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Creative and innovative ideas

Creative thinking is a way of coming up with new ideas.

Creative ideas could involve:

  • inventing something new
  • inventing a new way of doing something
  • developing a new way of thinking about something
  • changing the way that someone else looks at something

Creative thinking

Creative thinking is very useful as it can improve products, processes and services. This means that production costs could be cut, or new products and services can be created or improved.

Real-life example one

The Uber taxi service began as a result of creative thinking. The founders of the company had trouble hailing a taxi so they came up with a simple idea — tap a button, get a ride.

Young man holding phone hailing Uber taxi

Real-life example two

Woman eating breakfast in kitchen while talking on her smart phone

Sharp launched its new Aquos Crystal in 2014 which was branded as a breakthrough in mobile technology. The phone was the first to have an edge-to-edge screen together with screen vibration technology for talking.

This new technology meant that when the screen was in contact with the ears it vibrated and transferred sound, which meant that conventional speakers were no longer needed.

Innovation

Being innovative refers to the process of transforming an idea into a product or service that creates value.

This means it must be at an acceptable cost and must satisfy a specific need.

Innovations can be either evolutionary or revolutionary.

  • are ideas that are created as a result of changes in technology or processes. The end result does not need to be new, eg the iPhone was not the first smart phone.
  • are far rarer. They refer to creating something which is entirely new, eg Kinetic Sand.