Techniques for Defining Deeper Ideas and Ranking

The Six Thinking Hats is a technique developed by Edward de Bono that helps individuals and groups think about a problem or situation from multiple perspectives. The technique involves assigning different "hats" to each group member or individual, representing a different way of thinking. The hats are:

• White hat: Facts and information
• Red hat: Emotions and feelings
• Black hat: Critical thinking and skepticism
• Yellow hat: Optimism and positivity
• Green hat: Creativity and innovation
• Blue hat: Control and organization^[1]

During a brainstorming session, each participant puts on an imaginary hat and approaches the problem or idea from that perspective. Once all the ideas have been generated, the group can use the hats to evaluate and rank the ideas based on their feasibility, desirability, and viability. For example, let's say a service design team is working on improving the customer experience of a restaurant.

During a brainstorming session using the Six Thinking Hats technique, the team can generate a list of ideas such as:

• Offering a loyalty program to frequent customers (yellow hat)
• Reducing the wait time for customers to be seated (green hat)
• Offering a special menu for customers with dietary restrictions (white hat)
• Providing live music or entertainment (red hat)
• Increasing the number of staff to improve service (black hat)
• Offering a delivery service (blue hat)

After generating these ideas, the team may decide that offering a loyalty program and reducing the wait time for customers are both feasible and desirable, but offering live music is less feasible as it would require additional resources. Based on this evaluation, they may prioritize the loyalty program and wait time reduction ideas and begin to develop these further.

Analogies and metaphors allow us to relate complex concepts to more familiar ones, providing a new perspective and encouraging creativity. Analogies involve drawing comparisons between two things that are seemingly unrelated. For example, if we were brainstorming ideas to improve the customer experience for a healthcare provider, we might use the analogy of a hotel to spark new ideas. We could think about how a hotel provides personalized service, luxurious amenities, and attention to detail, and then explore how these concepts could be applied to a healthcare setting.

If we were using the hotel analogy to rank our ideas, we might ask questions like:

• Which idea best provides personalized service?
• Which idea best creates a luxurious experience?
• Which idea pays the most attention to detail?

Metaphors, on the other hand, provide an alternative way to rank ideas by using one concept to symbolize another. For instance, let's imagine we use the metaphor of a dedicated team of chefs to depict the meal delivery service.

If we were using the chef analogy to rank our ideas, we might ask questions like:

• Which idea offers a diverse and extensive menu selection, similar to having a dedicated team of chefs?
• Which idea ensures convenience and prompt delivery, reflecting the efficiency of a meal delivery service?
• Which idea allows for customization and personalization, similar to the expertise of a personal chef in meeting individual preferences?

Unlike traditional brainstorming, where the goal is to generate as many ideas as possible, reverse brainstorming involves identifying potential obstacles or problems with a service and developing ways to overcome them. The first step is to identify a specific problem or challenge that the service is facing. For example, the challenge is to improve the delivery time for a meal delivery app. The next step is to flip the problem around and ask, "How could we make the wait time for food delivery even longer?" This may seem counterintuitive, but by looking at the problem in reverse, we can uncover deeper insights and generate more innovative ideas.

For example, we might come up with ideas like:

• Make the delivery fees higher during peak hours to encourage customers to choose non-peak delivery slots.
• Optimize delivery routes and schedules to increase the efficiency of a smaller delivery team.
• Consider partnering with third-party delivery services to reach distant locations without compromising delivery times.
• Use bicycles for short-distance deliveries, while cars can be utilized for longer distances or bulk orders.

Once we have generated a list of ideas using reverse brainstorming, we can rank them based on their potential impact and feasibility.

Octopus clustering is a quick and easy method to sort and cluster large amounts of ideas, insights, or data using sticky notes. It is a group activity where everyone gets to know the ideas and shares ownership of them.

Here are the steps to use the octopus clustering method:

• Gather sticky notes and markers, and designate a wall or large board as the sorting area.
• Make people stand in clear rows in front of the wall of sticky notes. The number of rows and people per row depends on the size of the group and the amount of material to be sorted.
• Start with the front row actively sorting the notes, while the second row advises and other rows have various support functions. Remind them to watch out for “orphans” (sticky notes with no relation to the others) and break up clusters that are too big.
• Every 30 seconds, the front row moves to the back, and everyone steps forward into a new role. This rotation continues until all the notes are sorted.
• After a few cycles, the notes should be sorted into clusters. Review the clusters as a group and discuss any insights or overarching structure that emerges.

Suppose a team is working on a project to improve customer experience in a retail store. The team has generated numerous ideas, feedback, and insights from customer interviews, surveys, and other research. They may then use octopus clustering to sort ideas under different arms of the octopus, such as "store layout," "checkout process," "product display," "customer service," etc. Once the clusters are formed, the team can discuss and rank them based on their potential impact and feasibility.^[2]

Affinity diagramming involves organizing a large number of ideas or observations into groups based on their natural relationships, which can help identify patterns and themes that may not be immediately obvious. When using affinity diagramming, start by generating a large number of ideas related to the problem or challenge at hand. For example, if the challenge is to improve the customer experience for a grocery store, we might generate ideas related to store layout, product selection, checkout experience, and customer service.

Once we have generated a large number of ideas, we can then group them into categories based on their natural relationships. This process can be done by physically arranging sticky notes or cards with individual ideas on a wall or board or using a digital tool for virtual collaboration. The groups should be based on shared characteristics or themes that emerge from individual ideas.

For example, we might group ideas related to store layout and product selection together, as they both relate to the physical environment of the store. We might then group ideas related to checkout experience and customer service together, as they both relate to interactions with store employees. Once we have grouped the ideas, we can then rank them based on their potential impact and feasibility.

Method cards, also known as ideation cards, creativity cards, or brainstorming cards, are tools used in ideation sessions to promote discussion, suggest new avenues of exploration, structure thinking, and spark ideas.

For example, if a team is working on developing a new product, they can use method cards to generate ideas on the features, design, pricing, target audience, and marketing of the product. Each card in the set contains a short text or image that prompts a new approach to the problem or stimulates thinking. The cards may be questions, analogies, patterns, or more, designed to stimulate new avenues of thought.

The team can draw one or many cards or keep drawing until they no longer need them. The cards may also function as checklists, covering all the aspects that might be considered when developing the product. The team can work through the cards to ensure they don't forget anything important, or they can prioritize the most important cards to focus on.