i.school, The University of Tokyo "Divergence, convergence, and expression of ideas"

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UT
i.school,
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rights
reserved

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School for Innovation, i.school,
The
University
of
Tokyo

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3
Format of this series

5 lectures
3
workshops

① 
4/16
[FoundaAon
and
methodology
in

creaAng
innovaAon]

② 
4/23
[Understanding
1:
The
purposes

and
methods
of
interviews
and
ﬁeld

work]

③ 
4/30
[Understanding
2:
The
purposes

and
methods
of
technological
research

and
case
studies]

④ 
5/7
[CreaAon:
Divergence,

convergence,
and
expression
of
ideas]

⑤ 
5/14
[RealizaAon:
Methods
of
concept

designing
and
user
surveys]

⑥ 
6/3
[Workshop
1:
Learn
from
everyday

robots
in
the
future]

⑦ 
6/10
[Workshop
2:
Learn
from
services

in
India]

⑧ 
6/17
[Workshop
3:
Learn
from
on-‐

campus
services]

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Goals of this series:

Understand the enAre
process of creating innovation

Learn to provide a concept idea

Understand the process of coming up with a concept idea

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Guest facilitator

Jun
Murakoshi

i.lab:

Product
Designer

Master's degree from the Design and Science Course,
Chiba University Graduate School of Engineering.

Master's degree from Royal College of Art (RCA)
Design

Products in the U.K.
Murakoshi was a specially appointed researcher at the
Graduate School of Engineering at Chiba University and
worked as a specially appointed associate professor at
the Center for International Research and Education of
the same university before joining i.lab.
He has a number of award-winning works that are
exhibited in Japan and Europe.

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6
Objectives of the 4th class:

▶  Understand the processes and tips for coming up with ideas

▶  Make the ideas come much easier!

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7
Review of

the 3rd class

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8
Objectives
of the 3rd class:

▶  Understand the purposes, targets and methods of technology-
centered research

▶  Turn everything surrounding you into hints for ideas right
away

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9

9
Questions
received
the 3rd class:

▶ Thank you for your participation!

▶ Shin and Yokota responded to all of the
questions!

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11



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Abstract
Detailed
Process

Degree
of

Abstrac1on

① Collect miscellaneous factual

information

③ Understand a situation

structurally

④ Explore business

opportunities

② Group and abstract

factual information

⑥ Create ideas

⑦ Select an idea

⑨ Refine the idea

・・・・

・・・・

・・・・

⑤ Establish a business opportunity

⑧ Put the idea into shape

0
1

Understand
Create
Realize

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13
First of all,

what are your tips

for coming up with ideas?

Post and share your ideas!

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Society

Market

Human
s

Technolog
y

Idea

Technology
People
I d e a
m a k e r
Idea

(Product, service,
experience)

IDEA

i.school's

integrated
approach

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- Electrified wire glows

The essence of creating ideas is to seek new links between existing
knowledge on ends and existing knowledge on means.

Means

(Function, shape, mechanism)

Ends

(Provided value, challenge)

- Light up a dark place

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How your brain works when coming up with ideas:
•  Brings in useful information

•  Processes the information

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Working memory

(→ mainly processing
functions)

Types of memory:
1.  Short-term memory (→ storage)

2.  Long-term memory (→ storage)

3.  Working memory: plays an important role in processing information

Long-term memory

Short-
term
memory

Retain
Playback

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Utilizing working memory

•  If creating ideas means processing information to identify new relationships
between existing pieces of information, we need to focus on existing information
as raw material and pay attention to how you handle it.

•  It is essential to consider what information goes into working memory for
processing and how you can help in the processing.

Working memory

①
What?
②
How?

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Working memory

Research is for preparing materials for working memory

• Types of information include
①
information on ends and
②
information on means.

• Access or organize these pieces of information in order to induce
ideas for a domain that
includes your intended ends or technologies
for the
means.

Means

(= technolo-‐
gies)

Ends

(=People)

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I n d a i l y l i v i n g ,

w a l k i n g a i d s t r a n s f o r m
f r o m
w e l f a r e d e v i c e t o

f a s h i o n a b l e i t e m .

The multifaceted nature of walking aids

prompted the popularizing of this device.
Implication

Walking
sAcks
and
wheelchairs
are
oien

considered
to
be
mobility
aids
for
the
disabled

and
the
elderly.
Many
elderly
people
aren't

pleased
with
this
associaAon
when
they
use
them.

