Failures are a key concept in design thinking. They are discussed as a resource for learning, whereas fear of fail- ure would be a major block to creative activity. We attempt to clarify the term by reconstructing “failures” as “incon- clusive outcomes” in the Dynamic Creativity Framework. This includes a definition of key terms, the specification of hypotheses, a brief consideration of empirical evidence and discussion of practical implications. 

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von Thienen, J., Meinel, C, & Corazza G.E. (2017). A short theory of failure. Electronic Colloquium on Design Thinking Research, 17, 1-5.