six thinking hats From: Philip Hodgson, Ph.D. User Experience Group / Global Consumer Design Whirlpool Corporation (presented with minor modifications to ISE 311 – Ergonomics & Work Measurement)

about thinking  automatic background thinking  conscious problem solving thinking  logical, linear, critical, argument based We tend to think the same way every time like water running down a hillside deepening the channel ensuring that future thinking follows the same path

the problem with thinking The main difficulty with thinking is confusion. We try to do too much at once. Emotions, information, logic, hope and creativity all crowd in on us. It is like juggling too many balls.

thinking about thinking  identify the different kinds of thinking  separate the different kinds of thinking  direct the different kinds of thinking  switch between the different kinds of thinking  think about thinking Thinking is a skill … it can be improved but it needs to be understood, managed and practiced...

wearing hats  a “thinking cap”  defines a role  gives direction and focus  gives you the “floor”  attracts attention  provides a way to switch gears  we become a “group of thinkers”  now the game has rules  emotion will follow motion.

Our example  Evaluate the layout and food choices of the cafeteria.  Take a customer-centric view.  All aspects of the customer experience are to be explored.

 the information seeking hat  neutral  the facts  what information is available?  what is relevant?  true facts  beliefs (but not guesses)  not giving opinions  not presenting arguments. neutral objective information creating the map neutral objective information creating the map Last year there was a 25% increase in the sale of turkey meat Give me the employment figures for high school dropouts for 6 months after they leave school I think I am right in saying that the 777 is the quietest plane in the Boeing fleet I need some white hat details of the volume of traffic trying to leave Atlanta during rush hour. white Our example: Give me some ‘white hat’ facts or questions about the customer experience in the cafeteria today.

emotion feelings intuitive subjective emotion feelings intuitive subjective  how you feel about the suggestion  your gut reactions  your intuitions and hunches  getting upset, being delighted  a legitimate outlet for emotion  allows exploration of feelings. I feel we are being pressured into agreeing with the new proposal Give me your red hat view of our current direction I am very pleased with the way things are going I do not like the way this meeting is being conducted I have a strong feeling that the broken window and the torn theatre ticket are vital clues in solving this murder I am feeling really frustrated right now. red Our example: What is your ‘red hat’ view of the way the cafeteria is laid out and run today.

positive (logical) benefits “can do” positive (logical) benefits “can do”  positive (based on …)  the benefits, the savings, the advantages?  constructive  improving on ideas  proposals  speculative “if …”  about effectiveness and getting a job done  making things happen  but not blind optimism let’s put our yellow hats on and look at the positive aspect of the new proposal the good thing about Jim getting the job is that at least he understands the Chinese culture it is hard to become an actress but if I go to the audition at least I have a chance I just love this idea I am really excited about getting started well I am wearing my yellow hat but I cannot find anything positive about this new idea there is a new opportunity here, but we must move quickly! yellow Our example: Put on your ‘yellow hat’ and tell me some of the positive aspects of the cafeteria.

negative (logical) caution devil’s advocate negative (logical) caution devil’s advocate  why it might go wrong  the errors or pit-falls  the risks or dangers involved  identifies difficulties and problems  logical rationale for not doing something  legal limits  technology limits  critical judgement  legitimizes negativity  separates the logical from the emotional  NOT negative feelings! I don’t think that just lowering prices is going to work the sales figures I have show that just lowering prices is not going to work It looks good on paper, but what if the Japanese enter the civil aviation market? It sounds like a great idea but what you are proposing is not legal in that country But increasing the wages will drive up the costs so we must consider an alternative. black Our example: Give me a ‘black hat’ assessment of some things that aren’t working well about the cafeteria.

 new ideas and concepts  lateral thinkers wear a green hat  sudden insights  doing things differently  not logical  provocative triggers (random words … “frog” “cheese”)  ideas as stepping stones … to where?  explore the absurd (what if planes landed upside down?)  taboos?  now start over and explore alternative ideas. creative provocative new ideas creative provocative new ideas put your green hat on and have a new idea we are getting bogged down here … everybody put your green hats on and try to come up with something new I know the idea sounds crazy but I am wearing the green hat right now under the protection of the green hat I want to suggest that we fire the entire sales force suppose we put the bread between two hamburgers instead, where might that take us? green Our example: Put on your ‘green hat’ and come up with some novel ways of serving food in the cafeteria.

 thinking about the thinking  planning and organising the thinking  managing the focus by calling for the use of other hats  monitoring and reflecting on the thinking processes  drawing conclusions  uses blue hat to shift people in or out of the discussion  others can also offer blue hat comments. orchestration reflection monitoring the “meta-hat” orchestration reflection monitoring the “meta-hat” my blue hat tells me we ought to be looking for alternatives at this point we seem to be spending much more time on red hat than I expected, let’s switch to green again OK let’s have ten minutes of white hat, and then five minutes of yellow Jane, you've been very quiet. Let’s hear your yellow hat view on this I want you both to yellow hat each other’s point of view … that should stop you arguing those were helpful black hat thoughts but we are supposed to be wearing our white hats right now wearing my blue hat it seems that the conclusions are as follows … now everyone put on the blue hat and say where you think we ought to be going with this meeting. blue Our example: Give me a ‘blue hat’ assessment of how well this way of approaching the problem works for evaluating the cafeteria.

some of the benefits  thinking is simplified  direction of thinking can be effectively switched  can be used for both group and individual thinking  issues are resolved with more clarity  issues are resolved more quickly  everyone has a chance to contribute  it becomes legitimate to express feelings  opportunity to express all aspects of your thoughts  new ideas are born  meetings are more focused  meetings are shorter

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informative intuitive cautious constructive creative reflective the six thinking hats

Your turn … Your textbook describes several methods of unstructured and structured ‘search’ techniques. In groups of 3 or 4: Select 2 of these methods – one structured and one unstructured. Think of how the ‘thinking hats’ methodology could be used in conjunction with the technique in the book. Focus in on using your ‘hat’ (white, red, yellow, etc.) When instructed, exchange hats with another group and approach the question from that perspective.

‘White hat’ thinking‘Red hat’ thinking‘Yellow hat’ thinking ‘Black hat’ thinking‘Green hat’ thinking‘Blue hat’ thinking