What do you do if your creativity as a product developer is waning?

When you stop looking for inspiration and take few moments to relax or think about other projects, new ideas come suddenly to you. Sometimes it is necessary to take a time out to recharge your inspiration again with greater strength.

Talk to some customers or prospects and fuel up on their pain points. Remind yourself that you're looking for a remedy for these people, and that there are scores of them suffering through the same stuff. You could be their hero, so get back to it!

Get the product developers outside their normal space. Walk the bath towel department to see color trends. Shop home decor to monitor home trends. Walk slowly and intentionally thru health and beauty aid to observe packaging innovation. If at all possible, get out of your region or visit a foreign country. And as often as you can, ask your consumers to tell you what is missing.

I will pickup my Fujifilm X-T5 mirrorless APS-C Digital Camera ?? and start taking creative photos again, among people on the streets, window shoppers, tourist attractions and F&B places. Return home and analyze each shot that I have taken, look in detail what people were seeing at, their gestures, interactions with what they felt interested, also get that Sensing while Excites everyone. Often, the new perspectives inspire my thought process to translate those observations into a new product that I believe will engage my customers. It's this connectivity that continuously helped me to feel the ground and market that I need so much closer in picture; those images, in which, I can relate closely with the Creation EvolutionNext.

Get out from your comfort zone, explore the unknown and challenge your self, from my experience what make creativity alive is the desire to make it happening, desire to change, a new way to develop, thinking ahead on needs and high level of interaction outside your field of expertise. All this mixture is a fruitful field where to put the seeds of your desires enabling creativity grow without limitation.

Don't be that boss. Creativity is 2 two-edged sword, some times it simply fails. But remember through failure true learning and geniue ideas will emerge. But by creating an acceptable environment you some how boost creativity and success in your team.

Normally I initiate some of the following activities outside the boundaries of regular development activities to bring in creativity and remain creative. 1-Study similar kind of products to understand what they have done better. Conduct study how we can leverage those ideas for own product? 2-Planned discussions with people engaged in similar product development role. 3-Form a team of users (mixing demographics like age group, genders, geographic locations, role play etc.) and conduct usage testing by them. The comments, feedback are recorded to work on further improvement. 4-Conducting Hackathons with young creative minds to have better engaging ideas. 5-Calling marketing and sales team to point out what may not go good in the market.

When faced with waning creativity, embrace failure as a natural part of the innovation process. Use setbacks as learning opportunities to refine ideas, iterate on solutions, and ultimately foster growth and innovation in product development.

In product development, failure that is reviewed is very useful. You shouldn't see it as a setback, but as an opportunity to learn a lesson for life that'll help your future strategies immensely. Embrace failure, take learnings from it, but don't internalize living with the problem. Move on with a lesson, and accept that it's okay to make mistakes as a human. Incrementally apply your learnings and get better at what you do. Without embracing failure, you won't be able to create the necessary environment of intentional experimentation, trial and error. And in terms of creativity, if you get something right at your first attempt, what really is there for you to improve?

Learning Opportunity: View failure as a stepping stone to success. Analyze what went wrong, learn from it, and apply those lessons to future projects. Failure can provide valuable insights that lead to better ideas and innovations. Risk-Taking Culture: Foster a culture where taking risks and experimenting are encouraged. Encourage team members to share their ideas without fear of criticism, knowing that failure is part of the process of innovation. Persistence and Resilience: Understand that failure is not the end but a stepping stone to success. Stay persistent in your efforts, and remain resilient in the face of setbacks. Some of the most successful innovations have come from individuals and teams who persevered despite initial failures

I particularly like the idea of brainstorming. . . especially with a multidisciplinary group and giving everyone complete freedom to express their ideas. . . Each of us has our own unique experiences that are a wonderful source of new ideas

If creativity diminishes, diversify your thinking by seeking inspiration from various sources like art, nature, or unrelated industries. Engage in brainstorming sessions with diverse teams and explore unconventional approaches to spark fresh ideas and innovation in product development.

At times, bringing people together with diverse perspectives and expertise leads to ideas that are truly "out of the box". This does not always work and might depend upon problem complexity. Another method is reviewing what has been iterated and reviewing why those iterations failed.

Look outside your product category and find inspiration. You can see how new product derivatives or services were offered. For example, if you are in some form of automotive look at food brands, entertainment, hotels … you name it. How did they expand their reach? Step away and absorb other success stories

Sounds lovely. I’m sure having your touches in your office will help you a lot. I am actually building a new office in our stores. This one has a window! Yay!

The best thing to do if your creativity is waning …. Is refresh your space. This may mean many things … like working from your garden in place of your office room Alternatively you can clean things and tidy up the space you work in …. Remove clutter … simplify things and perhaps get a fresh lively paint. Creativity is like a pencil … it may be small … but once you resharpen it … it writes as good as a new one. By way of simile … creativity just becomes dull … it does not wane … just needs a little run through a sharpener… and it’s fresh again!

I just did this actually in my own work life. I felt very stuck and my environment wasn’t very pretty so I decided to paint and redecorate my office. I chose a nice, soft greige color, added some beautiful flow-y curtains, and bright colored art. I also added aromatherapy and some lamps. It gave the space a whole new feeling and made me want to go into my office to work.

Refreshing your own space is helpful but does not always win the inner creative struggle. Try 'shifting your space with intention'. In other words shift to a place where the person or persons are experiencing the activity you are designing for. This gets you out of your own head, out of your space and lets you feel again the vision that will make their lives better.

