Protobot

Introduction Molly Clare Wilson's Protobot tool was inspired by a book of games used by Surrealist Artists in the 1920s, which helped artists in their generation. These exercises often involve combining things that don't naturally fit together, forcing us to follow a nonsensical path longer than we're usually comfortable with. This activity is excellent for individuals or groups, bringing energy to workshops or sparking creativity before problem-solving tasks. With over 47,000 product ideas on the Protobot site, as Wilson says, "Some are brilliant. Some are bizarre. Some are controversial. Some are hilarious."

Visit the Protobot website. Upon arriving at the site, select Randomize to uncover your challenge. The website will create a product idea by pairing a random product category with a random constraint.

We suggest allocating 5 minutes for you or your team to brainstorm numerous ideas. Refrain from judging or limiting anyone's thoughts. Prioritize generating a large number of ideas rather than focusing on their quality.

Choose one idea to focus on. You have the option to create a sketch or a storyboard to visualize your idea, or write a brief description of a potential user who would benefit from the idea.

To stay true to the site's name, gather some basic materials from your home or office and create a straightforward physical prototype of the idea!

Presentations Ask each group to step forward and give a two-minute presentation on their prototype. Make sure they include: - The initial idea - A quick overview of the concept - An explanation of how the prototype functions If there's enough time, encourage other groups to contribute to the idea by offering "yes, and..." suggestions for potential improvements.

Conclusion Once all the presentations are completed, gather everyone back as a group. Ask participants to spend five minutes pondering on these questions individually: - How did you find this experience overall? - What aspects were difficult? What aspects were invigorating? - What valuable lessons can I gain from this experience? - How can I incorporate the learnings from this experience into my everyday tasks? After the individual reflection, encourage participants to discuss their thoughts with the entire group. End the session.