What was the question asked that inspired the development of Anti Wi-Fi Paint to neutralize radio frequencies. Certainly it was not “Let’s make paint that will neutralize wave frequencies“. The question asked was, “How can we stop radio frequencies from traveling through unwanted spaces and environments?”
The end-results heavily depend on the coining and molding of the right question. Here’s a simple exercise to mold a great question:
Begin with your initial question/statement – whether it’s a challenge, a problem or an opportunity at hand
Write it down across the top of a page
Identify key words in your statement
Using a Thesaurus, begin to create variations of your statement by replacing the key words
Statements and questions with fresh perspectives will begin to form. Pay close attention to the variations.
Below is a very basic example to illustrate the point. For a creative entrepreneur and an innovator, each statement opens very different possibilities and solutions:
How can I travel to Miami more quickly (original statement)
A collaborative project by Bonnier R&D for a Magazine Reader. One of the major problems with current eReaders is their inability to read and display magazines and rich imagery.
The concept aims to capture the essence of magazine reading, which people have been enjoying for decades: an engaging and unique reading experience in which high-quality writing and stunning imagery build up immersive stories.
The concept uses the power of digital media to create a rich and meaningful experience, while maintaining the relaxed and curated features of printed magazines. It has been designed for a world in which interactivity, abundant information and unlimited options could be perceived as intrusive and overwhelming.
Your flight has an impact. Plane Stupid’s new cinema ad, written and commissioned by creative agency Mother and made by production company Rattling Stick. Director Daniel Kleinman. Brief: We wanted to confront people with the impact that short-haul flights have on the climate. We used Polar Bears because they’re a well understood symbol of the effect that climate change is having on the natural world.
Procter & Gamble, IBM, General Electric, General Motors, United Technologies Corp, FedEx, Hyatt, Burger King, IHOP, The Jim Henson Company, CNN, MTV, HP, Ocean Spray Cranberries, Yellow Book USA – Just a few of the companies started during recessions, depressions, economic slumps, and difficult times.
It’s not tough times or desperate measures that lead to innovative, ground breaking ideas and new ventures. It is the drastic change of external circumstances that force the mind to break out of routines. The mind naturally defaults to the easiest and safest way of thinking. It is the disruption of these typical thinking patterns that force the mind to think differently.
Break the mind out of routine:
Travel a different route to the office this week
Use a different mug for your coffee/tea. And, brew something new
Read a blog on a topic you’ve never explored
Follow people on Twitter that are outside your industry and interests
Switch up your morning routine
Start shopping at the opposite end of the grocery store
Just Think, and New Ideas Will Flow (if you change the way you think)
This has stirred up some interesting conversations at TheDieLine.com. Here my share;
This work is genius!!!
Look at all of the heated conversations. And chances are, this idea will stick with you, whether you love it or oppose it.
THIS is the heart of Advertising – to make you talk about the product. The more you talk about the product – the more it sticks! When it sticks, your recall of that product/message increases. And now you’re an evangelist for that product, whether you love it or hate it.
How many of you talked to your friends about this concept, and how horrible or clever this was?
A key to generating creative ideas is to train your mind to think in a particular way. Naturally, we revert to safe thinking; our ideas need to make sense; we doubt in our ability; we wonder what others might think. In actuality, we limit the ideas and predetermine their failure.
If the mind is trained to think freely, without boundaries – you will be in the position to generate limitless ideas.
A simple technique:
For the next thirty days, force yourself to come up with outrageous ideas – ideas that may not necessarily make sense at all. The goal is to train to mind to break the boundaries that we naturally set up that confide our idea generation. Note each idea. Sketch it out.
Several pointed to keep in mind:
The journaling is only for you, no one else will see this.
Feel free to explore existing products & services, and look for ways to improve them.
Look at your everyday life, be sensitive to the things that you cannot find a feasible solution to.
