From conflict to catalyst: using critical conflict as a creative device in design-led innovation practice

Cyberspace is global; it allows for an unimaginable number of actors and interactions. The internet can be a place for creativity, fun and community, yet it is also a vehicle for criminal and damaging behaviour. It is, therefore, not surprising that on topics of cybercrime there are many stakeholders with contrasting perspectives. If, in a design-led approach to wicked problems, it is vital to involve people from diverse backgrounds, it is important to consider how to make the process of generating ideas based on frames accessible to them. A collaboration with a regional law enforcement agency provided the context for research into participatory design approaches that considered the question: what design-led approach and resources construct and present critical human conflicts as creative stimulus for participatory design events? This paper explores the challenges, limitations and value of a ‘Creative Tensions’ device that aimed to help participants develop solutions by offering ‘frames’ that they can ‘look through’, that may well deviate from their own experiences. Using a set of semi-structured interviews, this research presents an analysis of the device (its production, context and use) detailing practical steps and resources that support the development and use of frames in a multi-disciplinary multi-stakeholder participatory design event