ARTICLE SUMMARY: How many of us one day wake up and all of a sudden out of nowhere we are facing creative challenges, sometimes referred to as brain freeze or creatives block.

When that happens it’s time to turn on our “design brain” and look back and channel previously encountered ideas into our own work.

Stealing like an artist — design heuristics in creative ideation” by Dora Cee helps us move past the creative block by looking back at design strategies that we have employed in the past.

  • Design driving cognition
  • DIY method for extracting heuristics
  • Defining evidence-based design heuristics

At their core, design heuristics are the combination, exploration, or transformation of often already existing ideas. Looking back on those ideas often helps you with spin off ideas that can break through that creative block you have sitting in front of you.

If you are wondering which heuristics to apply, the answer depends mostly on the problem context and your preferences. Each type requires specific features in order to be a fitting match, but overall there is no magic bullet that will lead to the best solution.

If this hasn’t happened to you yet don’t worry, it will and this article will help you get past it.

Let us know if this has been a help to you in the comments.