Where is the box?

Three problems with out-of-the-box thinking

In any given typical work environment, one of the first things people expect is creativity and invariably it brings along with it one of the most common phrases of all time – Think outside the box.

What is the Box: It is essentially the problem or the environment one actually operates from or in.

Out-of-the-box thinking has spurred creativity and innovation in workspaces which have led to unbelievable things but it does come with a few costs, some of which have led to some great disappointments. In this post, I have tried to document the three broad areas which people should keep in mind while designing solutions.

1. Solutions. Not optimal.

One of the foremost things which design thinking emphasises is the appreciation of ideas from anyone in the team and in any quantity. This has gone on to increase workspace collaboration, employee engagement, and teaming. However, in simple terms, it has broken down walls and encouraged productive dialogue.

Conversation and communication are important aspects in solution-building. But, there is a thin line between chattering and discussion – and workspaces benefit only from the latter.

Direction-lacking discussions are useless banter.

When navigating from idea to idea people often forget the crux of the issue and end up creating a solution to a problem they see as what it is than what it actually is. Therefore, yes, solutions are created. But, not the most optimal ones.

The Faber-Castell Connector sketch pens are a great example for this. With just the addition of a small clipping mechanism they solved a very great problem of losing sketch pens among children.

Some points to help at this end are:

• State a clear and concise aim
• Periodically visit the aim during the discussion
• Prior to the discussions, discuss with the team as to what their idea of the aim is; Understandings of the same thing between different people can be vastly different
• After finalising the solutions, check for its coherence with the aim

2. Aim for the stars. Yet fall on the ground.

One other aspect of thinking outside the box is the problem of shooting too high. Ideas that are almost in the verge of, let’s call it by its modern term, breaking the internet are often the ones taken seriously at the end of a discussion. Often, these are the ones that are the toughest to implement.

Aiming for creating something groundbreaking is a great way to go but this makes people forget the basics — Always cover the basics first. The simplest of the solutions are present right next to the problem.

Great ideas hit the problem head on and in the simplest way possible.

The scope of your solution should be focused on the solving the problem as much as possible if not entirely. Solve the problem before going further to innovate.

The Apple HomePod is one of the great examples of this. They shot too high to create something awesome but forgot the solve the basic requirements of a smart speaker.

Some points to help at his end are:

• State the objectives of the solution clearly
• Keep a checklist of items the solution needs to tackle
• Employ a comparison chart for evaluating multiple solutions and choose the one which solves the solution the most

3. Innovation. With no Delight.

This step should probably not be visited if step 2 hasn’t been satisfied. Delivering something more can only make sense if the basics have been covered first.

The most important thing to be wary of are the consequences of adding or removing something onto the solution —They may result in better efficiency but great customer dissatisfaction at the end of it.

Delighting your user is the best way to ensure the solution sells itself.

Going the extra mile will create the distinction for your solution and can create a huge distruption in the end-user space.

A simple example is how Evernote has redefined note-taking as compared to the default apps on the phone.

Some points to help at this end are:

• Ensure the basics requirements are covered
• Ask yourself the question — “Does adding the extra feature complicate your solution?”
• Consider the user pain-points, if any, while getting used to that addition and weigh the benefits and losses of it

These three problems are the most common with out-of-the-box thinking. However, they shouldn’t stop you from doing so.

Ideas that often seem crazy are the most amazing of them all.

-The writer is a managerial consultant and a UX and design enthusiast