Introduction to Ideation
Before briefly describing creative thinking tools or techniques, there are three points which need attention.
One: the old adage that two know more than one is most certainly true for creative thinking.
It is no coincidence that the advertising industry introduced the concept of so-called Creative Teams (Art Director and Copywriter) in the early 1960’s, that tools for collaborative systematic inventive thinking or group work are – after ideation – by far the largest group of related tools, nor that the most universally used and well-know model for collective ideation – Brainstorming – was created by an advertising man, BBDO co-founder Alex Osborn.
Two: Listing is extremely useful in virtually any structured, systematic thinking and/or Ideation effort. Listing synonyms, antonyms, advantages, disadvantages, alternatives, assumptions, bugs, categories, limitations, opposites, parts, relations, rules, suppositions and so forth, is practically always a good starting point for personal and collective thinking processes.
Listing is an integral part of many of the systematic creative processes or methods described here, because – as established earlier – quantity is, especially at the initial stages of the creative process, more important than quality.
Fluency – the ability to generate large amounts of ideas or alternative solutions for a problem – is also an integral part of virtually all creativity tests, for starters the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT).
In my experience Listing is the simplest, most practical and most productive precursor for creative thinking, even with totally untrained subjects or individuals with exceptionally well developed creativity inhibitors. After all: almost anybody can make a shopping list.
Three: the following creative techniques are not in any way mutually exclusive; rather the opposite. They may be used combined, stacked, mixed, sequentially or in any other way the solver(s) may feel is conductive; the only unmovable rule is that rules are there to be reinvented.
Advertising creatives are mostly incapable of explaining which method (if any) they used to reach a given solution, while – in my experience – fast and/or fuzzy method switching may actually lie at the root of successful creative problem solving.
Moreover, advertising people who are naturally blessed with the capability and discipline for creative thinking do rarely – if ever – reflect on it: “It just comes to me”, (which is not just matter-of-speech) while they consider discussing or examining the topic particularly irrelevant.
This is why top creative people only rarely formally teach and why professionals from other fields have largely taken care of inventing or describing systematic creative thinking tools, which – therefore – may be considered to be primarily directed at the untrained, less talented, or both.
The latter is definitely good news. If so many respected professionals in such widely diverse fields as anthropology, biology, business sciences, education, engineering, linguistics, philosophy, psychology, psychiatry and sociology have dedicated so much time (in some cases a lifetime) to developing methods and means for creative thinking, they must be convinced it is both teachable and learnable.
Ideation Tools
A list of tools for ideation. The descriptions are not exhaustive. If you wish to know more about a specific technique, I suggest you Google the term
Absurd Alternatives (SIT)
Method that uses humor and exaggeration to state a product proposition: “use our product or... (absurd alternative)”
Activation (SIT)
Method which asks the consumer for a physical action to either experience the product, service or helps to focus on the problem at hand. Examples are turning the page upside down, covering a part of the advertisement, tearing something off (sample, coupon), or “scratch & sniff”, with the use of a scented ink that activates when scratched.
Analogy
Takes information from one domain (the source) to help solve a problem in another domain (the target). Looks for similarity and uses “Is like...” or “As ... as”: “This is like living a dream”, “As big as a tree”. The objective is to take away focus from the original problem and look for solutions in the analogy or symbol. The higher the level of abstraction, the more likely break-through ideas will occur. Advertising often uses this technique, most notably – though not exclusively – with animal kingdom analogies: Playboy bunnies, Ferrari’s rampant horse, Esso’s tiger, La Coste’s crocodile, the World Wild Life Fund Panda and Twitter’s bird, just to mention a few. Probably the most (ab)used analogy in advertising is Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa”.
Applied Imagination (Question Summary)
Also called “Osborn’s Checklist”, is a practical checklist to help review a problem or product from multiple angles by asking nine questions: Put to other uses? Adapt? Modify? Magnify? Minify? Substitute? Rearrange? Reverse? Combine?
Aristotelian Categories
Checklist which poses the following interrogatives:
Substance or essence. What is it and what makes it unique or individual?
Quantity or magnitude. How many, how much, what degree?
Relation. Rank, comparison, derivation.
Quality. Value, attributes, shape, habits.
Action. What is it doing or does it do?
Affection. Reputation, attitudes toward.
Place. Where is it?
Time. When? Now? Historical? Future?
