Thinking Tools

This is a brilliant process map but very complicated! It took me a few times to read over but i finally understood most of what is was suggesting and actually found it very helpful.

Concept Challenge:

Reverse - Take A Statement That You Have Taken For Granted. Make A Statement Or Idea That Is The Opposite. E.G. By Reversing A Situation, Switching An Object For Its Obvious Opposite Etc.

Exaggerate - Look For Any Numerical Or Quantitative Element In The Idea/Statement You May Take For Granted. Exaggerate The Statement Upwards Or Downwards.

Distort - Look For Possible Time Sequences Or A Relationships In The Dominant Idea. Distort The Time Sequence Or A Relationship

Wishful Thinking - Suggest A Fantasy That You Know Cannot Occur. Complete A Statement That Begins, “Wouldn’t It Be Good If…?”

Stepping Stone:

EP - Extract A Principle Look At The Concept Challenge Ideas And Try To Extract A Principle Or Concept. Discard The Concept Challenge Ideas And Work With The Principle To Find New Ideas.

FD - Focus On The Difference: Compare The Concept Challenge Ideas With The Existing Situation. Highlight & Explore The Points Of Difference.

M2M - Moment To Moment: Imagine Or Simulate What Would Happen If You Implemented A Concept Challenge Idea As It Stands. Look For Ideas Along The Simulation. E.G. Let One Person Act Out The Simulation While Others Observe And Look For Ideas.

PA - Positive Aspects: Look At The Concept Challenge Ideas And See Whether There Are Any Direct Benefits Or Positive Aspects In The Ideas Themselves. Examine Each Of The Benefits To See Whether They Could Be Achieved By More Practical Means.

SC - Special Circumstances: Look For Special Circumstances Where The Concept Challenge Ideas Might Have Some Immediate Use, Even If They Are Crazy Or Unsuitable In General.

Useful/Interesting Elements & Principles:

Refer Back To The Original Problem/Brief. Use The Elements & Principles From The Stepping Stone Approaches To Generate A Range Of Possible Concepts That Could Meet The Original Requirements.

Concepts:

Always Produce At Least 3 Different Ideas/Concepts At The Ideas Generation Stage. Try To Make Them Very Different To Give The Client Choices And Options.

Innovative Idea:

Use These Concepts To Develop At Least One Idea That Has An Innovative Aspect