Manchester Science Enterprise Centre

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Manchester Science Enterprise Centre

• Ideas Generation
• Tim Jones February 2007

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Ideas generation

• Ideas generation ways of trying to think in
  other directions

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Ideas generation

• Many tasks involve thinking up a new idea, a new
  way of doing something.
• Ideas can just occur spontaneously
• When put on the spot it is harder to be creative
• Methods thinking inside and outside the box
  can be useful

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Time to Panic?

• You have got to come up with a good idea
• Your team are not motivated
• Something might just turn up
• If you start now it is easier!
• Here are some methods

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First find a problem

• Keep your eyes open for problems
• Look for a mis-match of consumer need and product
  offering
• There must be a better way than...
• Potential consumers with money to spend
• Look how others have made money

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Define the problem well

• What exactly is the need?
• What are all the current ways of satisfying the
  consumer?
• What is wrong with these?
• Where are the gaps?
• List the must do features
• Research... research... research

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Look at the same problem - differently

• If you always use the same process you are likely
  to get the same result
• Enhance variance
• See old things in new ways
• Break from the traditional way
• Sutton. R, Weird Ideas that Work, Penguin Press
  2002

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Getting lots of ideas

• Thought shower (Brainstorm) - wild ideas
  /anything goes
• Matrix - grid to try every combination
• Analogy - what is it like?
• Worst idea what would be the worst way?

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Thought shower

• Get team together
• Define the problem area to tackle
• Note down all ideas
• No criticism allowed
• Discuss all ideas
• Re-combine bits of ideas to make new ones

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Defining the problem

• Use words with care!
• Dont use the current solution to
• define the task.
• A device to boil water or a kettle
• Which gives you more scope for ideas?

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Recording ideas - Mind maps

• Tony Buzzan has several books describing Mind
  Maps
• A simple alternative to lists
• The advantage is the information is laid out
  differently so might spark different creative
  thoughts

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Mind Map
Plastic
Packaging
Mild
Liquid
Added bits
Cheese Snack
Coloured
Solid
Blue
Biscuit
Bread
Strong
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Matrix example

• Create a novel time indicator productfor timing
  boiled eggs (for example)
• Create a list of mechanisms
• Create a list of materials

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Matrix...time indicator
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Analogy

• This is a bit like...?
• Is this similar to...?
• Someone else must have had this problem
• How do they do this in another business sector ?
• Where have I seen this situation before?

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Cycle/ Car Analogy

• Cycle brake improvementcould be
• Power assisted
• Ventilated discs
• Anti-lock brakes
• Brake lights
• Safe operation/service warning indicator
• Regenerative

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What is the worst idea?

• no profit
• lots of complaints
• no customers
• out of date idea/ product/ service
• write you own worst ideas
• then do the opposite!

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Worst torch

• Heavy
• Short battery life
• No spare lamps
• No indication of battery condition
• Patchy illumination level
• Poor colour rendering
• Fragile

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Use all methods

• When you get stuck, switch to another method
• Take some exercise, sleep, do other tasks, let
  the ideas incubate
• Keep notes that are clear and ordered
• Keep refiningadd good bits of ideas
  togetheriteration

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Refining ideas

• Is the idea too complex for you to do?
• Is it too simple and obvious?
• Does it fit the company profile?
• Has it been done before?
• Does the technology exist?
• Does the market exist?
• Risk analysis vs potential rewards

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Make a note of reasons

• Note down why each idea is rejected
• Rejected ideas tend to be re-visited if the
  project hits a snag later on
• The reason for rejection might have been
  forgotten danger!
• The reason for rejection may no longer apply
  opportunity!

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Best idea

• The best idea is selected against performance
  criteria agreed at the start of the activity the
  must do list
• The criteria are the performance specification
  for the product
• What the product should do not how it should be
  constructed

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Go/ No go

• If the basic must have features are not present
  STOP
• The ideas process needs to be re-run iterative
  loop
• Proceeding with a weak idea will cause project
  failure later onat much greater cost.

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Contact Details

• Tim Jones
• 0161 306 84 85
• Tim.jones_at_manchester.ac.uk