Increase Your Chances of Behaving Creatively in UX Design with These 4 Abilities

Being original is not the only way to be creative; there are 3 other lesser-known forms that can help boost your reputation as a creative UX professional.

Illustration by Mariana Gutiérrez

Some time ago, I found myself particularly interested in the concept of “creativity.” This fascination grew when I had the opportunity to work as a UX designer for a client who challenged me to create a user experience that deviates significantly from the norm.

Their requirements amazed me because typically the success of UX work depends on common behavioral patterns. So, motivated by this, I embarked on my own research and finally, after reviewing numerous sources, I stumbled upon a captivating definition formulated by E. Paul Torrance, one of the most prominent psychologists in the history of creativity research.

“Creativity is the process of becoming sensitive to problems, deficiencies, gaps in knowledge, missing elements, disharmonies, and so on; identifying the difficulty; searching for solutions, formulating hypotheses about the deficiencies; testing and retesting these hypotheses and possibly modifying and retesting them; and finally communicating the results.”

(E. Paul Torrance, 1965).

Doesn’t it sound familiar? I found Torrance’s definition to be quite similar to the type of process that UX designers engage in every single day. This is because Torrance firmly believed that human beings could be creative not only in arts but also in fields like philosophy, psychology, sociology, and why not, UX? 😉

But, before diving into the 4 abilities to enhance creativity, let’s take a moment to acknowledge that creative achievement as noted by Torrance is a process rooted in finding solutions. This principle applies directly to designers like us, as our creativity is fueled by the pursuit of solutions not only for our clients but also for the end user.

So, by learning a bit about creativity and reflecting not only on my own performance but also that of my colleagues during the challenging task of impressing our client with creative designs, I ended up confirming Torrance’s theory regarding the 4 abilities of creativity that have the potential to increase the likelihood of crafting creative designs:

1. Being Fluent with Your Proposals: produce as many relevant ideas as possible, particularly during the ideation phase when you can freely explore various possibilities. (Tip: Even if some ideas are quite similar to each other, don’t discard them; instead, sketch them out anyway). Remember, it’s not about presenting every idea in detail to your client but quickly showcasing an overview of your extensive work to finally choose 2 or 3 main ideas. You will notice that your client will perceive that there was a creative design process involved.
2. Crafting Flexible Ideas: although this level is a bit more challenging, you’ve got this. I know you can do it! Try to generate ideas across different categories, ensuring that each set of ideas you create is distinct from the others. This is another strategy you can use during the ideation phase, and from my perspective, classifying your ideas helps ensure a more balanced distribution of your effort across different concepts.
3. Being Original: reaching this level grants you an additional bonus as a creative designer. It is the most challenging yet rewarding approach to creativity, so why not give it a try? Allow yourself the opportunity to generate at least one idea that represents a significant leap or departure from the obvious and commonplace. Observe the outcomes when you present it alongside your other ideas. You never know, something incredible could occur! Lastly, remember to apply this strategy during the ideation stage. We want to avoid excessive experimentation or deviation in inappropriate stages of the design process.
4. Being Elaborate: you can showcase creativity by providing a significant amount of detail. However, it’s important to avoid overwhelming yourself by trying to provide detail for every idea generated. Instead, carefully select that specific idea during the final stages of the design process to allocate focused attention and unlock its maximum potential. (Tip: This is when you can shine with your full arsenal of prototyping and motion skills.)

By recognizing the dimensions of creativity — fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration — I came to understand that being ‘creative’ doesn’t just mean deviating from patterns. There are other dimensions of creativity to be explored such as fluency, flexibility, and elaboration.

I hope these strategies will be helpful for you when facing challenges with clients who are seeking highly creative UX/UI designs. However, it’s important to know that taking the risk of being creative in UX entails significant responsibility. It’s not just about generating ideas for the sake of it but demonstrating that these new ideas work for your assigned challenge.

I won’t deny that it’s not easy, but the risk is worth it! As I reflect on the fact that creativity lies at the core of human achievement, I truly believe that we should be encouraged to take risks, step outside the familiar, and infuse our UX work with the magic of imagination. My final question is: would you dare?