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Topic 3-2 Brainstorming for Ideas Generation
Example of Ideas Generation
Example of the Best Idea
Mental Blocks
RECOGNIZE THAT THESE EXIST, AND THAT MAYBE ONE OR MORE ARE LIMITING YOUR THINKING.
• • • • • • • • •
Common Causes of Mental Blocks
Defining the problem too narrowly .
Attacking the symptoms and not the real problem. Assuming there is only one right answer.
Getting “hooked” on the first solution that comes to mind.
Getting “hooked” on a solution that almost works (but really doesn’t).
Being distracted by irrelevant information, called “ mental dazzle .” Getting frustrated Being too anxious by lack of success.
to finish. Defining the problem ambiguously.
A. Perceptual Blocks
Prevent the problem solver from clearly seeing either: The problem, or The information needed to solve the problem.
Perceptual blocks
Stereotyping - preconceived notions, labelling, norms, accepted behaviour Wearing a watch on your wrist…having a clock on your big toe Using dishes and utensils…put the food on the table and use your tongue Isolating the problem - inadequate clues, misleading information, chaos Doctors need to do this all the time Limiting the problem - only considering obvious information, a cognitive boundary Doctor doesn’t ask where you were last week or what you ate…
Perceptual blocks
Inability to consider various viewpoints different interests, different parties, perspectives Designers must think of many views - users, manufacturers, sales… Saturation - your brain is full You know it but can’t recall Failure to use all senses - they’re all connected, context, environment, ambience, the REAL situation Going to the environment in question will help smells, sounds…
B. Emotional Blocks
Interfere with the problem solver’s ability to conceptualize the problem fluently and flexibly, and to communicate ideas
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About feeling safe and secure - nobody likes to feel stupid
Emotional blocks
Fear of failure and taking a risk - rewarded when we do things right and punished for wrong! Therefore we tend to safety and lower risk ideas.
Inability to tolerate ambiguity - an overriding desire for order and no appetite for chaos Judging rather than generating - analysis, synthesis, criticism too early
Emotional blocks
Inability to relax and incubate - sleep on it, unconscious will help, idea maturation Idea is too wacky and is discounted Lack of challenge - must be motivated After a while the money doesn’t matter Inability to distinguish reality from fantasy - manipulation of real and imagined images Imagining feelings, perceptions
C. Cultural Blocks
Failure to consider an act that causes displeasure or disgust to certain members of society.
Cultural blocks (OUR culture!)
Taboos - cause displeasure or offend Fantasy and reflection - they’re a waste of time Shouldn’t you be typing?
Playfulness is for children - adults should behave like adults A 40 year old with an imaginary friend… Humour - problem solving is hard work and serious Creativity is fun
Cultural blocks (OUR culture!)
Reason - more accepted than feelings and intuition imagination, colour, fantasy, poetry, music vs facts Left hand and right hand thinking - law, order, reason, logic, and mathematics vs beauty, sensitivity, playfulness, feelings, openness, subjectivity, and imagery.
Primary and secondary creativity handed (right brained) Development of entirely new things is primary - space craft, light bulb Tradition and change - tradition is valued over change primary is left Innovation is highly valued! Change for change sake is dangerous.
D. Environmental Blocks
• Distractions (phones, interruptions) Unsupportive atmosphere
Environmental blocks
Imposed by our immediate social and physical environments Supportive environments - physical space and materials to encourage creative thinking Paper, pens, tape, music, space… Emotional environment - honesty, trust and support so criticism is accepted and incorporated Competition and lack of trust destroy idea quality Autocratic bosses
E. Intellectual Blocks
Inadequate use of problem-solving strategies Lack of training Not knowing where to get the information
Intellectual blocks
Shortage of mental tactics Incorrect language - solving a problem visually when mathematically would be better How many jelly beans to go around the earth Inadequate use of problem solving strategies - making a conscious choice Imagining, visualising, transforming, randomising…
F. Expressive Blocks
Inability to Communicate verbal written Report Sketches Drawings Inability to “sell” your ideas
Blockbusting
There are many blockbusting techniques The aim is to break all the blocks
Brainstorming
What is brainstorming?
•Brainstorming is an unrestricted, unstructured free flow of ideas intended to solve a problem.
•Lists of all possible ideas are generated.
•List should include wild or unusual solutions without regard to their feasibility.
•No negative judgments are allowed during this stage.
Comments That Reduce Brainstorming to Braindrizzling
• • • • • That won’t work.
That’s too radical.
It’s not our job.
We don’t have enough time.
That’s too much hassle.
• • • • • It’s against our policy.
We haven’t done it that way before.
That’s too expensive.
That’s not practical.
We can’t solve this problem.
After the initial free association often hits a “roadblock”.
brainstorming session, the process
Free Association
(Unstructured Idea Generation) Random Stimulation
The Brainstorming Process
Unrelated Ideas Related Ideas Osborn's Checklist Other People’s views
Lateral Thinking
Futuring
Vertical Thinking
Brainstorming: Random Stimulation
•Random stimulation makes use of a random piece of information such as a word culled from the dictionary.
•The word is used as a trigger or switch to change the patterns of thought when a mental roadblock occurs.
Brainstorming : Osborn’s Checklist Osborn’s Checklist for Adding New Ideas
Adapt? ..........
How can this (product, idea, plan, etc.) be used as is? What are other uses it could be adapted to?
Modify? ........
Change the meaning, material, color, shape, odor, etc.?
Magnify? ......
