Ideation 101
Feed the Brain
Feed the Brain
Feed the Brain

Business ideas…
HEADLINE
PROBLEM
PROMISE.
PROOF
PROFIT
PASSION

MU =
S
F
D
Meaningfully
Unique Ideas!
Leverage
Diversity
Drive out Fear
=
Explore Stimulus

Stimulus Available # of practical ideas invented
Low Stimulus
Medium Stimulus
High Stimulus
22
38
47
Value of Stimulus
Stimulus Feeds The Brain

Traditional ModelTraditional Model
Individual Brainstorming
draining
Before After
Suck Method
Uses Your Brain Like A
LIBRARY

COMPUTER
Stimulus sets off a CHAIN Reaction!!!

Where To Go On Vacation?
More
Stimulus
More Ideas
(Quantity & QUALITY)=

At Their Most Basic,
IDEAS
are Feats of
Association

Best practice
3 Steps
Step 1: Define your needs
Step 2: Get stimulus (Stimulus mining)
Step 3: Mix and match (Association)
Today steps 1 and 3

Step 1: Help request
• Define your Requests for Advice
• Background: Describe why you need ideas and any
critical background responders should know.
• Request: Describe what you're looking for. Be
greedy
• Don't Request: Describe things you are NOT
interested in, if any.
• Constraints: Describe any specific constraints or
issues that need to be considered. (time,
resources, specs, etc.)

Take 5 minutes
to write your needs
(we’ll use them later)

Step 1: Help request
• Define your Requests for Advice
• Background: Describe why you need ideas and any
critical background responders should know.
• Request: Describe what you're looking for. Be
greedy
• Don't Request: Describe things you are NOT
interested in, if any.
• Constraints: Describe any specific constraints or
issues that need to be considered. (time,
resources, specs, etc.)

A sample…
Define your Requests for Advice
A great new semantic search plug-in "Snarc" and
semantic search technology… We need help
identifying a profit model
Our thought now: consumers, collect data, then
advdertisers
Background
A better way to search for information. Intelligent
search in a side bar
Like Amazons's you might like this, but very high
tech
Request 3 ideas to make money that we can test
We are not interested in
A fee for use of the plug-in
People will not pay
Constraints
We have around 100 K to grow the business, so the
solutions need to be low cost

Step 2: Stimulus
Mining

Fast & Easier to Find
Harder & Deeper
Thinking Involved
5 Categories for Stimulus Mining
TECH Mining Market Mining Insight Mining Future Mining
3333 1111 2222 4444
+
“Gut Instincts and Ideas”5555

According to this blog, keeping coffee hot is definitely a problem, but there is already a pretty
good solution out there. How can we offer customers the benefit of keeping coffee hot in a
better or different way than a thermos?
“But perhaps the best approach of all for keeping your coffee hot is to get a good thermos – one
that has the ability to keep your coffee hot for hours at a time...”
http://silversolutioninfo.com/
Insight
Mining
Example

Market
Mining
Team, check out this cup innovation from Japan. How can we borrow brilliance?
“Hot Magic Cup
Tokan Kogyo Co. Ltd., developed the, what they call the Surprise-Eco-Container or Hot Magic Cup. The, in
principle, ordinary standard coffee cup automatically changes its outer layer shape as the thermal insulating
layer pops out automatically when hot water, more than 85 is poured into the cup.℃
http://bestinpackaging.com/2012/01/28/innovations-in-coffee-cups/
Example

http://pps.sagepub.com/content/3/3/224.abstract?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&andorexacttitle=
TECH
Mining
Example Here is a patent for a special insulated cup. I don’t its exactly applicable, but might be good inspiration
as we strive for uniqueness in our new cup offering
http://www.google.com/patents/US7597246

Future
Mining
Example Hey guys here is the latest trend briefing from Trendwatching.com
How can our coffee cup idea be linked with people social circles? Is there a cause? A campaign or
contest that people can have fun with while engaging their friends and our coffee shop?

Step 3:
Association

3 tools I like…
• Round 1: 666
• Round 2: Don’t sell me
• Round 3: Take over time

In practice…
Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5 Group 6 Group 7
1 4 7 10 13 16 19
Round 1 2 5 8 11 14 17 20 Stationary
3 6 9 12 15 18 21 = idea
1 4 7 10 13 16 19
Round 2 20 2 5 8 11 14 17 Moving right
6 9 12 15 18 21 3 = idea
1 4 7 10 13 16 19
Round 3 17 20 2 5 8 11 14 Moving left
9 12 15 18 21 3 6 = idea

Working together
• Groups of 3
• 25 minutes per exercise focusing on 1 idea
(note: 25 minutes is tough.. Go fast;
quantity > quality)
• Rotation after exercise (1 person stays, 1
to right, 1 to left)
• Present idea/ express need
• 1 person writing for each round (preferably
not the person with the idea)

A format for ideas
NEWS HEADLINE:
In a sentence - what makes your
innovation MEANINGFULLY UNIQUE.
PROBLEM:
WHAT problem, specifically, does this
idea address?
PROMISE:
Make a SPECIFIC or numeric promise
to SOLVE this problem.
PROOF:
WHAT is the Innovation & HOW does
it work..
PROFIT:
HOW will you make money

NEWS HEADLINE:
In a sentence - what makes your
innovation MEANINGFULLY UNIQUE.
PROBLEM:
WHAT problem, specifically, does this
idea address?
PROMISE:
Make a SPECIFIC or numeric promise
to SOLVE this problem.
PROOF:
WHAT is the Innovation & HOW does
it work..
PROFIT:
HOW will you make money
That is the problem
Consumer first then
Advertisers
Easy search for info
Technology awards
Snarc- your place for
info
Too hard to find the
right information

Handouts