Tools for creativityMay 2010

Warning; the future is always closer than it appears

Faith Popcorn

Why creativity is important

Globalisation and shorter product life cycles mean the old ways of doing business are no longer relevant. Innovation is vital for companies to stay ahead of competition and – in many cases – to stay in business.

The race is on to develop a new product or service that brings superior value to the customer. If you come up with a really innovative solution that leapfrogs the competition, chances are you will be more successful. Creativity plays a vital role in this process.

This paper is a practical approach to being more creative. It is not a comprehensive guide, but is intended as an introduction to a process and some tools that you can use to:-

• brainstorm ideas• push the boundaries of your thinking• help create a stronger team

Stop before you start

Plan before you startThe human mind is incredibly efficient. Given a problem, it immediately gets thinking about how to solve the problem without considering:-

• Am I working on the right problem?• And is this the best solution?

Better to explore the situation to understand:-

• Who are the stakeholders? What would success look like for them?• What is the root of the issue, the technical problem, the unmet need, the identified gap?• What resources do I have at my disposal to help solve the problem?

Time spent planning at this stage is never wasted, and can often save significant time and money overall.

Frame the problem – situation analysis

�Who is the customer? (Your immediate customer, and their successive customers until you reach the end user)

�Who are the other stakeholders (use the 9 Cs tool). What are their expectations and requirements?

�What is their need/ goal/ challenge/ problem?

�What do people dislike about the current solution/ products/ service?

�What do people like about the current solution/ products/ service?

� In what way is current solution ineffective?

Situation Analysis Tool –Ideal Final Result

Ideal Final ResultMost innovation is incremental, and while small improvements certainly have their place, it is always worth extending the vision to identify what the ultimate result might be. This final result might not be technically or financially feasible, but it gives you a vision to aim for.

So when you are seeking new solutions, rather than using the current design as a starting point, come up with a vision for the Ideal Final Result and work back from there to a realistic option. This is also a useful activity when you are considering Intellectual Property (IP), as you can include concepts that will be future generations of the current model.

Current Situation

IdealFinal Result

Start hereDon’t start here

Intermediate solutions

X

Ideal Final Result – questions to ask

�What is the final aim of the product?

�What is the IFR outcome?

�What is stopping you achieving this?

�Why is it stopping you achieving this?

�How could you make this disappear?

�Has anyone else solved this problem?

Situation Analysis Tool –Resources

ResourcesAnother useful tool at this stage is to consider what resources you have to hand that could be applied to your project.

Resources include the more obvious tangible resources, such as people and equipment. But they also include intangible resources, such as useful information or skills that your team or associates might have. A full list appears on the next page.

Another step is to consider not just the current resources you have available, but resources you had in the past that you could draw on again (e.g. a retired employee), or that you tried and didn’t work (to save going down that path again).

Finally, a useful exercise is to define your ‘system’. This might be the team, the product, your organisation, whatever makes sense. Thenconsider resources that are within your system, external to the system and in the subsystem. Carry out this exercise for tangible and then intangible resources.

Resources�Substance – material (equipment, materials, software,

waste) within the system or system’s surrounding

�People – within and around system

�Financial - (budgets, grants, funding)

� Information – tacit and explicit knowledge, Intellectual Capital, other sources e.g. books, internet

�Energy Resources – sources of energy available within the system or system’s surrounding, which are not used fully

�Space Resources – any unused space

�Time Resources – any spare time slots in between, before or after technological processes

Resources - examples

�Harnessing the power of UV light to stimulate cell activity in an anti-ageing skin care product

�Targets for clay pigeon shooting made of compacted manure

�Moulds for casting thermoplastic parts made in useful shapes (alphabet letters) to reduce wastage

�Snow in northern coal pit blown into pit to cool air, dampen coal dust and reduce risk of explosions

Tangible resources

PAST FUTUREPRESENT

Around systeme.g. External

Within systeme.g. Team

Systeme.g. Company

Tangible Resources (people, materials, equipment)

PAST FUTUREPRESENT

Around systeme.g. External

Within systeme.g. Team

Systeme.g. Company

Intangible resources

Intangible Resources (information, energy, space, time)

Generate ideas

Start creatingNow you can start to come up with new ideas. The best way to get good ideas is to expand your thinking, generate lots of ideas and then discard the poor ones.