Add new ingredient? Make longer, stronger, thicker, higher, etc.?
Minify? ........
Split up? Take something out? Make lighter, lower, shorter, etc.?
Substitute?
...
Who else, where else, or what else? Other ingredient, material, or approach?
Rearrange?
....
Interchange parts? Other patterns, layouts? Transpose cause and effect? Change positives to negatives? Reverse roles? Turn it backwards or upside down? Sort?
Combine?
......
Combine parts, units, ideas? Blend? Compromise? Combine from different categories?
Brainstorming : Other People’s View
The inability to see the problem from various view points be quite limiting.
can
Example:
Automotive engineers must be aware of many viewpoints to design a successful vehicle. They must consider:
consumers marketing personnel management safety department financial people service personnel
Brainstorming: Futuring
Try to imagine yourself in the future with the ideal solution . . . .
(forget about technical feasibility) Remember: • In the future, anything is possible.
• • Dare to change the rules.
Best solutions are sometimes contrary to conventional wisdom.
Brainstorming
INCUBATING IDEAS
“..sleep on it…“
Do not take the first idea and “run with it”.
Allow for a period of mental incubation .
What to do when stuck on a problem:
“…try new techniques after a period of digestion…” “…go home and think..” “…let it sit overnight…” “…put the problem down and do something else for a while…“
Class Exercise 1 Suggest safe playground equipment that could be made from old cars.
Osborn’s Checklist for Adding New Ideas
Adapt? .......... How can this (product, idea, plan, etc.) be used as is? What are other uses it could be adapted to?
Modify? ........
Change the meaning, material, color, shape, odor, etc.?
Magnify? ......
Add new ingredient? Make longer, stronger, thicker, higher, etc.?
Minify? ........
Split up? Take something out? Make lighter, lower, shorter, etc.?
Substitute? ...
Who else, where else, or what else? Other ingredient, material, or approach?
Rearrange? ....
Interchange parts? Other patterns, layouts? Transpose cause and effect? Change positives to negatives? Reverse roles? Turn it backwards or upside down? Sort?
Combine? ......
Combine parts, units, ideas? Blend? Compromise? Combine from different categories?
Class Exercise 1 : Osborn’s Checklist Rearrange :
Turn the car upside-down and use ]it as a teeter-totter.
Substitute:
use the cars’ seats in swings Combine: use the side panels and roofs to make a huge canopy or fort.
Class Exercise 1 : Osborn’s Checklist Modify: go-carts.
remove the engine and side panels and make Adapt: take the hood off and use it as a toboggan in winter.
Class Exercise 1 : Osborn’s Checklist Magnify: over inflate the inner tubes from the tires and use them to create a “romper room” / jumping pit.
Minify: crush the cars into cubes and allow the kids to climb on the blocks.
Class Exercise 1 : Random Stimulation
Class Exercise 1 : Random Stimulation all, albatross, airplane, air, animals, bag, basketball, bean, bee, bear, bump, bed, car, cannon, cap, control, cape, custard pie, dawn, deer, defense, dig, dive, dump, dumpster, ear, eavesdrop, evolution, eve, fawn, fix, find, fungus, food, ghost, graph, gulp, gum, hot, halo, hope, hammer, humbug, head, high, ice, icon, ill, jealous, jump, jig, jive, jinx, key, knife, kitchen, lump, lie, loan, live, Latvia, man, mop, market, make, maim, mane, notice, needle, new, next, nice, open, Oscar, opera, office, pen, powder, pump, Plato, pigeons, pocket, quick, quack, quiet, rage, rash, run, rigid, radar, Scrooge, stop, stove, save, saloon, sandwich, ski, simple, safe, sauce, sand, sphere, tea, time, ticket, treadmill, up, uneven, upside-down, vice, victor, vindicate, volume, violin, voice, wreak, witch, wide, wedge, x-ray, yearn, year, yazzle, zone, zoo, zip, zap
Class Exercise 1 : Random Stimulation PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT FROM OLD CARS Word: DOCUMENT DOCUMENT PAPER ART COLORS CAR PAINT ALLOW KIDS TO PAINT GRAFFITI ON CARS
Class Exercise 1 : Other People’s View
Think about walking around on your knees; how would this change your perspective--that is, imagine the playground from a child’s height.
What was your favorite playground toy? How could this be mimicked with used auto parts?
Class Exercise 1 : Other People’s View Example: From a child’s viewpoint, the intact car would be an exciting change to pretend to be a “grown-up.
” Just take off the doors and remove other equipment (electrical, etc.) and let the kids pretend to drive. Just leave the car as it is!
Organising Ideas
Fishbone Diagram (Playground Example) Painting
• Let Kids paint graffiti on cars • Paint targets and use to throw balls at • Paint as covered wagon--play cowboys
Whole Car
• Teeter totter (upside down) • Go-Cart • Crush and make blocks • Drive as is • Open doors and use as goals for field hockey
Parts
• seats-swings • Roof / doors--fort • Tires--jump on • Hood--toboggan • Springs for wobble ride
Fishbone Diagram (Playground Example) PAINTING THE CARS
Police Car (Cops/Robbers Space Ship (Star Trek)
WHOLE CAR
Upside Down Teeter Totter Covered Wagon (Cowboys) Crush into Blocks Go–Carts Let Kids Paint Graffiti Tires–Jump On Open Doors for Hockey Goals
OLD CARS AS PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT
Roof/Doors–Fort Springs–Wobble Ride Seats as Swings
PARTS
Hood–Toboggan
.. Not quite the end.