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Creativity techniques are heuristic methods to facilitate creativity in a person or a group of people.

Generally, most creativity techniques use associations between the goal (or the problem), the current state (which may be an imperfect solution to the problem), and some stimulus (possibly selected randomly). There is an analogy between many creativity techniques and methods of evolutionary computation.

In problem-solving contexts, the random word creativity technique is perhaps the simplest such method. A person confronted with a problem is presented with a randomly generated word, in the hopes of a solution arising from any associations between the word and the problem. A random image, sound, or article can be used instead of a random word as a kind of creativity goad or provocation.

Contents 1 History 2 Inventory of creativity techniques 2.1 Some others 3 See also 4 External links

The history of the development of various creative problem-solving techniques extends as far back as antiquity. See History of creativity for details.

All known creative techniques can be categorized depending on the methods and means utilized:

• Randomization (Brainstorming, Synectics, Image streaming)
• Focusing techniques (Morphological analysis, Osborn questionary, Attribute listing)
• Evolutionary directed techniques (HBGA, Laws of system evolution)
• knowledge-base techniques (Altshuller matrix or Contradiction table and 40 Innovation principles)
• Conceptual blending techniques. Michael Michalko

Summarised in table view:

Osborn’s direction	Miles’ direction	Altshuller’s direction
Methods of reducing psychological inertia. Team work.	Methods of collecting and organizing knowledge about a problem and the system. Functional analysis. Morphological approach.	(Evolutionary approach). Knowledge-base approach (Contradiction table, Innovation principles) TRIZ analytical tools

Random stimulus, Analogy, Brainstorming, Bionics, Lateral thinking, Mind mapping, TRIZ, Problem solving, HBGA, Basadur SIMPLEX, Biomimetics, Creative Aerobics, Thinkertoys, Six Thinking Hats, Object Pairing, Oblique Strategies, IMPROVisation, Project Renaissance CPS, Synectics, Techniques for Creative Thinking, Thinking Maps, Using Metaphors

• Association
• Creativity
• Imagination
• Ideas banks
• Metaphor

• About-Creativity.com - Artists share their creative techniques
• Aha! Puzzles - Original creative puzzles by Lloyd King
• American Creativity Association
• Brain|Blog
• Crack the barriers to creativity
• CreativeThink by Roger von Oech
• Creative Nudge with Brenda Johima
• Creativity techniques notebook by David Weeks
• Creativity Techniques - an A to Z
• Creax.net - An inspirational list of links on creativity
• Don The Idea Guy
• Free Knowledge Exchange (implements HBGA)
• Global Ideas Bank
• GoCreate.com by Peter Lloyd
• Idea Barista
• Overview of Creative Methods
• The Swedish Morphological Society
• Visionjuice creativity page
• http://www.creativethinking.net/ by Michael Michalko
• Innovation Body of Knowledge from NSC Publishing
• Innovation Insights Blog - Interesting Creativity Entries
• 'D' and his thinking heads
• Interactive Creativity TechniquesAn on-line, real-time, problem solving methodology using 24 interactive techniques.
• Practical Creative Ideas and Tools