Why remote innovation projects are ideal for introverts

There are so many benefits to running a remote innovation project. But one of the biggest advantages of working virtually is that it enables people of all personality types to flourish.

So if you’re keen to unleash the creativity in the introverts in your team, here are some of the ways a remote innovation project can help you do that.

People who shout the loudest don’t always have the best ideas

Research shows that when groups of people get together, they gravitate towards ideas put forward by the loudest voices. But there’s no evidence that there’s a link between extroversion and quality of ideas. The best groups and results come when there’s a mixture of personality types at the table.

This is one of the major reasons we created Sprintbase, and the benefits of running remote projects remotely. Those people with the quieter voices who need more time to contemplate their ideas can still put them forward online through the platform. They’re no longer left feeling like they missed their opportunity to speak, and can have their say their way, and enable the group to benefit from their ideas too.

People have more time to consider their contributions

Some people thrive on a high-energy workshop environment that demands immediate input and ideas. But others like to go away and think about what they’ve heard and let their ideas percolate before they put them forward. We’ve seen workshops where individuals who have hardly participated in group work have gone on to make significant contributions to their projects in their own time.

Whether you’re reviewing your customer research, generating insights, voting on ideas, or drawing up prototypes, people can contribute online at a time that suits them. This way, you benefit from everybody’s input, and you get to hear those more considered responses which might otherwise have been missed.

…and with performance analytics you can see who is doing what

Want to know how much work each member of your team is doing towards your project? Sprintbase performance analytics will show you exactly that. As the project facilitator, you can see just how much each person has contributed, so you can track performance and engagement, and spot anybody needing extra support.

People can choose how to get the best out of their engagements with customers

There are so many great ways to involve your customers in a remote innovation project. From inviting them to a whiteboard to contribute to a focus group or brainstorm, to more traditional interviews and surveys. Having so many options means you can empower your teams to choose the way they want to speak to customers, playing to their strengths and personality types.

Giving people options means they’ll focus their attention on how they can get the best out of speaking to customers, and leads to greater findings and results.

People can work to their schedule

Of course, you’re going to have deadlines in place to keep your project moving forwards, but being virtual means that, within those boundaries, people can choose to contribute at times of day that work for them.

Virtual working makes space for night owls and early risers to have their say, rather than limiting contributions to just set meeting times.

People can communicate during online workshops in multiple ways

When you’re all in one room and somebody wants to speak up, they have to wait for the opportunity to be heard. But when you’re running a session virtually, they have more options.

They can use the ‘Raise your hand’ function, or they can submit questions through the comments box. The best facilitators also incorporate lots of opportunities for people to speak up if they’d like to, so participants don’t have to take responsibility for finding gaps themselves.

People can put together quick, creative prototypes, no matter how artistic they are

Lots of people find the prototyping stage of a design thinking project daunting. For more introverted colleagues, the idea of having to showcase their ideas visually – and quickly – can feel really intimidating.

But with Sprintbase we’ve now made it possible for anybody and everybody to produce beautiful prototypes at the click of a button. All our whiteboards now incorporate a whole catalogue of illustrated graphics you can use to create scenes that represent your ideas.

And again, because it’s virtual, people can choose to get creative at a time that suits them, so that they can feel confident about what they present back to their team. Find out more.

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