Position. Sitting, standing, displayed, hidden
State. Planned, broken, untried, changing
Association
By combining two different concepts or stimuli, association triggers right-brain, lateral thinking. This technique is particularly effective when calling upon the senses: “Smells like”, “Looks like”, “Sounds like”. These associations can be quite linear, although – though elaboration – may lead to higher levels of abstraction, such as described in “Analogy”. See also: “In the Realm of the Senses”
Assumption Smashing, Escape Thinking
Assumptions are extremely powerful creativity inhibitors, because they represent the world as we perceive it. Listing all the assumptions that surround a certain problem allows to review them for illogical argumentation, while also opening the door to sub-problem (attribute) revision. By eliminating illogical or irrational arguments, the solver(s) can focus on a problem definition that is free of judgement. Moreover, by taking assumptions and applying a “Problem Reversal” technique, new angles on the problem may be discovered. The Freeplay radio is a good example. Problem: create a radio for people who do not have access to grid power and cannot afford batteries. Assumption: a radio needs electricity from either a wall-outlet or batteries. Solution: a radio that generates its own electricity, either through a wind-up crank or a solar panel.
Assumption Surfacing
A 2x2 matrix which is built by listing the problem related assumptions and defining their opposites. After eliminating irrelevant or ineffective assumption pairs, the matrix is constructed with an impact variable on one axis and plausibility on the other (both High to Low)
Attribute Listing (Bug Listing, Cherry Split, Morphological Analysis, Pro/Contra, Value Engineering)
Although Attribute Listing was originally created for product improvement analysis, what all these methods have in common is that they break down the original problem into multiple sub-problems. By breaking the problem or system down into related multiple smaller parts, the opportunities for ideation grow, while the recombination of the generated ideas may lead to break-through rather than incremental improvement.
Backwards Forwards Planning
A method originally developed to properly define open-ended problems, but also applicable to solving, where deductive reasoning may cause the solver to think “inside the box” – focus on the problem at hand – rather than beyond it: achieve a goal of a higher order. For example: “My car does not start” instead of “I am going to be late for work”, “My boss will be angry” or “I may lose my job”.
The task consists in listing a number or higher order problems that would also be solved when solving the original problem (Forwards), after which Backwards lists all the derived additional benefits. The same method can be used to achieve higher order (more sophisticated) solutions, which could de derived from basic ones.
Bifurcation
A division into two branches. Thinking method that lies at the foundation of techniques like Branching (decision tree) and Mind-mapping.
Boundary Relaxation
Problem definitions can be visualized as envelopes. Their boundaries are generally defined in terms of the possible, feasible, reasonable, what “should” or “must” be.
Once we accept that problem boundaries are – more often than not – determined by scope and umfeld, built on perceptions and assumptions, we can examine these limits for flexibility, thus Pushing the Envelope; the original or given framework for thinking.
Branching
Taking a core concept and splitting it into sub-concepts, associations, etc.. Fruit = Apple, Pear, Banana, Melon. Apple = pit, dottle, skin, meat, green, tree, Newton. Newton= inventor, gravity, wig, old, mathematics, alchemist. Each concept may be further branched, which is the prime objective of the technique, because primary associations are obvious – thus – not conductive to added-value innovative thinking. However, asking how “Fruit” and “Wig” are related makes things a little more challenging. As in virtually all listing techniques, the higher the level of abstraction, the better the chances for break-through ideation. A helpful tool to organize these generated ideas is
Mind Mapping, with which the solver(s) can create a colorful, visual representation of their Thinking Process Tree.Before briefly describing creative thinking tools or techniques, there are three points which need attention.
One: the old adage that two know more than one is most certainly true for creative thinking.
It is no coincidence that the advertising industry introduced the concept of so-called Creative Teams (Art Director and Copywriter) in the early 1960’s, that tools for collaborative systematic inventive thinking or group work are – after ideation – by far the largest group of related tools, nor that the most universally used and well-know model for collective ideation – Brainstorming – was created by an advertising man, BBDO co-founder Alex Osborn.
Two: Listing is extremely useful in virtually any structured, systematic thinking and/or Ideation effort. Listing synonyms, antonyms, advantages, disadvantages, alternatives, assumptions, bugs, categories, limitations, opposites, parts, relations, rules, suppositions and so forth, is practically always a good starting point for personal and collective thinking processes.
Listing is an integral part of many of the systematic creative processes or methods described here, because – as established earlier – quantity is, especially at the initial stages of the creative process, more important than quality.
