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Da Vinci and the 40 Answers
A Playbook for Creativity and Fresh Ideas
Mark L. Fox
Wizard Academy Press Austin, Texas
Copyrights Page
Copyright © 2008 by Mark L. Fox and Wizard Academy Press. All rights reserved. Printed in Canada Permission to reproduce or transmit in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, must be obtained by writing to the publisher at the address below: Wizard Academy Press 16221 Crystal Hills Drive Austin, TX 78737 512.295.5700 voice, 512.295.5701 fax www.WizardAcademyPress.com Ordering Information: To order additional copies, contact your local bookstore, visit www.WizardAcademyPress.com, or call 1.800.425.4769 Quantity discounts are available. ISBN: 1-932226-63-X Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Fox, L. Mark. Da vinci and the 40 answers: a playbook for creativity and fresh ideas/Mark L. Fox. p. cm. ISBN 1-932226-63-X Credits: Cover and illustrations by Timothy McClelland First printing: June 2008 Second printing: August 2008 Third printing: January 2009 Fourth printing: December 2009
Preface Introduction
The Start of Something Magical
8 12
8 11 18 19 22
Right Brain/Left Brain Embrace Reckless Abandon Free the Beagle Unleashing our Inner Wizard
Part 1 – The Basics
1 – Lenny, Hank, Buck, and Walt
Lenny (April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519) Hank (October 15, 1926 – September 24, 1998) Buck (July 12, 1895 – July 1, 1983) Walt (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966) Great Minds Think Alike
25 26 28 29 30 34 34 35 37 39 41 42 45 48 49 50 54 55 56 61 63 65 67 68 77 78
2 – Peel the Onion
Everything You Know is Wrong Middle School Science Class You Swine Time Travel Space Shuttle Challenger Curiosity Killed … What Do I Know? I'm Just a Doctor! Spark Your Own Curiosity
3 – Try It
The Radar Range The Pill Did What?! Fight Fire with Fire Just Do It Fear of Failure Give Yourself Great Odds
4 – Sensible Design
That's Not the Way We Do Things What Has My Computer Been Eating? Find the Simple Fix That Plan Just Won't Work Give Your Customers What They Really Want
5 – Clear as Mud
Comedy and Creativity Keeping the Boring and Mundane Out
The Flat Earth Society How Tall is That Building?
6 – View Point
That's Total B.S. The Universal Experience Use View Point to Make Your Ideas Stick Simple Unexpected Concrete Credibility Emotion StorieS The Wonderful World of Shrink Wrap Uncover Your Inner Artist
7 – Universal Network
Changing the Application The Art of Originality Ferries and Flies Shuttlecocks and Rocket Ships
89 94 97 98 98 99 99 100 100 101 103 109 111 113 114 119 122 127 133 134 135
81 82
8 – Ideal Final Result 9 – Brainstorming
Zero Budget Raiders of the Broken Cable Brainstorming Basics Back to Basics Paid to Play Get Your Own Free Money
Part 2 – The Tactics
Create your own Answers
10 – The Lenses of TRIZ 11 – Segmentation
Denim Fads, Firefighting, and Corporate Subsidiaries Stonewashed Jeans Fight Fire with Mist Corporate Subsidiaries Animals and Autism
140 144
144 144 145 145 145 150 150 150 150 152 156 143
12 – Taking Out
Fiber Optics, Franchises, and Free CDs Follow the Light Franchise Me Cash Wrap Frameline Magnetism
13 – Local Quality
Know Me or No Me
Profit Sharing One-Stop Shopping and Multi-Purpose Shoes 18 – Weight Compensation 19 – Preliminary Counteraction Preheat Car Engines and Concrete Rebar Please the Negative Nicks 20 – Preliminary Action Simplify the Customer's Role Preparing for the Worst 21 – Beforehand Compensation 22 – Equipotentiality Searching for the Needle Keep Newton's Apple Afloat 23 – The Other Way Round 24 – Curvature 25 – Dynamics Furniture. and Siestas 30 – Continuity of Useful Action . and Ferraris Changing the Dynamic 26 – Partial or Excessive Action Exceeding Expectations Less Can Be More An Alternate Aspect 27 – Another Dimension 28 – Mechanical Vibration Shake Things Up Eyeballs and Astronauts 29 – Periodic Action Busy Bees Sabbaticals. Software.Catering to the Audience Surfing the World Wide Web 14 – Asymmetry 15 – Merging Differentiation and Functionality An Incorrect Example Cashing in on the View 163 167 173 175 179 189 190 193 196 200 203 206 208 212 217 221 223 223 222 219 219 212 210 210 206 203 201 196 195 190 186 187 179 180 181 175 173 170 163 164 158 159 16 – Multifunctionality 17 – Nested Doll Bill Gates and the Nutty Guys Sink or Swim The Best Bonus Feature Ever Salary v. Film.
