Lateral Thinking

The term lateral thinking was coined by Edward De Bono to denote a creative problem-solving style that involves looking at the given situation from unexpected angles.

Lateral thinking, is the ability to think creatively, or ‘outside the box’ as it is sometimes referred to in business, to use your inspiration and imagination to solve problems by looking at them from unexpected perspectives. It means approaching problems in new, innovative ways; conceptualising problems differently; and understanding your position in relation to any particular situation in a way you’d never thought of before.

Lateral thinking involves discarding the obvious, leaving behind traditional modes of thought, and throwing away preconceptions.

1.   Study another industry or consider in another context.

2.   Draw a picture.

3.   Turn the problem upside down. Whether physically by flipping a piece of paper around or metaphorically by re-imagining it can help you see patterns that wouldn’t otherwise be apparent.

4.   Reverse requirements. Try to solve the opposite, make it fail or make the least important outcome the most important.

5.   Work backwards; start with the goal and think back through the steps needed to reach it until you get to where you are right now.

6.   Ask a child, or someone else from outside for advice.

7.   Invite randomness, embrace mistakes and incorporate them into your projects, developing strategies that allow for random input, working amid chaotic juxtapositions of sound and form.

8.   Take a shower or go for a walk.