HITD 201 Ideation Revisited

Mark Billinghurst HIT Lab NZ

December 16th 2013

Design Thinking Process

5 modes iterated through

Ideation Methods

Brainstorming

  Best with interdisciplinary team

Facilitating a Brainstorm   Energy

  Keep ideas flowing, seed questions

  Constraints   Add constraints that might spark new ideas   Process constraints – eg lack of time

  Space  Create space for brainstorming

Idea Constraints   What are the most obvious solutions for this problem?   What can you add, remove or modify from those initial

solutions?   How would a 5-year-old child solve the problem?   How would you solve the problem if you had an

unlimited budget?   How would you solve the problem without spending

any money?   How would you solve this problem if you had control

over the laws of nature?

Selection   Narrow down brainstorm list

 Hang onto ideas people excited about  Don’t worry about feasibility  Carry forward multiple ideas into Prototyping

  Techniques   Post-it voting   Four categories method

-  Rational, delightful, darling, long shot

  Bingo method - Idea that inspires

Idea Storming   Idea Stormers book

  Bryan Mattimore techniques  Case studies   Practical advice

Book Content

Seven Creative Mindsets   Curiosity – always asking Why?   Openness – non judgmental   Embracing Ambiguity – two ideas at same time   Finding and Transferring Principles – look to

other fields   Search for Integrity – connecting elements   Knowingness – knowing there is a solution   World Creating – imaging new possibilities

The 7 Greatest Ideation Techniques   Questioning assumptions   Opportunity redefinition   Wishing   Triggered brainwalking   Semantic intuition   Picture prompts   Worst idea

Questioning assumptions   Challenge engrained beliefs/practices   Process

 Decide how you want to frame your creative challenge

 Generate 20 or 30 assumptions you might be making about challenge

  Pick several assumptions and use them as thought starters and creative triggers

Example: Mentadent (Gary Fraser)   Launched in 1993 – first baking soda and

peroxide toothpaste   Against Colgate and Crest

  Assumptions questioned  Consumers won’t pay more  Consumers won’t buy refills  Need to dispense toothpaste in tube  Needed endorsement of dentists

Opportunity redefinition   Start with opportunity statement   Identify key words   Generate creative alternatives for words   Mix alternatives together to create

combination sentences   Use combination sentences as brainstorming

triggers

Example Catholic Insurance   How can we sell more insurance to Catholics?   Keywords: We, Sell, Catholics   We alternatives

  Sales force, clergy, friends of Catholics, etc

  Sell alternatives   License, give away, test-run, promote, etc

  Catholics alternatives  Catholic doctors, Catholic schools, etc

Alternative Table We Sell Catholics Sales force License Catholic Doctors The clergy Give away Catholic Athletes Friend of Catholics Promote Catholic Students Churchgoers Advertise Catholic Schools Family members Telemarket Catholic Donators

Example: How can we get Family Members to Give Away life insurance to Catholic Schools?

Wishing   Begin assuming anything is possible

 Money, energy, time, etc are unlimited

  Generate 20 – 30 wishes   Use wishes as creative stimuli to generate

novel but realistic ideas   Consider wishing from different perspectives

  Role-playing wishing, target market wishing

Triggered Brainwalking   Paste a piece of paper on the wall for each

person in the group – use trigger terms   Each person goes to a piece of paper and

writes down an initial idea   Then rotate to the next paper, builds on the

existing idea or uses it to stimulate new idea   Keep on going for several rounds until back to

beginning and person can select best ideas

Example: Lipstick Product

  Triggered with four prompts   Target market wishes  Category reframes (lip reshaping, lip firming, etc)   Benefit-oriented: lip massaging, freshening, etc   The worst idea technique

Benefits

  Physical engagement   Ideas are public, shared ideation   People inspired by other ideas

Semantic Intuition   Combine several categories of key words to

create a name for a new idea   Process

 Create 3 categories of words related to challenge  Generate variations in each category   Randomly combine one word from each category   Brainstorm around result

Example: Detergent Promotion Places in Store Promotions Benefits/Interests Aisle Gift with purchase Clean clothes

Parking Lot Buy one get one free Getting stains out

Bakery Floor stands Fresh smelling

Frozen Foods Redeemable Coupon Family dinners

Pharmacy Register Coupon Baseball games

Flower Shop Shelf talkers Disney world

Trigger: Bakery, Gift with Purchase, and Clean Clothes

Idea: Cookies + Detergent promotion. Buy detergent and get free cookie dough mixture. Eat a cookie while doing washing and enjoy the smell of clean clothes and fresh baking

Picture Prompts   Select pictures related to problem   Pass out picture prompts   Ask for ideas inspired by the visuals   Share thoughts with partner and brainstorm

together “Imagine the answer is contained in one of these pictures. See if you can find it?”

