Topic 3-2 Brainstorming for Ideas Generation

Example of Ideas Generation

Example of the Best Idea

RECOGNIZE THAT THESE EXIST, AND THAT MAYBE ONE OR MORE ARE LIMITING YOUR THINKING. 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 by lack of success. Being too anxious to finish. Defining the problem ambiguously. Common Causes of Mental Blocks

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 Stereotyping - preconceived notions, labelling, norms, accepted behaviour Wearing a watch on your wrist…having a clock on your big toe 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 Using dishes and utensils…put the food on the table and use your tongue Isolating the problem - inadequate clues, misleading information, chaos Isolating the problem - inadequate clues, misleading information, chaos Doctors need to do this all the time Doctors need to do this all the time Limiting the problem - only considering obvious information, a cognitive boundary Limiting the problem - only considering obvious information, a cognitive boundary Doctor doesn’t ask where you were last week or what you ate… 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 Inability to consider various viewpoints - different interests, different parties, perspectives Designers must think of many views - users, manufacturers, sales… Designers must think of many views - users, manufacturers, sales… Saturation - your brain is full Saturation - your brain is full You know it but can’t recall You know it but can’t recall Failure to use all senses - they’re all connected, context, environment, ambience, the REAL situation 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… 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. Interfere with the problem solver’s ability to conceptualize the problem fluently and flexibly, and to communicate ideas. About feeling safe and secure - nobody likes to feel stupid 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. 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 Inability to tolerate ambiguity - an overriding desire for order and no appetite for chaos Judging rather than generating - analysis, synthesis, criticism too early Judging rather than generating - analysis, synthesis, criticism too early

Emotional blocks Inability to relax and incubate - sleep on it, unconscious will help, idea maturation Inability to relax and incubate - sleep on it, unconscious will help, idea maturation Idea is too wacky and is discounted Idea is too wacky and is discounted Lack of challenge - must be motivated Lack of challenge - must be motivated After a while the money doesn’t matter After a while the money doesn’t matter Inability to distinguish reality from fantasy - manipulation of real and imagined images Inability to distinguish reality from fantasy - manipulation of real and imagined images Imagining feelings, perceptions 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 Taboos - cause displeasure or offend Fantasy and reflection - they’re a waste of time Fantasy and reflection - they’re a waste of time Shouldn’t you be typing? Shouldn’t you be typing? Playfulness is for children - adults should behave like adults Playfulness is for children - adults should behave like adults A 40 year old with an imaginary friend… A 40 year old with an imaginary friend… Humour - problem solving is hard work and serious Humour - problem solving is hard work and serious Creativity is fun Creativity is fun

Cultural blocks (OUR culture!) Reason - more accepted than feelings and intuition Reason - more accepted than feelings and intuition imagination, colour, fantasy, poetry, music vs facts 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. 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 - primary is left handed (right brained) Primary and secondary creativity - primary is left handed (right brained) Development of entirely new things is primary - space craft, light bulb Development of entirely new things is primary - space craft, light bulb Tradition and change - tradition is valued over change Tradition and change - tradition is valued over change Innovation is highly valued! Change for change sake is dangerous. Innovation is highly valued! Change for change sake is dangerous.

Distractions (phones, interruptions)  Unsupportive atmosphere D. Environmental Blocks

Environmental blocks Imposed by our immediate social and physical environments Imposed by our immediate social and physical environments Supportive environments - physical space and materials to encourage creative thinking Supportive environments - physical space and materials to encourage creative thinking Paper, pens, tape, music, space… Paper, pens, tape, music, space… Emotional environment - honesty, trust and support so criticism is accepted and incorporated Emotional environment - honesty, trust and support so criticism is accepted and incorporated Competition and lack of trust destroy idea quality Competition and lack of trust destroy idea quality Autocratic bosses 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 Shortage of mental tactics Incorrect language - solving a problem visually when mathematically would be better Incorrect language - solving a problem visually when mathematically would be better How many jelly beans to go around the earth How many jelly beans to go around the earth Inadequate use of problem solving strategies - making a conscious choice Inadequate use of problem solving strategies - making a conscious choice Imagining, visualising, transforming, randomising… Imagining, visualising, transforming, randomising…

F. Expressive Blocks Inability to Communicate Inability to Communicate verbal verbal written written Report Report Sketches Sketches Drawings Drawings Inability to “sell” your ideas Inability to “sell” your ideas

Blockbusting There are many blockbusting techniques There are many blockbusting techniques The aim is to break all the blocks The aim is to break all the blocks

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. Brainstorming

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. Comments That Reduce Brainstorming to Braindrizzling

Free Association (Unstructured Idea Generation) The Brainstorming Process Osborn's Checklist Futuring Related Ideas Random Stimulation Other People’s views Unrelated Ideas After the initial free association brainstorming session, the process often hits a “roadblock”. Lateral ThinkingVertical Thinking

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: Random Stimulation

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 : Osborn’s Checklist

Example:Automotive engineers must be aware of many viewpoints to design a successful vehicle. They must consider: consumers consumers marketing personnel marketing personnel management management safety department safety department financial people financial people service personnel service personnel The inability to see the problem from various view points can be quite limiting. Brainstorming : Other People’s View

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: Futuring

“..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…“ Brainstorming INCUBATING IDEAS

Suggest safe playground equipment that could be made from old cars. Class Exercise 1

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? Osborn’s Checklist for Adding New Ideas

Combine: use the side panels and roofs to make a huge canopy or fort. Rearrange: Turn the car upside-down and use ]it as a teeter-totter. Substitute: use the cars’ seats in swings Class Exercise 1 : Class Exercise 1 : Osborn’s Checklist

Modify: remove the engine and side panels and make go-carts. Adapt: take the hood off and use it as a toboggan in winter. Class Exercise 1 : 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 : 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 : Class Exercise 1 : Random Stimulation

PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT FROM OLD CARS Word: DOCUMENT DOCUMENT ART PAPER COLORS CAR PAINT ALLOW KIDS TO PAINT GRAFFITI ON CARS Class Exercise 1 : Class Exercise 1 : Random Stimulation

s Think about walking around on your knees; how would this change your perspective--that is, imagine the playground from a child’s height. s 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

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)

There are many other techniques, find them out yourselves.. Not quite the end.