DEMONSTRATING EVALUATION TECHNIQUES

Edward De Bono’s 6 thinking hats&

Matrix Models

Tom Houser - LoveChild

WHAT ARE EVALUATION TECHNIQUES& WHY DO WE USE THEM?

Evaluation techniques allow us to take a problem we are trying to solve or an idea we have had, and look at it objectively.

Often when we are in the middle of a project we start to look at it subjectively - based only on what we think of it. In advertising (and in most things) you will almost always have a more successful outcome if

you try to look at a problem from many different viewpoints.

Our automatic tendency is to generate solutions to problems based on previous experiences - this is sometimes known as the Set effect or

Einstellung (German for “attitude”) this tendency can be useful, but it can also be detrimental.

On a basic level, evaluation techniques make us to think differently about what we have done, to check they are as good as they can

possibly be.

EDWARD DE BONO’S 6 HATS

The first evaluation technique I want to look at is Mr. Edward De Bono’s 6 hats. These 6 coloured hats function as a delightful visual

metaphor for 6 different ways of evaluating ideas which De Bono identified.

The hats can be used on your own, but are really helpful in groups - where one person may have a tendency to think in one way (e.g.

pessimistically) whilst someone else thinks another way (creatively).

Reconciling two or more different ways of thinking can be hard, so the 6 hats method gets everyone to focus on the way in which they are

thinking about a problem, hopefully enabling new divergent thinking around an idea and reducing the reliance on certain people to fulfil

certain roles in a discussion.

EDWARD DE BONO’S 6 HATS

To demonstrate how this method works I am going to evaluate an idea I found on the internet, Pugs with Boobs - or more accurately a boob scarf designed with Pugs in mind.

White HatFacts & thinking

WHITE HAT FACTS & THINKING

This hat asks you to think about the data and information you have available - the facts. It also asks you to highlight any missing information.

Examples;• Pugs don’t have boobs• Dogs don’t usually require clothing• Does the pug enjoy wearing its boobs?• How do you put the boobs on the pug?• When would you put boobs on the pug?

Blue HatPlanning

BLUE HATPLANNING

This hat is sometimes worn by a facilitator throughout a meeting - it monitors the thinking process, making sure the right hat is being used at the right time - it should be used at the beginning and end of sessions to define objectives.

Examples;•We need to make sure we don’t spend too much time black hatting the idea (being critical) • Its important we spend time Green hatting this idea - to explore other ways it could be expanded.

Yellow HatOptimism

YELLOW HATOPTIMISM

This hat invites positive evaluation of the idea, it is the opposite to the black hat. It can be useful when other hats run dry.

Examples;• It is a unique idea, not something i’ve seen before• I can see how pet owners would find this funny• This is the sort of product that would get spread all over the internet• You could try this product on other animals, it would still work, or even people.

Black HatPessimism

BLACK HATPESSIMISM & CAUTION

This hat invites negative, critical evaluation of the idea, it is the opposite to the white hat. It is easy to use but can disrupt other hats if not controlled - it is used to identify flaws in ideas which may not have been noticed.

Examples;• This is just a novelty product• Pugs don’t need to wear scarves or boobs• People might be offended by this• It probably wouldn’t be good for the dog to wear this all the time• Its not fair on the dog• It looks stupid

Red HatIntuition & emotion

RED HATINTUITION & EMOTION

This hat uses intuition, gut reaction and emotion from the people involved in the meeting, recording what they think about it straight off the bat.

Examples;• This is funny, it appeals to my sense of humour• I would share this with people who have pugs and they would find it hilarious• I don’t know whether this would always remain as funny?

Green HatCreativity

GREEN HATCREATIVITY

This is a hat which invites creative ideas of any kind, with little criticism - the opportunity to produce lots of material, which can then be evaluated afterwards with other hats.

Examples;• We could make them bigger, for people• The nipples could be speakers• Its sort of like a st. bernard with tiny barrels, but updated - could the boobs hold booze?• They could be quite nice to sleep on - like actual boobs

MATRIX MODELS

Another method of evaluation, this uses a grid to plot the relationship between two different factors.

Hilarious

Tittilating

Amusing

Not Funny

Cheap Average Pricey Ridiculous

Funn

ines

sof

pet

pro

duct

Cost of pet product

This can come in useful when analysing your idea in comparison to competitor products or services - with pug boobs you could look at other novelty pet products, and plot them on a matrix with cost vs. funniness - it can help you test ideas and also highlight new angles for development

• SQUEAKY

BONE

• FAIRY

COSTUME

• PINK

LEAD

• PUG

BOOBS

Keanu Reeves(This Matrix = not dystopian science fiction masterpiece)

EXAMPLES OF WHEN I USE EVALUATION TECHNIQUES...

Evaluation techniques are one of the most valuable things I have learnt at SCA 2.0, they are often what takes an OK idea and makes it brilliant. They

also open up dialogue in groups and encourage constructive criticism.

I have used this in the Love platform project we did earlier this term. Because we kept stepping back and using techniques like 6 hats to analyse what we were doing we ended up changing the idea many times - it allowed

us to see problems we hadn’t anticipated.

Another project I used it on was the Swallow/Rita work with Cooper, where we examined the drinks market in order to identify gaps which we could fill

and exploit.

We also used evaluation techniques to some extent on the LOVE party which we planned - working as a group to feedback concerns and adjust what we were planning, using evaluation techniques made communicating easier.