MEETUP #61: STRUCTURED IDEATION TOOLBOX

Rami Tabbah, M.Eng @Ergonaute blog.ergonaute.net

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Why kill creativity?

How schools kill creativity Do companies kills creativity?

KPIs Processes Job descriptions Templates

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Businesses focus on quality

Quality Focused Innovation Focused

Improves efficiency Improves effectiveness

↑ Quality ⇒ ↓ Defects ↑ Ideas ⇒ ↑ Opportunities

Managed by measuring defects & monitoring progress

Is not about making it better. About changing the rules and the game.

Businesses organize for operations It is not about working harder, but working smarter.

Rules & processes: Six Sigma, Zero defects, etc.

Can’t be contained by rules & processes, but may be organized and structured.

Continuous improvement Doing something different rather than doing the same thing better

Competes on price Game changers

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Few relationships ↑ Efficiency ⇒ ↓ Variety

Less variety requires less time & effort

↓ Variety ⇒ ↓ Options (to discuss) ↓ Options ⇒ ↓ Ideas ↑ Variety ⇒ ↑ Options ⇒ ↑ Creativity/Insight

⇒ ↑ Provoking Actions ⇒ ↑ Innovation ↑ Diversity ⇒ ↑ Ideas ⇒ ↑ Innovation ⇒ ↑

Opportunities ⇒ ↑ Effectiveness

Ingredients

JOV-0605-3DM-6N

Different Specialties

Different way to finance

Different ways to meet/work

People

Money

Policies

Education

Leadership

Divers Research

Lobbying, regulations Text Here

Community Mentors, True Managers

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Melting Pots

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Shifts

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Ideation is the Center of Innovation

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Flow of ideas

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Tools for Ideation: Problem-solving ToolsAbstraction Solving the problem in a model of the system before applying it to the real

system

Analogy Using a solution that solves an analogous problem

Brainstorming Suggesting a large number of solutions or ideas and combining and developing them until an optimum solution is found

Divide and conquer Breaking down a large, complex problem into smaller, solvable problems

Hypothesis testing Assuming a possible explanation to the problem and trying to prove (or, in some contexts, disprove) the assumption

Lateral thinking Approaching solutions indirectly and creatively

Means-ends analysis Choosing an action at each step to move closer to the goal

Method of focal objects Synthesizing seemingly non-matching characteristics of different objects into something new

Morphological analysis Assessing the output and interactions of an entire system

Proof Try to prove that the problem cannot be solved. The point where the proof fails will be the starting point for solving it

Reduction Transforming the problem into another problem for which solutions exist

Root cause analysis Identifying the cause of a problem

Trial-and-error Testing possible solutions until the right one is found

Research Employing existing ideas or adapting existing solutions to similar problems

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Tools for Ideation: Cognitive Engineering and Usability/Human Factors Tools Interviews User Observations User Surveys Contextual inquiry Focus groups Brainstorming Card sorting Affinity diagrams Scenarios of use Task analysis (hierarchical, behavioural, cognitive, goal directed,

etc.) KLM Pattern discovery Role playing Etc.

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Tools for Articulation: Design Tools

Storytelling Sketching Paper prototyping/Mockups Wizard of Oz Simulations Wireframing Modeling and restructuring information Card sorting Cluster analysis User/task matrix ITERATIONS Etc.

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Tools for Demonstration: Market research and usability/human factors tools Market research/testing Heuristic evaluation Feature analysis Performance testing Usability Testing Teach back Cognitive work analysis Cognitive function analysis Human reliability analysis techniques (work safety, cognitive

reliability and error analysis, etc.) Walkthroughs Critical incident techniques Etc.

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Product Management Tools

Market Analysis Market research, competitive analysis, market sizing, win/loss analysis, operational metrics, etc.

Product strategy Business case, pricing, buy/build/partner, etc.

Product planning Positioning, sales process, market requirements, product roadmap, release milestones, product contract, etc.

Program strategy Marketing plan, customer acquisition, customer retention, buyer personas, launch plan, lead generation, etc.

Sales readiness Presentations, demos, white papers, etc.

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Fun Tools

Innovation Games Identifying product roadmaps Improving sales & marketing effectiveness Improving customer relationships Discovering new business opportunities

Example: Product Spider Goal: Product relationships How:

Put name of the product at the centre of a flip chart Ask players to draw things related to the offering (products/

services/people, etc) Use different line weights to capture important/beneficial

relationships Have players explain their drawing to the group

Gamification

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Building a Funnel

Categorize by alignment with strategy, impact, scalability, etc.)

1. Review ideas against criteria

2. Gate keepers (including innovators) select best ideas

3. Discovery & Create business case of selected idea

Assessment Example

Technical Hardware, software, security, architecture, etc.

Product & usability

Personas, requirements, functionality, usability KPIs, prototype, quality, product and service impact, user research, etc.

Financial ROI, risks, investment, etc.

Business SWOT analysis, business risks, business plan, etc.

Market Market research, marketing plan, etc.

• Incubation• Venture

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Last note

Take notes when ideas come They fly fast