Use the rules of brainstorming:-

1. Defer criticismAt this stage there are no bad ideas; don’t be negative. Judgement can come later.

2. Go for quantityIt’s simple maths – the more ideas, the greater the chance of a really good idea.

3. Go for wild ideasThe wild ideas can prove to be the most insightful. Remember the Ideal Final Result.

4. Build on ideasWhat can you add to the idea? What other ideas come to mind? How can your experience add to this?

Problem Solving Tool –Trends of Evolution

Problem Solving Tool – Trends of Evolution

� Based on the premise that:- All technical systems evolve in set patterns

These patterns are the same across different industries

All trends work towards the ideal solution

By understanding these patterns you can shortcut the process for generation of new ideas

� How to use Trends of Evolution:-1. Select the most relevant trends for your product/service

2. Identify where you are on the trend

3. Brainstorm for each of the trends to the right of where you are.

Adapted from TRIZ, www.triz-journal.com/

Trend of Mono-Bi-Poly

�Other examples:- Mobile phones

Toothbrushes with tongue cleaners

Power tools with multiple attachments

Yoghurts with separate toppings

Mono System

BiSystem

TriSystem

PolySystem

Razer 2,3,4,5 bladeRazor with

aloeRazor with

hair clippers

Trend of Increasing Use of Senses

�Touch

�Smell

�Sight

�Hearing

�Taste

1 sense 3 senses2 senses 5 senses4 senses

�Examples:- TV adverts with jingles and slogans

Videophones

Surround sound and sometimes motion and even smells in cinemas

Luxury cars – in addition to visual, the smell of new leather, sound (of engine, doors, etc), the feel of seats, steering wheel, etc

Ambulance sirens with using flashing lights as well

Trend of Increasing Use of Colour

MonochromeUse of visible

spectrum

Binary use of colour

Full spectrum (incl. UV,

IR)

�Examples:- Warning systems

Used to differentiate range of products

Temperature sensitive paints

Using IR to achieve heat-seeking capability

Trend of Market Evolution

�Commodities – steel, timber, generic drugs

�Products – cars, phones, washing machines

�Services – clean clothes, fast food, package holidays

�Experience – Disney, Starbucks, adventure sports

�Transformation – personal trainers

Commodity ServiceProduct Transfor-mation

Experience

Trend of Smart Materials

Passive material

1-way adaptive

�Examples:- Photochromic lenses

Shape-memory alloys, polymers

Self-cleaning glass

Gel-filled bicycle seats

Fully adaptive

2-way adaptive

Trend of Space Segmentation

�Examples:- Bricks

Chocolate bars

Bread

Radiators

Soles of running/training shoes

Double glazing

Solid Multiple hollows

Hollow Porous with

actives

Porous

Trend of Surface Segmentation

Smooth surface

3D roughened

surface

Ribbedsurface

Roughened with active component

�Examples:- Raised pavement to warn of obstacle

Grips on handles, e.g. wheelbarrows

Tyres

Bioactive surface coatings

Speed bumps on road

Trend of Increasing Asymmetry

Symmetrical system

Partial asymmetry

�Examples:- Handles on jugs

Spirals

Scissors

Long tail marketing

Matched asymmetry

Trend of Controllability

Direct control

Addition of

feedback

Action through

intermediaryIntelligent feedback

�Examples:- Robots, e.g. vacuum cleaners

Speed signs in built-up areas

Reversing signals on cars

Auto focus cameras

Trend of Dynamisation

Immobile Fully flexible system

Jointed system

Field-based system

Fluid or pneumatic

system

�Examples:- Folding products, e.g. umbrellas, tripods

Window blinds

Lasers

Desk lamps

Sound recording (tape to optical)

The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.

Michelangelo

Rowan NorrieTrue North Innovation

www.truenorthinnovationTel: +44(0)1698 389 456