In Sugamo, you will notice a number of walking
aids that don't really fit into that category.
Multipurpose products like these have the
potential to attract the younger senior
population.

Objective information
You often see elderly people using walking aids
on
the
Sugamo shopping street. Unlike typical
welfare mobility aids like wheelchairs, sticks or
walkers, there are a number of waking aids that
also serve normal purposes or come with stylish
designs.

The lady in the photo was using this suitcase as
her walking aid.

While she does not seem to need a walking aid,
she is obviously using this bag for that purpose.

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Overview�
Provided values (= ends)�
Functions and shape that create the values (=
means)�
The
"Roomba" is a house
cleaning robot equipped
with various sensors to
detect room conditions. �
‣ The
Roomba is a house-cleaning robot equipped with
artificial intelligence. It detects the size and shape of
the room as well as dirt and debris on the floor and
cleans the area autonomously without human
operation.

‣ It has numerous sensors to detect walls, bumps, and
dirt to sense the condition of the room and clean the
area efficiently.

‣ hjp://www.irobot-‐jp.com/roomba/technology.html

‣ Cleans the floor by itself

‣ Attracts affection like a pet

‣ Moves in all directions over a flat surface

‣ Sucks up air

‣ Detects dirt and makes adjustments

‣ Detects obstacles like walls and bumps and makes
adjustments

‣ Makes an emotional sound when something goes
wrong

‣ Controllable with a remote

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Society

Market

Human
s

Technology

Idea

Technology
People
I d e a
m a k e r
Idea

(Product, service,
experience)

IDEA

Intentionally combine

the knowledge you want to utilize

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Divergence
Convergence

Individual
work
Group work

Formula for the creation process
• Divergence
and
convergence

• From
individual
work
to
group
work

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Divergence

Individual
work
Group work

Why individual work before group work?

• Group work should not depend on influential opinions or a quick thinker.

• It motivates you to present all of your ideas and listen to those of
others.

• It allows for understanding of the features of your ideas and those of
others in the big picture.

(*Some say that you should begin with group work.)

1 0 m i n
5 0 m i n

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25
・・・

Work individually on ideas for

supporting the elderly in going out.

Post and share your ideas!

(The end is defined here.)

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Divergence
Convergence

Individual
work
Group work

• Divergence
and
convergence

• From
individual
work
to
group
work

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It's difficult to know how individuals
process
their
thinking in 10 mins.
• Information on common ends and means are added to their working
memory.

• Yet, the way they process them in a 10 minute period varies
significantly.

Working memory

Means

(= techno-‐
logies)

Ends

(= people)

IDEA
How?

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29
Murakoshi and Yokota are going to present
their 10 mins of thinking.

Listen well and notice similarities and
differences with your process, and

post what you thought.

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Working memory

Working memory

Yokota 1: Seek ideas comprehensively and nonverbally. It's
exploration rather than creation.
1.  I pick a card that got my attention from the "ends" side and simulate
situations around it comprehensively and reconstruct people's
behaviors and feelings.

2.  Once I find a good end (= value, challenge) that's both unique and
essential, then I comprehensively seek means for it (= provision,
solution) to some extent.

3.  If the idea is unique enough and worth writing down, which requires 30
seconds, I describe it verbally and write it down.

Working memory

Means

(= techno-‐
logies)

Ends

(=People)

Idea
★

★

★

★

★

★

★
★
★

●
●

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31
31

A
B
C
A’
B’
C’

That
Other than
that

D
E
・

Yokota 2: When the thinking hits a wall, forcefully shift the thinking
to another area
•  By the time you come up with 3 ideas, you might be bored.

•  Find commonality among them and put them together as "that." The
ideas after that are defined as "other than that."

•  For example, "that" can be ideas to encourage the elderly to go out and
"other than that" can be ideas to provide the same effect of going out
while staying at home.

•  I try to come up with 5 ideas in 10 minutes.

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Murakoshi 1: Come up with ideas
→

Write down (draw)
→

Forget
•  I try to remember only the ends that inspired me most and mix that with
means and hints.

•  I don't evaluate them as I want to leave the divergence phase
independent from the rest.

•  I write down or draw ideas that I came up with so that I can remove them
from my working
memory.

•  While I'm thinking, I focus on the image I have in my head and write it
down.

