences across varying sets of attributes
Application: When we are unsure which demographics to consider (for our research activities and/or knowledge mobilization efforts)
Creative Method #2: Journey Map
Key Concept: You can identify key pain points of someone’s emotional experience by considering their “ups and downs” at different stages of the experience
Application: When we want to be better able to address the needs of affected individuals and target audiences
Creative Method #3: Empathy Map
Key Concept: You can more effectively address someone’s challenges with a given problem through a human-centred lens—by analyzing what they are saying, doing, thinking, and feeling.
Application: When we want to be better able to address the needs of affected individuals and target audiences
Creative Method #4: Insight Clustering
Key Concept: Trends and themes emerge when you when you gather data points/insights or write down ideas (e.g. on sticky notes) and then spatially sort them into clusters of shared characteristics.
Application: When we want to find new themes or trends in a set of data, insights, or list of ideas
Creative Method #5: Media Scan
Key Concept: New ideas and solutions often come from unexpected sources (including those outside your field or direct area of study)
Application: When we need to generate new ideas to solve a difficult problem
Creative Method #6: Analogies/Metaphors
Key Concept: New ideas can be sparked by reframing the problem in an unusual (even playful) manner, as it can lead to perspectives you may not have otherwise considered
Application: When we need to generate new ideas to solve a difficult problem
Creative Method #7: Complex Systems
Key Concept: New ideas can come from analyzing the wider context of a problem
Application: When we need to generate new ideas to solve a difficult problem
Creative Method #8: Systems Mapping
Key Concept: New ideas can come from considering how your problem participates within larger systems.
Application: When we need to generate new ideas to solve a difficult problem
Creative Method #9: Solution-Focused Approach (Backcasting)
Key Concept: New ideas come from focusing on ideal future scenarios that generate positive emotions that are exactly opposite to the negative emotions the problem is currently causing
Application: When we need to generate new ideas to solve a difficult problem
Creative Method #10: Caveman Approach
Key Concept: New ideas can come from optimizing unconventional workarounds that people are already doing to quickly mitigate the issue (i.e. “paving the cowpaths”)
Application: When we need to generate new ideas to solve a difficult problem
Creative Method #11: Lateral-Thinking Approach
Key Concept: New ideas can come from forcing your problem to align or connect with a seemingly random and unrelated concept
Application: When we need to generate new ideas to solve a difficult problem
Creative Method #12: Action Word Approach
Key Concept: New ideas can come from imagining how some component of your problem would respond to a randomly selected action
Application: When we need to generate new ideas to solve a difficult problem
Creative Method #13: Ideation Matrix
Key Concept: New ideas can come from juxtaposing various aspects of the problem with the same or different list of concepts or aspects of the problem (rational and irrational), which allows forced connections to lead to a robust set of new ideas rapidly.
Application: When we need to generate new ideas to solve a difficult problem
Creative Method #14: SCAMPER
Key Concept: New ideas can come from subjecting aspects of your problem to seven basic manipulations
Application: When we need to generate new ideas to solve a difficult problem
Creative Method #15: Creative Constraints
Key Concept: New ideas can come from requiring your solutions to adhere to (rational or irrational) limitations (e.g. a very limited target audience, etc.)
Application: When we need to generate new ideas to solve a difficult problem
Creative Method #16: Combinations (of any of the above)
Key Concept: New ideas can come from combining creative methods in unique ways, such as the action words approach paired with a creative constraint.
Application: When we need to generate new ideas to solve a difficult problem
Creative Method #17: Collage
Key Concept: By interpreting/filtering your ideas through found imagery, you will come to understand it better yourself while simultaneously supporting a collective understanding with others. Collage requires a very low barrier to entry, making it perfect for those with less confidence in their artistic abilities.
Application: When we want to better understand, enhance, and/or test out an idea
Creative Method #18: Visual Prototyping
Key Concept: By making some aspect of your ideas tangible (e.g. through sketches or small sculptures with basic supplies) you make them testable by others, thus creating a means by which you can refine and ensure collective understanding
Application: When we want to better understand, enhance, and/or test out an idea
Creative Method #19: Idea Prioritization Matrix
Key Concept: By mapping out ideas by their feasibility and likely benefit, you can identify which ideas are most compelling
Application: When we need to prioritize our ideas (e.g. to determine which idea is worthwhile to pursue first)
Creative Method #20: Knowledge Mobilization (KM) Matrix
Key Concept: By juxtaposing target audiences with a list of what/why/how/when characteristics, you can quickly create a robust set of ideas
Application: When we want to create ideas for effective knowledge mobilization efforts
Creative Method #21: Baseline Studies
Key Concept: Collecting and/or analyzing previous and current data before you launch a new research project can help show how your project made a difference (through comparison with new data received through the project).
Application: When we want to show that our research has made an impact
Creative Method #22: Video Documentation
Key Concept: Creating documentation of your research process (e.g. photos, videos, etc.) helps others better understand what you do by giving them a chance to “walk in your shoes,” thus allowing them to better empathize with your experience (as a researcher). NOTE: We also discovered that video documentation serves as an excellent memory aid!
Application: When we want to show that our research has made an impact
Conclusion
Incorporating creative methods into our project has proven to be a valuable approach for generating insights into our study of knotweed and in developing knowledge mobilization strategies. By thinking outside the box and using unconventional techniques, we’ve been able to uncover new perspectives and approach specific problems in unique and engaging ways.
Hey there, thanks for reading! Learn more about knotweed research efforts from our team members by checking out the following articles.
- Catastrophic flooding helped increase spread of knotweed on Chilliwack River, says researchers
- Counting the cost of the B.C. 2021 floods as measured by the spread of invasive knotweed: Dr. David Clements and TWU students investigate
- TWU researcher uses art and design to tell the story of science
- TWU researchers investigate knotweed infestations resulting from the 2021 B.C. floods
- Young scientist joins the fight against knotweed in B.C.