Fluency – the ability to generate large amounts of ideas or alternative solutions for a problem – is also an integral part of virtually all creativity tests, for starters the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT).
In my experience Listing is the simplest, most practical and most productive precursor for creative thinking, even with totally untrained subjects or individuals with exceptionally well developed creativity inhibitors. After all: almost anybody can make a shopping list.
Three: the following creative techniques are not in any way mutually exclusive; rather the opposite. They may be used combined, stacked, mixed, sequentially or in any other way the solver(s) may feel is conductive; the only unmovable rule is that rules are there to be reinvented.
Advertising creatives are mostly incapable of explaining which method (if any) they used to reach a given solution, while – in my experience – fast and/or fuzzy method switching may actually lie at the root of successful creative problem solving.
Moreover, advertising people who are naturally blessed with the capability and discipline for creative thinking do rarely – if ever – reflect on it: “It just comes to me”, (which is not just matter-of-speech) while they consider discussing or examining the topic particularly irrelevant.
This is why top creative people only rarely formally teach and why professionals from other fields have largely taken care of inventing or describing systematic creative thinking tools, which – therefore – may be considered to be primarily directed at the untrained, less talented, or both.
The latter is definitely good news. If so many respected professionals in such widely diverse fields as anthropology, biology, business sciences, education, engineering, linguistics, philosophy, psychology, psychiatry and sociology have dedicated so much time (in some cases a lifetime) to developing methods and means for creative thinking, they must be convinced it is both teachable and learnable.
Ideation Tools
A list of tools for ideation. The descriptions are not exhaustive. If you wish to know more about a specific technique, I suggest you Google the term
Absurd Alternatives (SIT)
Method that uses humor and exaggeration to state a product proposition: “use our product or... (absurd alternative)”
Activation (SIT)
Method which asks the consumer for a physical action to either experience the product, service or helps to focus on the problem at hand. Examples are turning the page upside down, covering a part of the advertisement, tearing something off (sample, coupon), or “scratch & sniff”, with the use of a scented ink that activates when scratched.
Analogy
Takes information from one domain (the source) to help solve a problem in another domain (the target). Looks for similarity and uses “Is like...” or “As ... as”: “This is like living a dream”, “As big as a tree”. The objective is to take away focus from the original problem and look for solutions in the analogy or symbol. The higher the level of abstraction, the more likely break-through ideas will occur. Advertising often uses this technique, most notably – though not exclusively – with animal kingdom analogies: Playboy bunnies, Ferrari’s rampant horse, Esso’s tiger, La Coste’s crocodile, the World Wild Life Fund Panda and Twitter’s bird, just to mention a few. Probably the most (ab)used analogy in advertising is Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa”.
Applied Imagination (Question Summary)
Also called “Osborn’s Checklist”, is a practical checklist to help review a problem or product from multiple angles by asking nine questions: Put to other uses? Adapt? Modify? Magnify? Minify? Substitute? Rearrange? Reverse? Combine?
Aristotelian Categories
Checklist which poses the following interrogatives:
Substance or essence. What is it and what makes it unique or individual?
Quantity or magnitude. How many, how much, what degree?
Relation. Rank, comparison, derivation.
Quality. Value, attributes, shape, habits.
Action. What is it doing or does it do?
Affection. Reputation, attitudes toward.
Place. Where is it?
Time. When? Now? Historical? Future?
Position. Sitting, standing, displayed, hidden
State. Planned, broken, untried, changing
Association
By combining two different concepts or stimuli, association triggers right-brain, lateral thinking. This technique is particularly effective when calling upon the senses: “Smells like”, “Looks like”, “Sounds like”. These associations can be quite linear, although – though elaboration – may lead to higher levels of abstraction, such as described in “Analogy”. See also: “In the Realm of the Senses”
Assumption Smashing, Escape Thinking
Assumptions are extremely powerful creativity inhibitors, because they represent the world as we perceive it. Listing all the assumptions that surround a certain problem allows to review them for illogical argumentation, while also opening the door to sub-problem (attribute) revision. By eliminating illogical or irrational arguments, the solver(s) can focus on a problem definition that is free of judgement. Moreover, by taking assumptions and applying a “Problem Reversal” technique, new angles on the problem may be discovered. The Freeplay radio is a good example. Problem: create a radio for people who do not have access to grid power and cannot afford batteries. Assumption: a radio needs electricity from either a wall-outlet or batteries. Solution: a radio that generates its own electricity, either through a wind-up crank or a solar panel.