and Daddies Learning to Fly and Fire 37 – Cheap Disposables 38 – Mechanical Interaction Substitution What's that Smell? Light as Air 39 – Pneumatics and Hydraulics 40 – Flexible Shells and Thin Films Protection and Prevention The Complaint Sponge 41 – Porous Materials 42 – Color/Clarity Changes Clarity and Transparency 43 – Homogeneity Cut from the Same Mold 44 – Discarding and Recovering 45 – Parameter Changes Melts in your Mouth. Diabetes. Not in Your Hands 46 – Phase Transitions Hannibal and Hot Air Balloons Spark Your Creativity 47 – Thermal Expansion 48 – Strong Oxidants 49 – Inert Atmosphere 50 – Composite Materials Conclusion Afterward Glossary Free Marketing and PR for your Company .31 – Skipping Scan Me. Please 225 228 234 240 243 246 249 251 255 257 262 265 271 273 275 277 282 284 288 292 294 296 298 296 284 277 275 271 268 263 259 255 254 249 246 243 241 234 229 227 32 – Blessing in Disguise Breakfast with the Birds 33 – Feedback Straight From the Horse's Mouth 34 – Intermediary 35 – Self-Service 36 – Copying Button Up Give 'Em a Piece of the Action Diapers.
www.Rocket-Science-Administration.Index What is Wizard Academy? 301 307 This book as been certified by the Rocket Science Administration for the highest level of quality in corporate training.com .
Wizard Academy is an absolute one-of-a-kind 8 . innovation. The Start of Something Magical "The two of us should put a new class together. If you are looking for brain-dead entertainment. Consider yourself forewarned. so I knew this was an important and serious project.Preface This is not a "_______ for Dummies" book." and "Little House on the Prairie" before dinner every night. "it doesn't require any real thought to enjoy it. Williams is a lifelong student of humanity. Roy H. and for most of us. and advertising. "What makes people do the things they do?" Roy is also the founder of the Wizard Academy.F. When my wife decides to read. a 21st Century Business School. change is hard. then please put this book down now. Roy doesn't usually call me out of the blue. This is a business book on creativity.D. This book is intended to teach you how to run your business and life better. which of course we all need to do at times. and the pages that follow do require some real thought. This book requires you to think." That's the same scoop I get when I ask her why she watches re-runs of "Mayberry R. The ideas and concepts presented here are intended to make you think about things differently. she usually picks up a Danielle Steel novel because. but after work she likes to give her mind a rest. and a bestselling author many times over who spent decades asking. marketing. That requires change. My wife is extremely intelligent." Those were Roy's first words when I answered the phone in the summer of 2006.
