You're struggling to develop new chemical engineering products. How can creative thinking help you out?

2 Research and learn

The next step is to expand your knowledge and perspective by researching and learning about the problem and its possible solutions. You can use various sources of information, such as books, journals, articles, reports, patents, databases, or experts, to gather relevant data, facts, trends, and insights. You can also look for inspiration from other fields, disciplines, or domains that have similar or analogous problems or solutions. By doing this, you can enrich your understanding of the problem, discover new angles and approaches, and avoid reinventing the wheel.

3 Generate and diverge

The third step is to generate as many ideas as possible, without judging or filtering them. This is where you can use your imagination and intuition to explore different possibilities and alternatives. You can use various techniques to stimulate your ideation process, such as brainstorming, mind mapping, sketching, SCAMPER, TRIZ, or biomimicry. The key is to diverge from the conventional or obvious solutions, and to challenge your assumptions and limitations. You can also involve other people, such as colleagues, mentors, or customers, to get feedback and input from different perspectives.

4 Evaluate and converge

The fourth step is to evaluate and select the most promising ideas, based on the criteria and constraints of the problem. This is where you can use your logic and analysis to test and validate your ideas, and to identify their strengths and weaknesses. You can use various techniques to assess your ideas, such as scoring, ranking, prototyping, simulation, or experimentation. The key is to converge to the most feasible and desirable solutions, and to eliminate or refine the ones that are not viable or effective.

5 Implement and communicate

The final step is to implement and communicate your solutions, and to monitor and measure their results. This is where you can use your skills and resources to execute your project plan, and to deliver your product or process to your clients, stakeholders, or end-users. You can also use various tools and methods to communicate your solutions, such as reports, presentations, demos, or stories. The key is to showcase the value and benefits of your solutions, and to solicit feedback and suggestions for improvement.

Creative thinking is a vital skill for chemical engineers, as it enables them to develop new products or processes that can solve complex and challenging problems. By following these steps, you can enhance your creative thinking skills, and overcome your creative block. Remember, creativity is not a gift or a talent, but a skill that can be learned and practiced.