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Curiosity is at the heart of great invention, especially curiosity about people. What drives us is a constant source of stimulus that guarantees new and different thinking.

Thousands of innovation projects tell us that the most creative teams are the most insightful, ask the best questions and probe more intuitively.

Look at someone in the cabin. What can you work out about them and their lives just from the way they look, the clothes they wear, the bags they carry, the shoes on their feet?

What do you think they do for a living? Why are they on this trip? Are they married? Do they have a family or a lover? What do they like to do at weekends?

Now, ask them (maybe not the lover bit) — you may make a new friend.

You don't need to be right about everything. Creative hypothesis is just as useful in sparking new ideas. The key to this is that you are becoming curious and asking more questions; the more you do so, the more creative you become.

Recently, a friend of mine came back from the US with some black loo rolls. Having a distinctive taste in design, she loved them. Friends asked why they weren't commonly on sale as they look good in a bathroom.

So using your new-found curiosity, work out why they will never be more than a novelty. Think about it. Then ask yourself who in the cabin would buy them anyway.

Chris Baréz-Brown is Global Head of Innovation Capability at ?What If! The Innovation Company

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