we'll cover the "tactics": Real-life solutions to universal problems. Most people's personality and predominate mode of thinking favors one side of the brain. organizations. and non-profits like yours. being inspired to play. Genrikh Altshuller. We love to spend time in both worlds. but both of us enjoy spending time in our other. This section should give you a solid starting point to help you understand and practice creativity and innovation. and examining the discoveries of people who were able to escape into their right brain and see beyond societal definitions of 'right' or 'wrong' thinking. This makes for an interesting mix of personalities and perspectives in a dual-instructed course. and desire for you to do the same. and Walt Disney. da Vinci and the 40 Answers. seeing the value in play. The first half of the book will cover the "basics" of creativity and innovation: relearning how to play. These men may not have used my exact terms to describe the principles of creativity. you'll understand the tactical approach to applying creativity based on the 40 Universal Answers. or even been conscious they were using them. We'll examine right-brain logic through the eyes of several great thinkers: Leonardo da Vinci. lesser-used hemisphere. That is one of the aims of this book: to convince you that you need to find a better state of balance by using both sides of your brain. My default mode is left-brain logical and Roy's is more rightbrain creative. was developed at the academy.institution. a series of specific techniques 9 . This course is currently taught both at the academy and at many corporations. The class Roy was referring to that day. In the second half of this book. At the end of this book. Buckminster Fuller. but I feel strongly that these basics are the common denominator of their great minds. I believe these basics were the foundation for these innovators' creativity.
which leaves most students feeling overwhelmed. In many cases you will realize the immediate association between Words of the Wizard and the correlating section. One of the goals of this book is to explain the 40 Answers. You will also see many of my own experiences described in this book as examples of times when the basics and fundamentals have worked for me." tools you can use to view the problem or opportunity from a unique perspective. economic. The technical view is simply too complicated for most people. At the end of many sections. Williams. In his study of hundreds of thousands of patents. political. TRIZ began with Genrikh Altshuller. This is intentional. The 40 Universal Answers are founded in principles of TRIZ – the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving. The lenses translate just as well as solutions to social. or principles. TRIZ is frequently taught from a very technical point of view.and perspectives." insights from Wizard Academy founder and one of the top business thinkers of today. I have found the principles of TRIZ to be an extremely useful set of tools. but have not been totally satisfied with the way TRIZ is taught to most students and readers. The lenses of TRIZ can be used to solve any problem. Altshuller determined there are only about 1. and operations. Roy H. The lenses are not just beneficial for technical disciplines. in any part of your business and life.500 basic problems – and each of these problems can be solved by applying one or more of the 40 universal answers. while in others the association is not so straightforward. you'll find "Words of the Wizard. and environmental issues. as "lenses. My hope is to explain all these concepts with examples that are relatively easy to digest and apply. sales. In those cases where the connection is not transparent it will require 10 . as well as marketing.
My hope is that the information within this book inspires you to draw your own connections and conclusions. Onward! 11 . In short.some thought to connect the two ideas. Can two different meanings of the same thing both be right? That's for you to decide. These supplemental sections support the concept of duality. This book is designed to give you the ability to "think outside of the box" at the snap of the fingers. I want you to learn to take your own mind to a higher level of creative thought. but the connections are always there. and come up with creative ideas and thoughts even beyond what I intended. you'll be handed the keys to innovation. It is my greatest hope that da Vinci and the 40 Answers helps provide a foundation of both basic and tactical ways to apply creativity and innovation in your world.
we must be able to then step back and look at the thing we haven't been looking at. What is the opposite of this thing or this problem? The scientific method is a problem-solving process. much less how to escape this cage. principles. Deductive reasoning applies logic that moves us from the general to the specific by using known facts. and properties to reach a conclusion. The box is the frame of reference. we use what we already know to determine the solution.Introduction "Proverbs contradict each other. Experiments are designed to test the hypothesis by examining one variable at a time in order to determine whether the theory is correct or incorrect. The 12 ." Stanislaw Jerzy Lec We've all heard the expression. the starting point for deductive reasoning. Scientific reasoning dictates that you begin with a hypothesis. That is the wisdom of a nation. a theory whose truth you wish to test. When we are facing a problem. we start with a known point. definitions. When we deduce something. When we identify a thing – an idea. "think outside the box. The problem with "the box" is quite simple. or a problem for example. then how do you discover a thing that is not directly relative to the known? The answer to this quandary lies in duality. Duality is the concept of equal but opposite." The problem with this concept is that many people do not understand what the box is. a concept. If you're starting with what is known and you're only willing to look at what can be extrapolated from the known. a principle.
