To 'think outside the box' it's very helpful to know a lot about the box: it's dimensions, mass, colour/s and materials. It's sometimes handy to know who built the box and why he/she did build it so. It's certainly invaluable to know any rules and/or protocols which have been established about the box during its existence and how those came into existence.
In fact there's plenty to be done if the 'think outside the box' is going to achieve anything quickly.