Creativity techniques applied to improve product characteristics: study of handicraft products

Abstract

Creativity, considered a skill that provides innovation, either in the creation of new products or their improvement, needs to be exercised in order to be. Thus, creativity techniques are being increasingly studied; however there are still few empirical studies on the subject. This article aims to evaluate the application of a creativity technique in two communities that produce handicraft products in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. Through a literature review, we found a total of 74 creativity techniques from which we chose the SCAMPER technique. It provides improved products, is easy to apply, and is suitable for target audience with low level of education. The results demonstrated that the technique presented satisfactory performance on improvement of product characteristics. However, the participant's creative knowledge must be taken into account before its application.