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Ideation
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The method entails the utilisation of six questions, namely ‘Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?’ as starting points to generate a vast repertoire of different questions and answers about the problem context.
In the following example, the Big Six technique is used to establish a wide variety of information about scuba diving in order to create a fertile information base for idea generation.
Example:
WHO? Who are the potential clients of the scuba diving company?
Who needs diving lessons?
Who teaches diving skills?
WHERE? Where do the divers do scuba diving?
Where does the training take place?
Where are the diving company and the shop located?
WHAT? What skills are taught?
What gear is needed for diving?
What do the exterior and interior of the shop look like?
What do divers hear when they are under water?
What do divers see under the water?
What does it feel like to dive?
WHEN? When do people scuba dive?
When are you allowed to go on a diving excursion?
WHY? Why do people scuba dive?
Why do people buy new diving equipment?
HOW? How do people scuba dive?
The technique entails a process where different words, images or objects
are randomly chosen and placed next to the creative problem, with the aim of forcing a connection
between the problem context and the unrelated element. This connection often triggers new and original
ideas by sensitising the mind to new possibilities that it would otherwise not have considered.
Example 2 – Using the word ‘silence’ as a random input: How does the concept of ‘silence’ relate to
scuba diving? When we dive into the water, we leave the noise of the outside world behind: could the
contrast between the noisy world and the strange calmness of the underwater world be utilised in any
way, possibly in an editorial advertisement?
Example 2 – Using the word ‘wings’ as a random input: Diving feels like flying under water: could we
use an image of a diver with wings? It would certainly be unusual …
The first step of the technique entails writing a key concept or a main theme of a problem in the centre of
a large sheet of paper (Figure 3). A number of significant components or dimensions of the key concept
are then written around the central word and connected by lines or ‘branches’. Each of these concepts is
then linked to a number of related associations, features or characteristics.
The technique entails substituting words with quick drawings
or symbols to find visual equivalents for the words. It implies that the thinker should start with a
predetermined set of words that has been generated by means of a creative thinking tool, such as a
mind-map. Individual words are then ‘translated’ into little thumbnail sketches or symbols to establish a
vast repertoire of visual images that could trigger creative ideas.
This technique embraces a process where one uses a list of pre-determined creativity prompts (or
‘triggers’) as catalysts to transform existing ideas or to spark new ideas. A ‘trigger’ is a concept or
principle that is used consciously to turn one’s thinking away from established thinking patterns
The use of metaphors and analogies is one of the most common and effective creative problem-solving
techniques in existence. In analogical thinking, similarities between two different worlds of meaning are
explored and ideas from one context are transferred to the other in search of parallels and new
viewpoints. Ideas that are generated by means of metaphorical thinking are often characterised by an
element of unexpected surprise and fun.
Metaphor 1: Thinking about the activity of putting on diving gear to explore marine life could trigger the idea that scuba diving is like going on safari, where one wears a rucksack (analogical to oxygen bottles) and binoculars (analogical to a diving mask) to explore the wildlife. These analogies could also be used to
spark other creative ideas, such as considering the words Ocean Safaris as a name for the company.
Metaphor 2: The experience of swimming and feeling weightless in the water could be likened to being in outer space with oxygen supplies, where no gravity exists and movements are slow, like swimming. It could trigger an advertising slogan such as Don’t leave planet Earth to explore the unknown ...
Creative people tend to have a relatively greater sensory awareness of the world around them. Yet, by
means of the Five Senses technique, they could be purposefully trained to increase their sensitivity and
openness to sensory experiences. The Five Senses technique focuses on the five senses of sight, sound,
taste, touch and smell as starting points for the generation of ideas.
At the heart of the Cross-connect technique is the process of connection and integration of concepts. It is
based on the notion that each problem context consists of key elements and sub-elements, and if these
elements are connected in various combinations, it could spark novel ideas.