Concept Generation
Review
Creativity/Brainstorming
Creativity is a divergent thinking skill in
which we postpone judgment and try to
see a situation from as many different
perspectives as possible.
Brainstorming is a term used for the
creative generation of many ideas.
Why Do It?
• Creativity and brainstorming can be
applied in many situations. Certainly
important at the beginning of the design
process, it can also be applied to any form
of problem solving. It is particularly helpful
in getting “unstuck” when your problem
solving bogs down.
Brainstorming Practice
• Postpone judgment
• Generate as many ideas as possible in a
constrained time
• Use “triggers”
Triggers
Tools to bump yourself out of mental ruts.
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Other’s Shoes – Reconsider the problem from the perspective of a plumber, civil engineer,
physician, child, attorney, basketball player, etc. You can keep this close to your personal comfort
level by picking roles you know something about, like plumber perhaps, and then expand to more
fanciful ones, like princess.
Nature – How does nature deal with this issue, or how would you do it if you were Mother Nature?
Opposite – How would you solve the opposite problem (from “cut down a tree” to “grow a tree”)?
Or, consider the opposite of some of your ideas (from “cut with a saw” to join with “hot glue”).
Random – Use random words, pictures, movie titles, professor names to generate more ideas.
Analogy – Consider what has similar function but different appearance (automatic clothes washer
to washboard), what has similar appearance but different function (washboard to cheese grater), or
what has a similar name and different use (bottle cap to baseball cap)?
Craziest Idea – take the craziest idea and try use the kernel to get to a practical solution (“Cut down
a tree with scissors” to “cut with large hydraulic shears”).
Boundaries/Constraints – Remove, adjust, or explore the boundaries of the problem. (If the
problem is a better way to wash clothes, what about recycling the old shirt into a new shirt instead
of washing? Does it have to be “wash” or can it be “clean” or “deodorize”?)
Anthropomorphize – Consider yourself to be the piece of equipment or process. Or consider
yourself a molecule flowing through the system. (For “Why is this part failing?” think- “Am I getting
hot anywhere, where do I feel the stress?”)
Combine – Take different ideas and see what happens if you add them together, or combine them
in some other way (Problem: “wash clothes” – combine “spray with a hose” and “pound on a rock”
to “spray with wet rocks”)
Triggers cont’d
• Other’s Shoes – Reconsider the problem from the
perspective of a plumber, civil engineer, physician,
child, attorney, basketball player, etc. You can keep this
close to your personal comfort level by picking roles
you know something about, like plumber perhaps, and
then expand to more fanciful ones, like princess.
• Nature – How does nature deal with this issue, or how
would you do it if you were Mother Nature?
• Opposite – How would you solve the opposite problem
(from “cut down a tree” to “grow a tree”)? Or, consider
the opposite of some of your ideas (from “cut with a
saw” to join with “hot glue”).
Triggers cont’d
• Random – Use random words, pictures, movie titles,
professor names to generate more ideas.
• Analogy – Consider what has similar function but
different appearance (automatic clothes washer to
washboard), what has similar appearance but different
function (washboard to cheese grater), or what has a
similar name and different use (bottle cap to baseball
cap)?
• Craziest Idea – take the craziest idea and try use the
kernel to get to a practical solution (“Cut down a tree
with scissors” to “cut with large hydraulic shears”).
Triggers cont’d
• Boundaries/Constraints – Remove, adjust, or explore the
boundaries of the problem. (If the problem is a better way
to wash clothes, what about recycling the old shirt into a
new shirt instead of washing? Does it have to be “wash” or
can it be “clean” or “deodorize”?)
• Anthropomorphize – Consider yourself to be the piece of
equipment or process. Or consider yourself a molecule
flowing through the system. (For “Why is this part failing?”
think- “Am I getting hot anywhere, where do I feel the
stress?”)
• Combine – Take different ideas and see what happens if
you add them together, or combine them in some other
way (Problem: “wash clothes” – combine “spray with a
hose” and “pound on a rock” to “spray with wet rocks”)
Practice Time
• This period and the next we will be having an
on the spot design competition.
• Today you will design.
• Next period you will build.
• Today we will brainstorm on the use of the
materials available for the design and on the
design itself.
Materials for the Design
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One penny
4 rubber bands
6 - 3x5 cards
3 drinking straws
1 foot masking tape
1 plastic spoon
2 craft sticks
2 paper clips
In groups of 2 to 4
write down (person
with highest index
finger to ring finger
ratio is the scribe) as
many uses of one of
these materials as
you can in 2
minutes.
Materials for the Design
Design Task
To deliver a penny as close as possible to a
destination point that is a distance of 20
inches from the starting line.
Rules
• The target will consist of one inch wide concentric rings surrounding a two
inch diameter “bulls-eye” on a sheet of paper taped to a classroom table.
• The starting line will consist of a strip of masking tape whose edge is 20
inches from the center of the target.
• The apparatus must have a footprint no larger than one square foot and
must initially all be located behind the front edge of the starting line.
• Attachment of the apparatus to the table can only be made by masking
tape.
• Energy can be stored in the issued materials prior to the activation of the
device (e.g. rubber bands can be stretched/twisted).
• The apparatus must be free standing without human intervention for 2
seconds prior to triggering
• After the apparatus is assembled and located, human force or energy can
only be used to activate or trigger the device (e.g. release a weight, pull a
pin, cut/remove tape, …); and cannot be used as motive force for the
penny.
Task
• Brainstorm on solutions
• Consider functions
• Sketch out possible solutions