The right brain uses pattern recognition. The right hemisphere of 13 . Can the opposite of something that is right still be right? That depends on which side of your brain you ask." These are very unusual words for a scientist. The hemispheres of the brain are objects of duality. Niels Bohr (1885 – 1962) was a Nobel Prize-winning Danish physicist who was recognized for his contributions to our understanding of atomic structure and quantum mechanics. These principles are unable to both be true at the same time – if one is right. uses horizontal thought.scientific method attempts to prove a theory by demonstrating that the theory cannot be disproved. To the left brain. Bohr seemingly contradicted this principle when he said. on the other hand. Thus. Yet Bohr says that the opposite of a profound truth is often another profound truth. The left brain uses analytical thought. Bohr was referring to the underlying principles of a truth that are mutually exclusive. This hemisphere of your brain is strongly bonded to the concept of duality. Mutually exclusive principles are incompatible with one another – they cannot be reconciled. However. and sequential. Left brain logic is vertical. The right brain. equal but opposite. "But the opposite of a profound truth is often another profound truth. deductive. rational. Bohr said that the opposite of a correct statement is an incorrect statement. the other must be wrong. which is classic duality – equal but opposite. but his thoughts touch on a very big idea. there are only two possibilities: right and wrong. Right Brain/Left Brain The human brain is divided into two hemispheres: the left brain and the right brain. if the hypothesis is correct then its opposites must be incorrect.
is off. or absolute. 14 . words that have specific definitions don't exist in the right brain. Your right brain is the reason that you sometimes wake up with a new idea – something that occurred to you during the night while you were sound asleep. your right brain is trying to make sense of the day. Our "intuition" is right-brain logic. It uses systemic leverage to solve not only one specific problem. The right brain allows us to pull back and understand the entire frame of reference. The left brain's projector. Your right brain has no real language functions. but also all the other problems that are connected to the issue. All of these things tumble across the divide and appear on the now empty visual. Then across the corpus callosum come the languages of the right brain – the languages of symbol. It is working to put the day's events into a recognizable pattern so that you can take the things that happened and assimilate them into your schema and outlook. your working memory. Therefore. When you dream. but the right brain is always awake and always churning. legalistic. but for the principle that underlies the solution. and associative memory. We call this dreaming. The right brain is looking for and trying to fit the strange pieces that it encountered during the day into a recognizable pattern.the brain is looking not just for the solution to the problem at hand. spatial sketch pad of the left hemisphere of the brain. When we go to sleep. the left brain disconnects and conscious awareness winks out. The languages of the right brain are not literal. color. simile. ritual. metaphor.
So what would be the function. I believe that the right brain doesn't know right from wrong for a reason: so you won't be handcuffed by what you think you know. what is the value of the right brain's logic? We have to believe that the right brain has a purpose. otherwise fully half of our brain is wasted. They are two different sides of the same thing. doesn't know fact from fiction – and the right brain doesn't care. has no morals. and reason for this half of man's brain? If the right brain doesn't know fact from fiction.The right brain has one other funny characteristic: it makes no judgment. doesn't know right from wrong. purpose. 15 . We assume there was a plan for man's brain. why would God give us a right brain? If the right brain cannot distinguish between right and wrong. that the brain was created intentionally rather than accidentally or that the brain evolved with an intelligent purpose. Think about that statement for a moment. so you won't be handcuffed by what you have been taught by authority figures. a hemisphere that is equal size in mass and complexity. We must recognize that when two things are equal but opposite they are also intrinsically connected. Half of your brain.
