How can you improve your creative confidence as a design thinker?

1 Embrace uncertainty

Design thinking is an iterative and experimental process that involves exploring different possibilities and testing different solutions. You may not know the exact outcome or the best way to achieve it, but that's okay. Instead of fearing uncertainty, embrace it as an opportunity to learn and grow. Be curious, ask questions, and challenge your assumptions. Don't let perfectionism or fear of failure stop you from trying new things and making mistakes. Learn from your feedback and failures, and use them to improve your ideas and skills.

2 Build empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings, needs, and perspectives of others. It is a key skill for design thinkers, who seek to create solutions that are meaningful and desirable for the people they serve. To build empathy, you need to immerse yourself in the context and experiences of your users. Observe, listen, and interact with them. Try to see the world through their eyes, and feel what they feel. Empathy will help you discover insights, generate ideas, and communicate effectively with your users and stakeholders.

3 Collaborate with others

Design thinking is not a solo activity, but a team effort. You can improve your creative confidence by collaborating with others who have different backgrounds, skills, and perspectives. Working with others will expose you to new ideas, feedback, and support. You will also learn to appreciate and leverage the diversity and strengths of your team. Collaborating with others will also help you develop skills such as communication, negotiation, and facilitation. Seek out opportunities to co-create, co-learn, and co-innovate with others.

4 Practice regularly

Like any other skill, creativity can be improved with practice. You can improve your creative confidence by engaging in activities that stimulate your imagination and challenge your thinking. For example, you can practice brainstorming, sketching, prototyping, storytelling, or improvisation. You can also use tools and methods that help you apply the design thinking process, such as personas, journey maps, or ideation techniques. The more you practice, the more comfortable and confident you will become with your creativity.

5 Celebrate your achievements

One of the best ways to boost your creative confidence is to celebrate your achievements, no matter how big or small. Recognizing and appreciating your progress and impact will help you build a positive mindset and attitude towards your creativity. Celebrating your achievements will also motivate you to keep going and pursue new challenges. You can celebrate your achievements by sharing your stories, showcasing your work, receiving feedback, or rewarding yourself. Don't forget to also celebrate the achievements of others, and express your gratitude and appreciation for their support and collaboration.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?