Assumption Surfacing
A 2x2 matrix which is built by listing the problem related assumptions and defining their opposites. After eliminating irrelevant or ineffective assumption pairs, the matrix is constructed with an impact variable on one axis and plausibility on the other (both High to Low)
Attribute Listing (Bug Listing, Cherry Split, Morphological Analysis, Pro/Contra, Value Engineering)
Although Attribute Listing was originally created for product improvement analysis, what all these methods have in common is that they break down the original problem into multiple sub-problems. By breaking the problem or system down into related multiple smaller parts, the opportunities for ideation grow, while the recombination of the generated ideas may lead to break-through rather than incremental improvement.
Backwards Forwards Planning
A method originally developed to properly define open-ended problems, but also applicable to solving, where deductive reasoning may cause the solver to think “inside the box” – focus on the problem at hand – rather than beyond it: achieve a goal of a higher order. For example: “My car does not start” instead of “I am going to be late for work”, “My boss will be angry” or “I may lose my job”.
The task consists in listing a number or higher order problems that would also be solved when solving the original problem (Forwards), after which Backwards lists all the derived additional benefits. The same method can be used to achieve higher order (more sophisticated) solutions, which could de derived from basic ones.
Bifurcation
A division into two branches. Thinking method that lies at the foundation of techniques like Branching (decision tree) and Mind-mapping.
Boundary Relaxation
Problem definitions can be visualized as envelopes. Their boundaries are generally defined in terms of the possible, feasible, reasonable, what “should” or “must” be.
Once we accept that problem boundaries are – more often than not – determined by scope and umfeld, built on perceptions and assumptions, we can examine these limits for flexibility, thus Pushing the Envelope; the original or given framework for thinking.
Branching
Taking a core concept and splitting it into sub-concepts, associations, etc.. Fruit = Apple, Pear, Banana, Melon. Apple = pit, dottle, skin, meat, green, tree, Newton. Newton= inventor, gravity, wig, old, mathematics, alchemist. Each concept may be further branched, which is the prime objective of the technique, because primary associations are obvious – thus – not conductive to added-value innovative thinking. However, asking how “Fruit” and “Wig” are related makes things a little more challenging. As in virtually all listing techniques, the higher the level of abstraction, the better the chances for break-through ideation. A helpful tool to organize these generated ideas is
Bug Listing
A type of Attribute Listing, in this case of the (potential) defects, problems in a product or system. See also: Component Detailing
Cartoon Story Board, Story-boarding
A drawing technique which allows to visualize the intermediate steps between the present situation and a vision or “dream” future, in the form of a storyboard. Storyboards are a series of time sequential images, used in the film industry to visualize how a particular scene is structured. Similarly, by imagining and drawing the present situation and the desired future situation, the solver may be able to imagine and visualize the intermediate steps that need to be taken to achieve this goal. The richer the imagery, the higher its potential for triggering strong ideas.
Checklists
Methods to structure the innovative thinking process, generally by posing questions. Examples are: Aristotelean Categories, Creative Problem Solving (CPS), Five Times Why?, Human Needs, Journalistic Six, Osborn’s Checklist, Physical Attributes and SCAMPER.
Circle of Opportunity
A graphical version of Attribute Listing and similar to Morphological Forced Connections.
The solver(s) state the problem, draw a large circle on a piece of paper and mark it clockwise. Each of the 12 points is given an attribute and dice are rolled to select random pairs. The selected attributes are then analyzed on their own, side-by-side and combined to find associations.
Construct-Triad
Combining two related ideas with one unrelated idea and then examining these for connections, associations, relevance, etc. See also: Laddering
Contradiction Analysis
At the heart of any problem lies (at least one) discrepancy. A conflict between what is believed to be ideal and the current status quo: weight vs. fuel efficiency, desire vs. money, dream vs. reality.
These are all obvious contradictions, but frequently a problem is the result of past solutions, assumption that were made when creating a certain solution, or even assumptions surrounding the current problem, which may all be far less obvious.
Moreover, problems may contain multiple, (sometimes hidden) interdependent contradictions, where solving one element negatively affects others.
For example: the distance a aeroplane can fly, depends on its own weight, fuel capacity and consumption, payload and weather during the flight, among others.
