Why do I actually make puzzles? - Thinking exhibition "6 ways of thinking"

When asked what the actual point of my work as a puzzle designer is, I can fortunately give a simple answer (simple for me, at least):

I love to think! And I hope that my puzzles help people rediscover the joy of thinking.

If they also develop what I call "solution resilience", meaning the ability to accept that their first idea was wrong and to try a different approach instead of giving up right away, then I have truly achieved everything in my world.

With the exhibition "6 ways of thinking", which opened in April 2026 and can be experienced daily and free of charge at Open Space Heilbronn, I was able to realize my dream project:

At a total of 6 stations, visitors can get to know and apply different ways of thinking in

playful challenges, either on their own or as a team.

The stations are deliberately built from everyday objects to

show that thinking is not something academic, but something ordinary that we all need to survive.

In this blog post, I want to document the individual stations, their intentions, and above all the comparison between the first concept and the final result.

None of the following pictures would have been possible without Yvonne Leuze and her team. She is responsible for the exhibition design and its realization, while I was able to contribute the concept, texts, and elements of individual stations.

Deductive Logic

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What is deductive logic?

Deductive logic is a way of thinking in which we start from general rules or principlesand derive specific conclusions from them. It works according to the"if-then" principle: if certain conditions are met, alogical consequence follows. This way of thinking is particularly important for preciseinformation processing, because it helps us derive clear,reliable statements from a multitude of facts and rules.

Playful element and station

The basic idea was a simplified recreation of the well-known Mastermind game principle using an old rotary dial telephone. At the station, visitors had to figure out a 4-digit phone number. After each dialing attempt, they get feedback in the form of colored lights showing which of the dialed digits are already correct, which are correct but in the wrong position, and which digits were wrong.

A detailed and highly readable documentation of the project can be found on the website of Oliver Metzger, the "mastermind" behind the programming and electronics of the station. https://mezmedia.de/etc/maker/3-2b-telefonmastermind/

For me, this station was the first big challenge in the field of 3D printing. Designing and printing the box, which had to fit the chosen hardware components exactly, made me alternately doubt myself and the software I was using again and again. The learning curve was steep, but the pride in my first self-designed components that actually worked was all the greater.

Inductive Logic

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What is inductive logic?

Inductive logic is a way of thinking in which we derive generalrules from individual observations. While deductive logic moves from fixed rules to specific cases,inductive thinking works exactly the other way around: we recognize patterns, recurringconnections, and regularities, and from them we formulate general principles.

Playful level and station The big plate of pasta with the oversized fork is the station that most resembles my other projects. In the end, the plate and the accompanying menu hide two classic escape puzzles that have to be solved by recognizing patterns.

For this station as well, I was able to contribute the 3D-printed components, while Yvonne and her team built the plate construction. The main problem was that the pasta and sauce blobs were meant to stick magnetically and be movable. Accordingly, the plate had to be magnetized too. However, the magnetic sheet had very little holding power, which in the end could only be solved with ultra-strong magnets of the kind used by lighting technicians, for noodles that weigh just a few grams.

I am still absolutely fascinated by how close the final construction is to my first sketch, and I enjoy how the big, printed noodles never fail to cause amazement.

Planning and strategic thinking

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What are planning and strategic thinking? Planning and strategy are essential ways of thinking that help us set andachieve goals. They allow us to structure our actions in advance, use resourcesefficiently, and respond flexibly to challenges. Without planning,we would constantly have to improvise in everyday life, be it with major life decisions orwith small daily routines.

Playful element and station This station is a 2-player strategy game played with oversized clothespins on a clothesline grid taped to the floor.

Psychomotor Activity

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What is psychomotor activity?

Psychomotor activity describes thought processes in which mind and bodywork together to carry out movements deliberately. These activities initially requireconscious control, until practice makes them automatic. A good example is riding a bicycle, which is complex and overwhelming at the beginning, until you have learned it and can ride almost automatically.

Playful level and station

This station is a considerably enlarged version of the game "Shoot the Moon". Players use chopsticks to try to get the meatball in an oversized bowl of ramen soup into the hollow with the highestpoint value.

Communication

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What is communication?

Communication is far more than just the exchange of information. It is athinking skill that enables us to formulate thoughts precisely, understand other people,and avoid misunderstandings.

Playful level and station

Background idea: Sometimes something rolls under the sofa. One person lies on the floor and feels around in the dark, while another can see where the object is and tries to guide the groping hand.

The station is a 2-player game with asymmetric information. One person stands in front of the maze and sees the ball inside it. The other stands at the back of the sofa and moves the ball with a magnet, but without seeing the playing field. The goal is to move the metal ball from one position in the maze to the next.

Creativity

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What is creative thinking?

Creative thinking is the ability to come up with new, unexpected, and original ideas. Itallows us to think beyond familiar patterns and find innovative solutions.The active player has to put together given terms from abstract shapes and objects, which the other players then guess.

Playful level and station

This game works with two or more people but can also be played in larger groups. One person becomes the explainer and draws a term card. On it, they find an overarching category and terms to be guessed, from which the explainer chooses one.Example: category "bathroom", chosen term "toothbrush".The other players have to guess the term.To do this, the explainer places abstract shapes on the projector surface.The light creates colorful, overlapping shapes on the wall, from which the chosen term becomes recognizable.