Creative spaces for creative thinking

Creative spaces for creative thinkingBuilding an environment to help teams thrive

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Which style of office do you prefer to work in?

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When working in teams, we tend to pigeonhole ourselves in lots and lots of

process


It’s very easy to forget what keep’s a teams motivation in tune


Teams need ways to spark ideas and get their creative juices flowing


and once that’s missing…well


So, while it’s important to investigate technical considerations, understand UX

and define ways of working…


There’s something else that can often be neglected…



Creative SpacesCreative space is more than just where we brainstorm: it’s about areas where product teams can work side-by-side and communities of practice can gather and share knowledge.

Why should we focus more on building creative spaces for teams?



Nurtures ideas and inspiration

Creates conversations and builds empathy

Acts as a creative block breaker

A creative workspace…

’but we don’t have enough space to be creative or collaborate’


A starting point on how to building your own creative spaces



Working WallsInclude a space or area for displaying your work, actions or decisions. This keeps teams working towards collective goals, and encourages others around to give feedback, learn and knowledge share through visuals.


Creative CornersNo spare room? Carve out a creative corner. Don’t let the lack of space stop you from building small breakouts areas and a change of scenery for the team, even if it's a shelf with a few books or a corner for playing games as a means of creative learning


Desk DiversityIt’s important to converse, so don’t talk about co-locating and collaborating - just do it! Grab your laptop and sit next to the person who you need to move that ticket that's been sitting in the 'work in progress' (WIP) column into 'Done'! If you happen to work on a desktop machine, move your chair, pair up and collaborate!


Free FurnitureWhether you have a spacious office or work in a startup studio, modular furniture is always a great option to get people building spaces for quick huddles or meetings. So get everyone standing around a table, or better yet remove the table (this stops laptops clustering creative space) and use seats. Break the rules!


Each workspace (and it’s occupants) is differentSo keep an eye out for something that would work in your office

Thank you

© The App Business

Christina Ohanian - Agile Coach & Scrum Master [email protected]

@ctohanian

www.agileandsketch.com www.theappbusiness.com

Creative spaces for creative thinking

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