Working memory

Means

(= techno-‐
logies)

Ends

(=People)

×

＾o＾

´
-‐
`

＾o＾

´
-‐
`

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Murakoshi 2: When I get stuck, I move the idea up and down and left
to right.
•  I try to change the essential part of the ideas I came up with. Image of
shifting to the right. (Outdoor
→
Indoor
/
Ocean
→
Ground) (bottom left)

•  Abstract it and then actualize it. Lift it up and bring it down. You need to
understand where you stand. (Umbrella
→
create a loose border
→
hedge,
line white line) (image on the bottom right)

A
B
C
D

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What are some common tips?

①  Have a ground for creating ideas
(standpoint)

②  Refresh thoughts when necessary (place/
action）

③  Write down or draw ideas

*These are put together in real time.

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Expression style ①：

Prepare
a
piece of letter size paper, and include the title, a rough
drawing and a description.

Don't forget to include the source of the idea and your name so that
you can trace it back later.

Title

Drawing
Description

InformaAon
on
ends

and
means
Name

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Image of the deliverable:

Include
the title, a rough drawing and a description.

Don't forget to include the source of the idea!

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Divergence
Convergence

Individual
work
Group work

• Divergence
and
convergence

• From
individual
work
to
group
work

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Convergence

Group work

Meaning of convergence

① Limit the number

② Refine the quality

*This process is actually repeated several times.

① Limit the
number

② Refine the
quality

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Convergence
①:
On what grounds do you limit the
number?

A.
Novelty:

- Does the idea use a method that you have never seen or heard of?
- Does the idea offer new elements of values or experiences for customers?
- Does that include an original perspective that is currently controversial?

B.
Impact:

- Is the expected market or sales large or growing enough for your company's
standard?

- Is the qualitative change of lifestyles and values brought about by the idea
important or great?

C.
Feasibility:

- Is the expected condition of society or market relevant?
- Is the logic relevant enough to describe the impression, intention and demand
of the expected customer?
- Is it feasible to ensure and develop resources (technologies, people, capital,
intellectual property, etc.) to
put the idea into shape?

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Convergence
②
：On what grounds do you refine the
quality?

•  Don't get distracted by less important ideas (branches and leaves) but
try to identify the "trunk" idea among the selected ideas. You can talk
about the branches and leaves later.

•  Naturally, finding a potential "trunk" is not easy. It requires fierce
discussion, which is also a meaningful process.

Feature C

Feature A
Feature B

Idea

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Expression style ②:

•  Use
lejer
size
paper divided into two parts (top and bottom).

•  Include voting results and comments on the "trunk" for
sophistication.

•  You can scan this and save it digitally.

Title

Drawing
Description

InformaAon
on
ends

and
means
Name

・・・
・・・

・・・
・・・

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Abstract
Detailed
Process

Degree
of

Abstraction

information

③ Understand a situation

structurally

④ Explore business

opportunities


factual information

⑥ Create ideas

⑦ Select an idea

⑨ Refine the idea

・・・・

・・・・

・・・・

⑤ Establish a business opportunity


0
1

Understand
Create
Realize

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45



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46
Recommended
readings
for

knowledge
seekers

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47
This
is
a classic on coming up with ideas.

It's a thin book. 1 hour is enough to finish this book.

5 steps:

1.  Collect materials

2.  Try structural organization

3.  Leave problems

4.  Come up with ideas

5.  Put the ideas into shape

A Technique for Producing Ideas

(James
W.
Young)

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48
This
is
a
collection of photos of plants. The author was an
art professor that specialized in sculpture and originally
collected the photos as study material.

- Transform your perspective maybe

- Beautiful things are right by your side

- How to reinforce your ability to discover, build images
and create

Unformen der Kunst (Artforms in
Nature)

(Karl Blossfeldt)

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49
Q&A

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Abstract
Detailed
Process

Degree
of

Abstraction

information

③ Understand a situation structurally

④ Explore business opportunities


factual information

⑥ Create ideas

⑦ Select an idea

⑨ Refine the idea

・・・・

・・・・

・・・・

⑤ Establish a business

opportunity


0
1

Understand
Create
Realize

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52
・・・

Bring
the
idea

down
to
earth

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53
・・・

Prototyping

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54
User survey

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55
Thank
you!

i.school, The University of Tokyo "Divergence, convergence, and expression of ideas"

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