Osborn Question Check List
Brainstorming pioneer Alex Osborn was a master at using perspective changes to suggest
new ideas. He developed a list of seventy-three idea-spurring questions designed to create new perspectives. His list included such questions as:
• What other product (problem) is like this one (adapt)?
• How could I change this product (modify)?
• How could I add to this product (magnify)?
• What could I take away from this product (minify)?
• What could I use instead of this product or a portion of it (substitute)?
• How could I alter this product’s composition (rearrange)?
• How could I turn this problem around (reverse)?
• What could I put together to make a new product (combine)?
101 Activities for Teaching Creativity and Problem Solving. Copyright © 2005 by John Wiley &
Sons, Inc. Reproduced by permission of Pfeiffer, an Imprint of Wiley. www.pfeiffer.com
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101 Activities for Teaching Creativity and Problem Solving
TLFeBOOK
Bend It, Shape It Handout
Assume that your challenge is to think of ways to improve an office stapler. Here are
some samples using Osborn’s Check List.
Adapt: Design a stapler that fastens without staples by pressing together sheets of
paper under pressure (for example, a pair of pliers is somewhat like a stapler in that it
can be used to press together things).
Modify: Use bright, metallic paint.
Magnify: Enlarge the stapler’s top and make it ergonomic to fit a hand.
Minify: Design a stapler that dispenses both small and large staples.
Substitute: Make a line of staplers from different materials such as cardboard, metal,
fiberglass, plastic, or polished wood.
Rearrange: Design a stapler that can staple from either end.
Reverse: Design a stapler that works by pulling up on a handle instead of pressing
down.
Combine: Design a combination stapler and magnetic paper clip dispenser
101 Activities for Teaching Creativity and Problem Solving. Copyright © 2005 by John Wiley &
101 Activities for Teaching Creativity and Problem Solving. Copyright © 2005 by John Wiley &
Sons, Inc. Reproduced by permission of Pfeiffer, an Imprint of Wiley. www.pfeiffer.com
Sons, Inc. Reproduced by permission of Pfeiffer, an Imprint of Wiley. www.pfeiffer.com
Basic Idea Generation: “No-Brainers”
TLFeBOOK
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