The lighter the plane, the further it can fly, or the more fuel or payload it can carry, or the more adverse the climate may be. Likewise, the more payload it carries, the higher its fuel consumption, the shorter the distance it can fly, or the more favorable the climate must be.
Multiple inter-dependencies like these are called systemic: when one is modified, all are affected. Listing, analyzing and understanding the obvious and not-so-obvious contradictions that are related to a problem, may lead to significant advances in problem definition as well as break-through solutions.
Copy, Borrow, Steal
Also called Copy/Paste Method. A legitimate creative technique, which derives its value from placing a known solution into a new context. Frans Johansson explains in his book The Medici Effect (2007) why copying, borrowing or stealing concepts or ideas from other fields, disciplines, cultures, art, nature, etc., may lead to break-through thinking when solving problems or looking for opportunities.
Cliché Recombination is another example of the copy/paste method, which derives its impact from placing a well-known truism, fact or played-out idea into a surprising, new light.
See also: Analogy, Imitation.
Crazy Ideas (Bunch of Bananas, Ha-Ha ideas)
An idea that – at first sight – is totally unrelated with the problem at hand and which often occurs when a group problem solving session is losing momentum or – temporarily – refocuses on something other than the original problem. Even if the participants may be rolling over the floor laughing, ignoring a “Crazy Idea” is an extremely bad idea when looking for breakthroughs. Even though the person who came up with it may be unaware, a Crazy Idea is more often than not the result of “Unconscious Problem Solving” (See Psychology & Creativity). As far fetched and abstract as it may seem, it is always worth careful and serious analysis, because it is likely to contain a solution well beyond the “envelope”. There is the case of the Exxon Valdes oil spill, for example. One of the solving team’s members had observed how well the fur of the local otters absorbed the crude oil and jokingly suggested to use the animals for the clean up. After the laughter had died out, the team built on (grew) his “Ha-Ha idea”, and developed a kind of furry cloth which was effectively used for clean up.
Creative Problem Solving (CPS – Parnes, VanGundy)
Contains – apart of a six-step creative thinking process – a series of helpful thought starters. Divergent thinking: Wouldn't It Be Nice If… and Wouldn't It Be Awful If…. Convergent thinking: identification of Hotspots, In What Ways Might This Be…, ownership criteria and outlook criteria (e.g. urgency, uniqueness, applicability). Mostly used in Brainstorming sessions.
Drawing (Doodles, Idea Toons, etc.)
Drawing is a visual and right brain-half activity, which processes information in an intuitive and simultaneous way, looking first at the whole picture and then at the details.
Writing – on the other hand – is verbal and left-brain, which processes information in an analytic and sequential manner, examining the parts before putting them together to get the whole.
By drawing (rich) images, symbols, doodles, etc., in some way or another related with the problem at hand, the brain can be forced into right-side “big picture” mode, before breaking the problem down into smaller parts.
Exaggeration
A frequently used technique in advertising, especially in combination with humor. Exaggerates the problem, the solution, the result or the benefit of using a certain product or service, making it larger, stronger, smaller, smarter, more absurd, more hilarious.
Exaggerations need to be BIG to be effective; small exaggerations are mere sales talk and might even be taken seriously, which is most definitely not the idea behind this technique.
Extreme Behavior (SIT)
The absurd, unusual or funny behavior and/or its results in consumers that use or ought to use a given product or service. See also: Exaggeration.
Extreme Consequences (SIT)
The absurd, unusual or funny outcome that either using or not using a product or service may cause for the user. See also: Exaggeration.
Extreme Efforts (SIT)
The absurd, unusual or funny endeavors consumers go through to obtain or use the product, service or what can be the extreme efforts one has to go through when not using it. See also: Exaggeration.
False Faces
A “Problem Reversal” technique:
- State problem
- List assumptions
- Define the fundamental assumptions
- Reverse these assumptions
- List the opposite(s) for each one
- Record differing, useful viewpoints
- Reflect on how to accomplish the given reversals.
Forced Relationships
(Forced Association, Forced Analogy, Brutethink)
All these methods use randomly chosen words or images and their associations to create lists of related concepts, which are then “forced” upon the given problem to find applicable relationships. The objective is to replace linear left-brain thinking by lateral, right-brain thinking.
Free Association
Takes a so-called Trigger-idea – which may or not be random, to generate a large number of associations. Problem solving oriented Free Association may be triggered by questions such as: Could we..?, In what ways might we...?, Wish it were..., Might it help if...?, etc..