If creativity and inspiration diminish or feel that no new concepts are next in-line to put into work, then it's time to look for new sources, get in touch with talented people from our contacts list, take some observation lapses on what is happenning around and to explore nature and trends from other industries. Just don't stop, don't think the ideas' basket is empty at all, you will get amazed!

Sure, let's start by finding a comfortable, quiet place to sit. Take a few deep breaths, focusing on the sensation of the air entering and leaving your body. Let your thoughts come and go without judgment, gently bringing your attention back to your breath whenever you notice your mind wandering. Try to fully experience the present moment, noticing any sounds, sensations, or emotions that arise. Gradually, expand your awareness to include your surroundings and the sensations in your body. Remember, mindfulness is a practice, so be patient with yourself and keep coming back to the present moment whenever you can.

Sometimes the solution to a problem will come when you're not thinking about it. Taking myself as an example, I take long walks and think about all the small businesses I walk by. I think about how they would/do solve the problem I'm working on. It might surprise you how often the solutions are right before us, but we cannot see them through our thoughts. Mindfulness is a useful way to 'get outside your head', as it were. Just letting your mind flow and by following that flow instead of trying to lead it can inspire you with new solutions and approaches.

Minimum effort law is very well explained by Bryan Tracy on Fenix Seminary, it states that the best way to attract things to you is to program those things into your mind using your consciousness part of the brain and then let them flow into subconscious mind by not thinking about it. When you don't expect it, the thing you affirm comes materialized to your reality. This could be applied to problem solving, since solutions will come if you state a positive thought into your mind, "....I figure this out... ", quite enough so that when it crosses through your subconscious, the solution will come up suddenly while you are relaxed.

Practice mindfulness to enhance creativity. Engage in meditation, yoga, or walks to clear mental clutter and foster focus. Increased awareness can unveil innovative ideas hidden in everyday details.

To get the most out of mindfulness exercises, try your best to:?Pay attention.?Focus on things you can see, hear, smell, taste or touch. For example, when you take a shower, make a special effort to really pay attention to how the water feels on your skin.

Dig in and dont quit. Keep learning and take every setback as the next step to success. There is no failure, there is only learning and growing.

When facing a creative block as a product developer, I immersed myself in continuous learning to rekindle my innovation. I started exploring blockchain technology, a field outside my comfort zone. By taking online courses and participating in blockchain forums, I not only acquired a new skill set but also discovered unexpected applications in enhancing user experience for the products I was developing. This learning journey didn't just broaden my technical skills; it transformed my approach to problem-solving and opened up a new realm of creative possibilities. This experience underlines how stepping into new areas of knowledge can fuel creativity and lead to groundbreaking ideas in product development.

Consider implementing a "20% time" policy within your team, inspired by companies like Google, where employees dedicate a portion of their workweek to pursue passion projects unrelated to their main responsibilities. This freedom allows for exploration and experimentation, fostering a culture of innovation and creativity. Encourage team members to use this time to explore new ideas, technologies, or approaches that could potentially lead to breakthrough innovations in product development. By providing the space for autonomy and creativity, you'll empower your team to rejuvenate their passion and drive for innovation.

Continuous learning is an instrumental mindset in product development. At Siam, each of us are constantly on the lookout to get better at what we do, in the smallest way possible and add value to our work. It's a core organizational value for us and we reward and celebrate it. It's not just a quest for relevance, but also to grow and evolve as individuals. As product people, we find it useful to stay updated on evolving trends and technologies, changing dynamics of user behavior, and constantly find ways to deliver value.

To keep your creativity rekindled , keep learning , keep yourself abreast of the industry you are in. Try a 5 hour rule, devote 1 hour daily for 5 days to learn a new subject/ skill. Even if it is not related to your field, your new skill will recharge your creative brain cells and you will have fresh leash of thoughts n ideas.

Take a break. Creativity needs its time and space. Go for a walk. Acquire new experiences, get exposed to different fields, explore the current solution space, mix, match and modify concepts and... always keep a notebook nearby to jot down your sudden ideas.

Taking a break is highly under-rated. Sometimes we get into a mindset of wanting to grind until we come up with a solution to whatever problem we are trying to solve. Many times, what is needed is a complete break from the problem. Taking a mental break from the problem may be exactly what is needed to solve the problem.

Agreed, @thomaspapakostas! I was waiting to see this in this article. Many inspirations come after one has been immersed in a challenge and then stops pondering it and engages in something totally unrelated (the proverbial epiphany on a walk, in the shower, or when waking up).

1. **Take a Break**: Step away from the project for a while to clear your mind and come back with a fresh perspective. 2. **Seek Inspiration**: Look for inspiration in different places such as art, nature, or other industries to spark new ideas. 3. **Collaborate**: Brainstorm with colleagues or other creative individuals to generate new ideas and perspectives. 4. **Experiment**: Try new approaches, tools, or techniques to break out of your creative rut. 5.***Change Your Environment**: Work in a different setting or rearrange your workspace to stimulate creativity. 6.**Reflect**: Reflect on past successful projects or breakthrough moments to understand what worked well and apply those lessons to your current situation.

I go back to where I can learn from users and consumers to get refreshed. Basically, I believe if I got stuck that means I have an opportunity to get deeper in to whatever has to be solved to acquire knowledge from new points of view.