2. "Be for what is. First. Later. and that weasel needs to be slapped. where you are. Mahatma Gandhi. When your ears hear your lips start to sing the Song of the Weasel. Martin Luther King. they'd become a nuisance. with what you have.' 'If only I had invested in Chrysler when it was fifty cents a share. 4. you must learn to immediately slap the weasel within. If persistent. 2. Thomas Jefferson and George Washington.' 'If only my boss liked me better.. the way things are. incessantly singing their sad little song: If Only. Finally." I think I understand what Jamie is saying. the founder of a movement. What might happen if a person simply rejected the way things are and insisted on seeing them as they ought to be? 1. Do you find yourself moaning about the injustice of it all and wishing that things were different? Follow the advice of Jamie and Bigteeth Teddy Roosevelt.." Be for what is. let's examine the equal-but-opposite wisdom offered by that other hemisphere of your brain. 5. "Every man with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds." Now that we've established the wisdom of a pragmatic. Mon ebruar F for Be For What Is My friend Brett Feinstein occasionally quotes his business partner. the right. the person would be considered irrelevant. 3. who said. 'If only I had a better education. the way things ought to be. "Do what you can. Then a renegade. "Weasels are everywhere. an impractical dreamer. clear-eyed worldview. a serious troublemaker and a borderline criminal. as saying.' 'If only I had married someone else. The Wizard of Ads. Jamie. a rebel. I wrote about this in chapter 76 of my first book.mo gMe rnin 2007 o dayM y 12. There are basically two ways of seeing: 1.' There's a little weasel in all of us. a lunatic and a heretic." .Mark Twain 16 .
" . it becomes the practice of freedom. I believe Pablo Picasso would have loved it here. the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world. Wizard Academy is a school for cranks with new ideas. I really can't put it more plainly than that. one perspective at a time. who said. too. the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. in order that I may learn how to do it." You gotta love the Pablo. Therefore all progress depends upon the unreasonable man. or 2. And we've been doing it since the beginning of time. and marketing. Our plan is to change the world." Like me. Helen Keller would have been at home here.George Bernard Shaw I'm not trying to be mysterious when I say I agree with both of these equal-but-opposite worldviews. Paolo Freire. Frost realized that both perspectives are true." Paolo Freire would have liked Wizard Academy. She said. and we must Be the Crank with a New Idea if tomorrow is going to be better than today. It was my favorite pioneering educational genius from Brazil. Our society simply moves from one extreme to the other in an arc spanning exactly 40 years. Is there anything in your world that needs changing? Come to Austin and we'll talk about it. Williams 17 . an instrument which is used to facilitate integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity. But I think Robert Frost may have said it best: "Most of the change we think we see in life is due to truths being in and out of favor. "The heresy of one age becomes the orthodoxy of the next. We must Be for What Is if we are to accomplish anything in the short term. "I am always doing that which I cannot do. "Education either functions as 1. Roy H. the arts." Wizard Academy alumni are the creators of tomorrow's orthodoxy in the sciences."The reasonable man adapts himself to the world.
The left brain can't do that. "I don't care and it doesn't matter. and society. illegal." if you are ever going to see what has not been seen before. friends. You have to be able to escape the concrete rules of reality. this idea is perfectly correct. If this is ridiculous. preformatted information. unethical. But if we're only able to use what we already know. You have to have a vehicle of absurdity. I see that this is incorrect. When you need to think of new things." This place in our brain must be able to identify and then move beyond the duality of a problem. neighbors. We have to go to the place in our brain that has no concept of the fact that something could be immoral. you have to be able to escape the fear of judgment by your peers. or in any way impossible. doesn't know fact from fiction.Embrace Reckless Abandon If we're not going to be bound by yesterday's knowledge. All of these things are vitally important to the left brain and cannot be dismissed. that's classical classroom learning – a classical left brain download of pre-digested. a vehicle that says. nor can it ignore experience and authority. that's good. wrong. "Yes. If you believe that the only way to learn is through advice and example from an authority figure. and truly doesn't care. a vehicle of play. However. This rejection of impossibility is feasible because there is no place for impossibility in the right hemisphere of our brain. boss. We have to escape from the fear of shame and go to a place that doesn't know right from wrong. if we are to move beyond previously established knowledge and step out of the figurative box. coworkers. The left brain cannot ignore fact. There has to be a place in our brain to say. we have to escape. You must be able to push 18 . I need to move beyond the fact that this is incorrect in order to see that perhaps at another level. shameful. we'll never be able to move beyond our current level of knowledge.
