App-titude for harnessing creativity - 2013

24 July 2013

A third-year QUT industrial design student has solved one of the biggest bug-bears for creatives the world over.

Mitchell Dunn's Think Creative application allows people to capture and logically organise their inspiration on the go.

"I guess this really was a case of necessity being the mother of invention," Mitch said.

"Like many other creatives, many of my ideas happen away from my workspace when I'm out and about doing other things.

"I found it odd that there was no easy method of capturing those great ideas.

"Notes are scribbled on scraps of paper that are often later lost or illegible because there's no reliable way of sorting them."

Mitch has designed an app that allows users to record their ideas as photos, video, audio, sketches and text.

It also tracks and files those ideas logically into project-specific folders.

Mitch's app design caught the eye of Microsoft and industrial design website Core 77 in June. He was named one of just 16 notable finalists and received an honourable mention in their  App to the Future  competition, which attracted hundreds of entries from 20 countries.

As part of his prize, Mitch was able to pitch to software developers, choosing one to help him turn his design into the real thing for Windows phones.

"I never expected to hear back from the competition organisers - it was a real surprise when I did," Mitch said.

"I've received some good feedback so far, and we're receiving consistent downloads, mostly from people in countries where Windows phones are common.

"I'm really glad to have partnered with Mike Hole, who is an experienced developer in Wales with a couple of awards under his belt."

Mitch is currently working on a computer app version of Think Creative as well as an updated phone version that allows users to collaborate on group projects.

Media contact: Kate Haggman, QUT Media, 3138 0358 or kate.haggman@qut.edu.au