Spaces

Materials

Figure 2: The Contexts of Creativity Framework: A guide
for planning cultural connection experiences. As

referenced from “The Convivial Toolbox” .

Let’s take a closer look at the Culture Container
and the Generative Toolbox because these are
the components unique to design for social
innovation. The core process (making the plan
and the toolkits, executing the plan and then
making sense of what happens) is covered
in chapters 5, 6, and 7 in the book Convivial
Toolbox if you are interested in learning more
about that.

THE CULTURE CONTAINER

The greater the difference between you and
the people you are co-designing with, the
more time and energy you will need to put into
understanding their culture. You need to become
familiar with each other. This experience of
cultural connection takes time and is best done
in a face-to-face manner.

You will need to understand who you are
co-designing with so that you can prepare a
relevant co-design plan and toolkits. Your role,
as a generative design researcher for social
innovation, is to prepare your co-designers to be
able to express their creativity. Sometimes the
co-design sessions will occur with individuals
and sometimes in groups. Your co-designers will
need time and activities to become comfortable
with each other, particularly if they did not
already know each other before the co-design
session begins.

I use the Contexts of the Creativity
Framework (See Figure 2) from v as a guide
to prepare and plan for cultural connection
experiences.

The Contexts of Creativity Framework shows
that individual creativity is influenced by
three layers of context around the head of the
individual. It shows that individual creativity is
not only in the head but in the heart as well. We
are more creative when we are having fun. And
creativity takes place in the body. We are more
creative when our bodies are in motion. The last
layer shows that creativity is in the environment.

We can impact the creativity of our co-designers
by carefully considering the places, spaces, props
and materials that we provide for them to use.
And finally, there is a timeframe for creativity.
We can enhance people’s creativity through
preparation and with the passage of time.

HEAD

> Are you using your co-designers’ language
and natural forms of expression?

Vv

Have you learned about their values,
traditions, and practices?

> Have you managed their expectations about
what will take place before, during and after
their participation?

HEART

Vv

Have you planned for activities that will be
fun for your co-designers?

> Are you aware of what your participants
value and what is meaningful to them?

BODY

> Have you invited your co-designers to engage
physically in the planned activities?

Vv

Do any of your participants have physical
disabilities that you need to consider so they
can contribute at an equal level to the other
participants?

MATERTALS

> Are you using locally sourced materials with
which your co-designers will be familiar?

> Willindividuals or teams use the toolkits?
Have you designed the toolkits to optimize
their use by individuals and/or teams?

TIMELINE

Vv

Have you prepared your co-designers well
ahead of the generative session so that they
come to the session with creative confidence?

> Don’t forget about using safe online social
spaces as a preliminary means of making
cultural connections.

PHYSICAL SPACES

> Have you considered the mobility of your
co-designers when deciding where to hold
the sessions?

> Will the workshop take place in surround-
ings that are familiar to your co-designers?

> Is there enough space for people to
move around?

> Have you worked out the need for
individual vs. collaborative spaces?

SOCIAL SPACES

> Do your participants already know
each other?

> Are there hierarchical differences that you
need to consider?

> If your participants do not know each
other, have you planned activities for
them to get to know one another in
meaningful ways?

- FH ODO oO DM

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