Heuristic Ideation Technique
A technique that uses a matrix to list all possible and/or imaginary parts of a product or system on one axis and all its possible and/or imaginary attributes on the other. This allows recombining, grouping or assigning potential attributes to all available parts, thus generating a long-list of potential product improvements, new products or new elements of a system. Similar to Morphological Analysis and Attribute Listing, among others.
Human Needs
Checklist, derived from the Hierarchy of Human Needs - Maslow (1943).
- Physical Comfort. Food, clothing, shelter, warmth, health.
- Emotional Comfort. Safety, security, freedom from fear, love.
- Social Comfort. Fellowship, friendship, group activity.
- Psychological Comfort. Self-esteem, recognition, power, self-determination, life control.
- Spiritual Comfort. Belief structure, cosmic organizing principle.
May be useful for verifying whether all relevant factors were considered during a process of product- or service improvement, for example.
IdeaToons
Visualizing ideas in symbols, drawings or cartoons, rather than writing them down; stimulates right-brain activity. See Drawing.
Imitation
Copying or borrowing an idea from one field, discipline or application to another is considered a legitimate creative technique, because it derives it value from a new, original application. See also: Analogy, Copy, Borrow, Steal.
In the Realm of the Senses
Method to activate right-brain activity, since the sensory functions are mostly – even though not exclusively – located in that part of the brain.
By stating a problem in sensory terms, the solver may be able to generate a wide range of associations: “Our problem smells like fish”: water, sea, net, fisherman, market, seagull, shoal, cane, smell, rotten, boat, swim, salt, float, cloud, blue sky, storm, wave, nose, fry, food, can, etc..
Smell is particularly powerful, because it is the sense that has undergone the least change during human evolution. Certain familiar smells are capable of triggering very vivid memories, while even a written or visual representation of a certain smell may generate palpable physical reactions.
- Touch. Feeling, texture, pressure, temperature, vibration.
- Taste. Flavor, bitter, salty, sour, spicy, sweet.
- Smell. Aroma, odor, perfume, stench.
- Sound. Hearing, speech, noise, music, environment, nature.
- Sight. Vision, brightness, color, movement, symbol.
Laddering
Switching between different levels of abstraction or association. Ladder-up is achieved by repeatedly asking for reasons: Why does this have to be so?, in search of higher levels of abstraction, while Ladder-down is achieved by asking for relevance: So What?.
The recommended steps are:
1 – Defining a (any) Trigger idea
2 – Ladder-up: generate higher level abstractions
3 – Take the generated ideas and Ladder-down: select the most relevant and/or the ones that appear to have most potential
4 – Take the ideas determined to be relevant or potential and ladder them all up. This cycle can be repeated several times until sufficient ideas have been generated. This method can be combined with the so-called Construct-Triad, where two related ideas are combined with one unrelated idea. See also: Five times Why?
Lotus Blossom Technique
A listing technique that allows a core problem or idea to “unfold” – like the petals of a flower – into many related, associated ideas.
A technique similar to Mind Mapping, Lotus Blossom uses a sheet with one central square containing the Trigger idea or problem, surrounded by as many squares as necessary to note down (or draw) all its associations, attributes, contradictions, parts, relations, ideas, and so forth.
Metamorphic Thinking
From: metamorphosis. Rather than taking the habitual approach of causal, space-bound thinking, metamorphic thinking looks at how an organism (or system) evolves over time. The term was first used by the German biologist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1790), who proposed to look at an organism not from a spacial perspective – its parts – but rather to observe it as a progression of uninterrupted activity over time, an expression of its evolution, functions, connections, etc.. Similarly, a problem or system can alternatively be described as the sum of its parts (See: “Attribute Listing”) or visualized as a life organism: a holistic expression of its growth, materiality, functions, inter-dependencies, connections, evolution, environment, etc..
General System Theory
Created by the German biologist Ludwig von Bertalanffy (1968) GTS can be seen as an evolution and systematization of metamorphic thinking.
Metaphorical Thinking
Where Analogy looks for similarity, metaphor looks for dissimilarity at creating an easy to understand, visual device: A mind like water, Chain of Command, Life is a box of chocolates (Forrest Gump [motion picture - 1994]), Revenge is a dish best served cold.
