When to use it
It is never a bad idea to have a look at the latest trends, innovations and news from across different sectors, even if they feel totally unrelated to your challenge. Use this tool to collect and process some inspiration from the outside world.
What’s the purpose
Looking around us for fresh perspective can give us inspiration and switch us on to what might be possible, and the impact of potential solutions. Think of the external stimulus as an inspirational gallery wall.
How to do it
- Look at the sources provided in the template as inspiration to get you started.
- In step two, outline your research topic (one per template), what you aim to achieve (your goal), what approach you will take and what source your are using.
- Now, in step three, write up your findings, focusing on the top three things that you learned during the process of your research on a single topic.
- What were some of the most surprising discoveries you made while doing your research? This is a great place to add quotes/data that support your findings.
- Did your research spark any ideas for your challenge? Pictures are a great way to communicate ideas to others.
- Are there any areas that you feel require further exploration after completing your research?
- Finally, in step four, write down any lingering thoughts or probing questions that you have by digging deeper into why things might be happening and what this tells you about people or the situation you are observing: start your question with What if...
- You can create as many 'External Stimulus' templates as you need until you have covered all of your research topics.
Worked example
