Adapt-A-Role
Author: Aleix Barrera, Diego Castro & David Rodriguez-Gomez
Facilitated by the teacher
The aim is to promote the ability to empathize with users or recipients.
30-60 mins
Students 5-10
Whiteboard, pen & paper
Steps
- The teacher outlines the task to the students:
- As Polman and Emich (2011) state, decisions made by others are more creative than decisions made by ourselves.
- This activity, developed by Gumula (2020), proposes a brief exercise before the typical ‘adapt-a-role’ technique used in the ideation phase of Design Thinking.
- The students should choose any superhero, comic character, celebrity, scientists, famous athlete etc.
- The students imagine their persona solving the issue, problem or task and take notes of any important information or steps identified.
- The students then solve their issue, problem or task,
- The teacher discusses this approach to solving problems with the students.
Reflection
The activity could be done using online tools such as Padlet, virtual whiteboard and breakout rooms in Teams/Zoom.
Inspiration
Inspired by: Gumula, J. (2020). Creativity training in organizations: a ready-to-implement concept. Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. Zeitschrift für Angewandte Organisationspsychologie (GIO), 51, 95-102.
Polman, E., & Emich, K. J. (2011). Decisions for others are more creative than decisions for the self.
Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, 37 (4) pp. 492-5601.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167211398362v
Polman, E., & Emich, K. J. (2011). Decisions for others are more creative than decisions for the self.
Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, 37 (4) pp. 492-5601.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167211398362v