55. Why Constraint Breeds Creativity

Innovation can be challenging. But our guest this week, Fiona Stevenson (co-founder of The Idea Suite), uses a creative problem-solving framework to help you define the problem and narrow your focus, so you can innovate around a specific consumer challenge. In this episode, Fiona teaches you, what exactly is Design Thinking, why constraint breeds creative ideas, and real-life examples from the pandemic of how constraint led to innovations.
Innovation can be challenging. The task of creating something new or different is overwhelming when you have all the options in the world. Often, people throw many things at the wall and see what sticks. But instead of having all the options, what if you limited yourself? Gave yourself constraints? Well, that’s what Fiona Stevenson and her team a The Idea Suite do.

Using the Design Thinking methodology (a creative problem-solving framework), Fiona helps you define the problem and narrow your focus, so you can innovate around a specific consumer challenge.

In this episode, Fiona teaches you:
  • What exactly is Design Thinking
  • Why constraint breeds creative ideas
  • How you go about creating constraints
  • Real-life examples from the pandemic of how constraint led to innovations
Crises like the pandemic foster innovation. But Fiona shares some advice on why you shouldn’t wait for the next crisis to force you into innovating. She elaborates on creating an organization and process that always breeds organizational innovation so you can try to plan for anything that might be around the corner.

Another great thing Fiona and The Idea Suite are doing is trying to teach kids these skills at an earlier age. Fiona and Shelli Baltman (co-founder of The Idea Suite) are publishing a children’s book - The Greatest Helmet of All Time - about creative problem-solving.

“The Greatest Helmet of All Time, tells the story of a group of animals who notice their friends with horns can’t participate safely in sports requiring head protection, because helmets aren’t designed for horns. They join forces and go through a six-step creative innovation process resulting in the creation of the “Greatest Helmet of All Time”—a universal helmet that fits every kind of horned head. Through the engaging and humorous story, young readers between the ages of five and 10 are exposed to the same design thinking skills and frameworks that are used at the most innovative companies in the world.”

Finally, Fiona wanted to shout out Cheekbone Beauty, an Indigenous-owned and founded, digitally-native, Canadian cosmetics company. Their mission is to help indigenous youth see and feel their value in the world while developing a sustainable cosmetics business - the perfect example of using constraints to create beautiful innovation and work.

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