“A man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimensions”
-Oliver Wendell Holmes
Ideas about our world, are changing our world everyday and it seems the simplest of ideas have the most impact.
The best ideas are the one’s that make you think, “Well, I could have thought of that”
But you didn’t. And why didn’t you?
That is a question that many businesses and entrepreneurs ask themselves over and over.
Some people spend their lives searching for an idea that will change the world, but what can you actually do to enhance and engage idea generation?
And what can you do to make sure that your idea is that million dollar idea that you are searching for?
1.BRAINSTORMING
Brainstorming is a very useful and stimulating way to get your mind producing ideas and thinking ‘outside the box’.
Brainstorming is a group creativity technique by which efforts are made to find a conclusion for a specific problem by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously contributed by its members.
The key to the success of brainstorming is that the quick pace and immediate presentation of ideas means that there is no assessment of the ideas as they are being thought of. By removing assessment and critique at this early stage, allows for freedom of expression of ideas.
The individuals taking part can begin to see the blending of ideas given rise to innovations that may not otherwise have been obvious.
2. MIND-MAPPING
Mind-mapping is similar to brainstorming as it is a presentation of numerous ideas surrounding one concept or problem. Mind-Mapping is a graph connecting ideas and building a web relationship from these ideas.
It begins with a keyword/phrase and the ideas then grow out of this starting point.
Mind-Mapping can be used in Brainstorming sessions.
3. SCAMPER
No, I don’t mean run away. SCAMPER is an acronym action verbs that can be used to evaluate and develop an idea and can be stimuli for the growth of new ideas.
S – Substitute: This entails taking away a part of the original idea and substituting it with something else and observing the outcome.
E.g. what resource material could you substitute to enhance a product?
C – Combine: This means taking two ideas, elements or concept and combining them together to create something new and enhanced. Combining new ideas in fresh ways leads to some of the most successful innovations.
E.g. Suitcases with wheels.
A – Adapt: This suggests thinking about new platforms and scenarios for your idea and whether it can and should adapt in new environments.
E.g. Facebook was developed for desktop but very quickly adapted to mobile devices for the demanding market.
M – Modify: What ideas and contributions can you make to elements of your idea to enhance its overall success?
E.g. Whatsapp was created as an application to post statuses and messaging was a secondary modification that became its ultimate success.
P – Put to another use: This demands the innovator to evaluate different problems that can be solved but the current idea. Frequently, an idea only turns out to be great when applied in a different manner than first imagined.
E.g. Velcro was designed by NASA to keep objects in place, when there is no gravity in space but has risen to commercial success in clothing and shoes.
E – Eliminate: Contemplate what would happen if you were to eliminate or minimize components of your idea. By trimming the elements of an idea there can be reduces challenges or new ideas and uses could present themselves.
E.g. Microsoft created Windows 8 to do away with the need for a mouse.
R – Reverse: See what you would do if a portion of your idea worked in another order, or in reverse. Reverse the orientation or direction.
E.g. Think what would you do to reduce your followers on social media: post nothing or post hurtful content and then to see what the success would be reverse this: post often and emotional and engaging content.
4. STORY-BOARDING
Story-Boarding uses pictures and quotes to create a relationship between ideas. Visualization and connectivity stimulates the creative mind and can produce more ideas.
5. ROLE-PLAYING
This is where individuals take on hypothetical characters in hypothetical situations. Role-Playing can be fun and expressive and reduces inhibitions. By doing this, those who part-take in role playing can come up with unexpected ideas.
6.COLLABORATING
Collaboration with different people in idea generation is crucial in introducing new skills, new perspectives and new ideas.
7. DO NOTHING
Sometimes your mind becomes too overwhelmed with thoughts and demands that taking time out to do nothing can create space in the mind to allow ideas to flourish.
Go for a walk, take a shower, listen to some music, you will be surprised with the results.
8. DISRUPT YOUR SPACE
If you want new ideas then disrupt your process and the space in which you think.
Paint a wall, work outside, stand up, lie down. If you are working from a computer then change to paper.
By Disrupting your space and you process you can give way to new ideas.
9. IDEAS HACKATHONS
A Hackathon is a design-sprint like event in which computer programmers and other involved in software development (graphic designers, interface designers, project managers etc) collaborated extensively on software projects.
HOWEVER,
Ideas Hackathons are designed for entrepreneurs from all field and all disciplines to come together to create business idea, develop them and pitch them in a short space of time.
Brainstorming, collaboration, time limits, disrupted space and all I have mentioned above comes together in Ideas Hackathons to give way to peak idea generation.
CIT are running an Ideas Hackathon with students from all disciplines and all years in the Rubicon centre for the month of January.
Watch this space for more amazing and innovative ideas from CIT.
Whatever way works for you when generating ideas, then you roll with that.
But, if you are ever stuck or having a creative block maybe try something you and you may surprise yourself and come up with that million dollar idea.
