Rapidly Generate Creative + Constructive Ideas

The ability to think creatively often comes down to changing the mental frame you are using to interpret a problem or situation. But how can we reframe? Recent research from the University of Massachusetts offers some techniques and claims Anyone Can Learn to be More Inventive. They studied:

“… more than 100 significant modern and 1,000 historical inventions, McCaffrey analyzed how successful inventors overcame various cognitive obstacles to uncover the key obscure information needed to solve problems. “

They offer two practical ideas involving the use of:

The generic-part technique where you describe the features of an object without reference to their functions. For example, in describing the features of a electrical plug you might note it has two flat metal pieces. This helps you imagine potential new uses, for instance, as a screwdriver. By focusing on size, shape, material and other intrinsic properties we open up the frame we are using to understand the plug’s functionality.

The thesaurus technique where you describe your goal or an aspect of the problem using a thesaurus. A thesaurus lists related terms which naturally cause us to think in different ways. A good thesaurus lists far more synonyms than we can think of by ourselves. For example, you might be working on a project that involves fastening or attaching one thing to another. A search for fasten on a good thesaurus generates 60+ synonyms and related words. Far more than we can brainstorm. It is also instructive to look at the antonyms or words that mean the opposite. They can trigger new ideas as well.