Metaphorical thinking can be very useful to break through the obvious and generate out of the box thinking, while it may be further helped along with a Forced Connection technique: creating relationships with randomly chosen words or images cut out of a magazine, for example.
Morphological Analysis. See: Attribute Listing.
Morphological Forced Connections (Recombination).
Forced relationships method, which uses a matrix to list attributes on one axis and alternates on the other. The steps are the following:
1 – List attributes
2 – Assign alternates to each attribute
3 – Assemble new attributes by recombining existing ones and/or their alternates.
Multiple Redefinition
Is a term used to describe three different phenomena:
1 – The result of poor problem definition or disagreement between problem owners (See Problem Definition)
2 – A creative technique which allows different angles on a given problem by rewording its definition (Empathic, Analytic, Motivational, Magical, Metaphorical, Off-beat)
3 – The result of the evolution of the creative process, as the solver’s understanding of the problem widens and deepens. In this case, multiple redefinition is the beneficial result of the solver’s expanded view of the problem, which may either lead to higher hierarchy problem description(s) or higher level abstraction(s), which are both conductive to break-through thinking.
Observer and Merged Viewpoints
Observer’s viewpoint: the solver approaches or observes a problem with detachment and a mind-set such as: Step back, Look objectively, Separate, Put in perspective, Helicopter, etc.
Merged viewpoint: the solver personalizes – is the personification of – the problem, sensing and seeing from the problem’s perspective; also called projective identification. Uses empathic mind-sets: Getting under someone’s skin, Seeing through their eyes, Stepping into someone’s shoes, Feeling their pain, etc..
Osborn’s Checklist
Although originally designed as a product innovation technique, these thought starters are applicable in virtually any creative process: Put to other uses?, Adapt? Modify? Magnify? Minify? Substitute? Rearrange? Reverse? Combine?
Physical Attributes
Checklist of modifiable attributes: Shape, Color, Texture, Material, Weight, Hardness/Softness, Flexibility, Stability, Usefulness, State.
Paraphrasing Key Words
Devised by Edward de Bono, this method looks for key words in the problem definition to reveal assumptions and/or generate alternative perceptions. The task is to list as many synonyms as possible for each keyword, but in order to reach higher level abstraction, listing antonyms, associations, connections, etc., may also result useful.
Problem as a Solution (SIT)
One of the basic human instincts when given a problem is trying to solve it. The most common ways to do this are:
1 – Remove the cause of the problem
2 – Alter the conditions or factors that cause the problem to arise
3 – Insert a new element into the problem’s system, which either solves it or at least reduces its negative effects.
Instead of trying to solve a problem, the solver may ask what is interesting or attractive about it, and think about how this can be used to say something new about the product, brand or service. See also: Problem Reversal.
Problem Reversal (Inversion)
Turning Around a problem. Instead of focusing on the negative effects that a problem causes, looking for its positive aspects. The related mind-set can be described as Looking at the bright side and the problem statement in terms of contradictions or opposites. For example: The car does not start. On the one hand: I will be late for work; on the other hand: I might take the bike and get some exercise.
Provocation
Requires lateral thinking, and can be forced through a technique such as Random Stimuli.
Edward de Bono proposed the use of the word PO (Provocative Operation) when making provocative statements in public or during team problem solving sessions, thus informing all members that a provocative statement is being made. PO: the sky is green.
In my experience, however, provocation is rather more effective when used unannounced, because of the “short-circuit” it causes in current thinking or the contradiction it may establish in relation to the topic at hand. The timed and conscious suggestion of a Crazy Idea may also be considered as a provocation, because it is similarly aimed at forcing out of the box thinking.
Question Summary. See: Applied Imagination, Osborn’s Checklist
Random Input, Random Stimuli
A number of authors describe random stimuli as conductive to lateral thinking, while the large majority of creative people are well aware that virtually any off-topic stimulus may lead to break-through thinking: refocusing the attention on something else, reading a book, playing games or watching a movie, changing the environment, playing music, etc..
Whereas most workers are considered to be wasting the boss’ time when “fooling around” during office hours, advertising creatives are supposed to be hard at work when throwing darts, reading a magazine or taking a walk in the park at eleven o’clock in the morning. A more formal, systematic approach to random input may be structured like this:
1 – Identify criteria for ideas
2 – Randomly pick a stimulus
3 – Relate back to the original problem.