Improved Delegation

Worst Idea   Create list of worst ideas   Keep going to generate worse and worse ideas   Use list of bad ideas to inspire a good idea

  Eg: Banking services  We could round down everyone’s deposits   Bank of America “Keep the Change”

TRIZ – Formalized Problem Solving   ‘Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch’

  Theory of Inventive Problem Solving

  Developed by Genrich Altshuller (1940’s)  Working in Soviet Navy patent dept.   Analyzed over 200,000 patents  Developed innovation theory

Most Problems Already Solved

  Altshuller screened over 200,000 patents  Over 90% problems has been solved before

Levels of Inventiveness, Level 4 and 5 truly innovative

Levels of Solution   Level #1 are simple improvement of a technical system using

knowledge available within a relevant industry.   Level #2 inventions include the resolution of a technical

contradiction using knowledge from different areas   Level #3 is an invention containing a resolution of a physical

contradiction using knowledge from other industries.   Level #4 is development a new technology. It is developed

by using breakthrough solutions that requires knowledge from different fields of science.

  Level #5 involves the discovery of new phenomena that pushes the existing technology to a higher level.

Key Findings   Problems and solutions are repeated across industries

and sciences.   By classifying the "contradictions” in each problem, you

can predict good creative solutions to that problem.   Patterns of technical evolution tend to be repeated

across industries and sciences.   Creative innovations often use scientific effects outside

the field where they were developed.

Example: Drink Can Stacking   Want to stack drink cans for storage

 We have no control over how high cans will be stacked

  Contradiction  Can walls should be thinner to reduce costs  Can walls should be thicker to support weight

Types of Contradictions   Eliminate contradictions to solve problems   Two types of contradictions

  Technical – classic engineering trade-offs. -  The product gets stronger (good), but the weight increases (bad). -  Training is comprehensive (good), but keeps employees away from

their assignments (bad).

  Physical – inherent contradictions (laws of physics) -  Coffee should be hot for enjoyable drinking, but cold to prevent

burning the customer. -  Training should take a long time (to be thorough), but not take

any time.

General Problem Solving Model

Applying TRIZ process 1. Identify my problem 2. Formulate the problem

Identify contradictions

3. Search for previously solved problem Using TRIZ tools

4. Look for analogous solution and adapt to my solution

Key TRIZ Tools   Engineering Parameters (Formulate problem)

  39 standard technical characteristics that cause conflict

  Inventive Principles (Previous Solutions)   40 solution hints that will guide towards an

innovative solution

Engineering Parameters 1.  Weight of moving object 2.  Weight of nonmoving object 3.  Length of moving object 4.  Length of nonmoving object 5.  Area of moving object 6.  Area of nonmoving object 7.  Volume of moving object 8.  Volume of nonmoving object 9.  Speed 10.  Force 11. Tension, pressure

11.  Shape 12.  Stability of object 13.  Strength 14. Durability of moving object 15. Durability of nonmoving object 16. Temperature 17. Brightness 18. Energy spent by moving object 19. Energy spent by nonmoving

object 20. Power

Inventive Principles 1. Segmentation

Divide an object into independent parts Make an object sectional

14. Spheroidality Use rollers, balls spirals Replace linear parts or flat surfaces with curved ones

35. Transformation of physical and chemical states Change an object's aggregate state

Table of Contradictions

Table of Contradictions

Example: Can Stacking   Principle 1: Increase Segmentation

 Change wall from smooth to wavy

  Principle 14: Spheroidality  Use curved can tops

  Principle 35: Transformation  Use stronger alloy composition

Example - Segmentation

Divide an object into independent parts or make sectional   Problem: Long antennas are necessary for radio transmission but can

be broken when the car goes into a low-clearance garage   Solution: Construct antenna from cylindrical metal beads strung on a

wire. When the beads are loosened they can be compactly stored. When the wire is tightened, the beads form a long, flexible antenna.

Example - Inversion Doing something opposite to what is currently being done.   Problem: Cattle are usually branded using

hot irons - - a painful procedure that causes wounds prone to infection.

  Solution: Irons cooled to liquid-nitrogen temperature can be used. These irons do not wound the animals, but instead permanently discolor the hair at the branding spot.

Example – Prior Action

Performing a required action beforehand or prior placement of an object so that it can be used without delay.   Problem: Cattle feed consists of various cut grasses which are

mixed using special equipment. Producing the grass mixture by sowing the various grasses together yields a crop difficult to till.

  Solution: If the grasses are sown in narrow parallel strips and harvested across the strips, they will be mixed in the receiving bin of the harvester.

Assignment Five ASSIGNMENT 1. Try applying one or more of the three innovation principles of Segmentation, Inversion and Prior Action to the following: Problem 1. Removing layers of insulation Certain metallic surfaces must be coated with a thick layer of insulating material. Removing this coating later is difficult, however. How might this be accomplished?

Problem 2. Unloading frozen material Unloading loose, frozen material by first defrosting it can be an expensive procedure. What other method would you recommend?

Problem 3. Bullet-proof windows Initially, bullet-proof glass windows used on fighter aircraft had a serious defect: When a bullet hit the window, a "network" of cracks would form in the glass and obstruct the pilot’s vision. How might this damage be reduced?

More resources   Technical Innovations Centre – TRIZ training

  http://www.triz.org

  TRIZ Journal   http://www.triz-journal.com

  Ideation International Inc   http://www.ideationtriz.com/