The latter can be achieved by using a technique such as Free Association or Forced Analogy, while the stimulus can also be forced by combining fixed and random elements, as described in the Construct-Triad technique, for example. See also: Discontinuity Principle.
Relational Words
A technique that lists either/or: synonyms, antonyms, attributes, random words, images, sensations, reversals, contradictions, etc., and then recombines these either randomly, in binomials or in any other way that might be conductive.
SCAMPER / SCAMMPERR
Michael Michalko – Thinkpak (2006)
Based on the same basic concepts or methods such as Osborn’s Checklist and Attribute Listing: Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Magnify, Modify, Put to alternative use, Eliminate, Rearrange, Reverse.
Stimulus Analysis
A method in which the solver(s) put the original problem aside to generate alternative ideas. There are a number of ways in which this can be done.
By producing lists of arbitrary thoughts completely unrelated to the problem, by randomly clipping words or tearing images out of a magazine, opening a dictionary on a random page and randomly picking a word (which is how the German Dada movement supposedly got its name), by analyzing a totally different problem or by formulating inherent contradictions, for example. In each case, the generated ideas are then verified to see if they have any bearing on the original problem. Also see Forced Relationships, Random Input, Random Stimuli.
Story Writing (Personal, Group)
Another method to digress from a problem, by writing a fictional story that may or may not have any relation with it. Drawing can be used for the same purpose. See also: Drawing.
Similarities and Differences
By defining a problem as an object rather than an abstract it may be possible to break out of linear thinking. The task is to list as many similar objects as possible, after which a second list is made of similar but different ones (objects in the same category).
Using natural objects is apparently more useful, probably because they allow richer imagery. Metaphor maybe a useful technique to generate the starting point or “trigger-object” for this exercise.
Slice and Dice
Breaking down a problem or system into smaller parts. See Component Detailing, Attribute Listing.
Synectics
Nine-step technique used for collaborative problem solving.
1 - Problem owner’s headline: issue, background, what has been tried, scope of action
2 - Owner’s Big Wish: I wish..., How to...
3 - The solvers try to visualize rather than analyze, generating a series of so-called Springboards. These are not yet ideas for solution, but rather associated or higher-level wishes which expand the framework for creative thinking.
Triggering techniques can be Analogy, Metaphor, Free Association.
4 - Selection of favorite springboards: a more solution oriented approach than the one used in step 3.
5 - Selection of the springboard(s) with the most potential.
6 - Check understanding by paraphrasing the springboard until the solution owners find the paraphrase correct.
7 - Itemize: list every possible positive feature or associated idea of the selected springboard.
8 - One single main concern is expressed as a problem for the springboard; solutions for this concern are listed.
9 - Cycle back to 3 or 4 – depending on outcome and the availability of other ideas with potential – and repeat, or end if a satisfying solution has been found.
THRIL
Thril is a technique by the Brazilian professor Francisco Gomes for his A-Z on Peace Linguistics: A A A - “Aim at Affinity and Alliance”, Z Z Z - “Zero in on peace Zealously as the Zenith”. Thril capitalizes on the principle of Mnemonics or Memorable Meaning-Making; the threefold repetition of the initial letter.
In creating a Thril, the human mind is challenged to generate a meaningful, memorable message. See also: Memes.
Unification (SIT)
Unifying an advertising message with a specifically selected medium, which allows to either reinforce the message or deliver it with more impact.
Utopian Thinking
(Gr.: Utopia - No place). Can be used as a creativity driver. Solvers may want take a certain level of licence and try to imagine a state of perfection or the use of a contradiction in terms: a perfect crime, a friction-less engine or a weightless airplane.
What if?
Similar to utopian thinking, but with the use of a pre-established imaginary or hypothetical situation: What would you do or what would happen if there were an hour per day with zero gravity? Get out of a traffic jam, change light bulbs, fly to work, paint the second floor, prune trees, harvest high hanging fruit, etc..
Why, Why, Why, Why, Why?
A method to develop higher level abstractions or a deeper understanding a problem by either breaking through the obvious or by questioning assumptions. Most people need to start thinking seriously after the third Why?.
Q.: Why are you here? A.: Because I like to learn.
Q.: Why do you like to learn? A.: So I can have a profession.
Q.: Why do you need a profession? A.: So I can make a lot of money.
Q.: Why do you need to make a lot of money? A.: Because having a lot of money makes me happy.
Q.: Why do you think that having a lot of money will make you happy? A.: ?
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