" But the beagle was bringing the lawyer a clue to help him with his work. we're always in both. In our society. how much time do you think adults spend predominantly in the right half of their brains during their conscious waking hours? We are never only in one side of the brain as opposed to the other. The left brain thinks like the lawyer. I'm trying to concentrate. though. "I don't have time to play right now. because if that is true. half of your brain exists for no reason at all – half of your brain is wasted. The lawyer says. Most movies are absolute fantasy fiction.those influences out of your head. Unfortunately. the lawyer doesn't realize the significance of the beagle's gift. What few things do we do in our society as adults that would qualify as mostly right brain activities? Watching a movie or reading a fiction book is a right-brain activity. A willing suspension of disbelief is required to enjoy these pursuits. The beagle runs over and drops something at the feet of the lawyer. The right brain is not married to right and wrong and it doesn't care. or accuracy. but the beagle cannot speak and explain his gift. Luckily. I believe that most of the time we're predominantly in our left brain with our right brain supporting. Free the Beagle In Roy H. The left brain has an ego. the right brain has no shame and no concept of ethics. judgment. He thinks that his intellect is enough to solve the problem and disregards the beagle's assistance. William's book Free the Beagle. he asks readers to imagine that their left brain is a lawyer and their right brain is the lawyer's pet beagle. We delve into the 19 . Don't ever let anyone convince you that the left brain is enough alone. Leave me alone. The beagle brought the lawyer a valuable treasure.
He understood that there was sometimes truth in the opposite of a "correct" statement. but 90% of the books purchased each year are fiction. If you're playing because someone told you to." Freedom is actually a bigger game than power. Ninety percent of the books written each year are nonfiction. you are not truly playing. a widely respected. Unfortunately. We think that people want facts. For an activity to be play. If you play because you want to win a trophy. Bohr. you're not really playing for pleasure and therefore not really playing. and you must have fun. and don't let anybody tell you any different. understood that you have to have an outlet of ridiculousness to stimulate your right brain so that you are no longer limited by what is known to be possible. You have to develop the willingness to say yes to the absurd.right hemisphere of our brain in order to escape the judgmental. the activity must be intrinsically motivating. hard-core scientist. Kurt Vonnegut once said. but the reality is that people want to escape from facts.1 That is a mindboggling statistic. "I tell you. In order to be able to escape the left brain's absolute reverence of right and wrong. analytical taskmaster of the left brain. Power is about what you can control. you have to be able to truly play. we are here on Earth to fart around. true play is not as easily achieved as one might think. Which entity do you think is bigger – that which you can control or that which is beyond our control and recognition? 1 Wizard Academy Press 20 . You must derive pleasure from your play. Play must also be freely chosen. but freedom is about what you can unleash. to the impulse. Play must be actively engaging. People want to play and have the child inside of them unleashed.
a pattern you'll recognize when you've climbed higher than where you stand." The beagle called Intuition might seem to be a chaser of rabbits. In the biggest news since Tiger Woods won the U.or using them to buy groceries rather than treats like electronics.. Curiosity. a runaway balloon on a windy day. Do you want to climb higher? Follow your beagle. yesterday noted that redemptions were below its expectations. Roy H. The February 8. and big chains appeared to be girding themselves for a prolonged slowdown in consumer spending by announcing plans to close hundreds of stores and cut thousands of jobs. rowdy without decorum.. beagles are the symbol of curiosity and intuition. Haven't you heard? Maintaining the status quo will yield a decline in 2008 for most business categories. but the joy of the beagle is neither random nor reckless. Open a beagle has taken top honors at Westminster for the first time in history.emo ngM 8 orni 5. Her path connects the dots of an image too big to see. instead offered a glimpse at just how strapped consumers are. She'll lead you to success. 2008 will be a grand adventure if you'll raise an intuitive ear and listen to what's blowing on the wind. Williams 21 . Arooo! Aroo-Aroooooo! In the happy little village where I spend a lot of time. issue of the Wall Street Journal had this to say: "Retailers turned in their worst monthly sales results in nearly five years. Intuition.. 2008." "Even gift-card redemptions. Wal-Mart Stores Inc.. and said consumers were holding onto the cards longer -. which were expected to give January sales figures a bigger lift. 200 M nday uary 2 Mo ebr F for 2008: Year of the Beagle Courage.S. reliable guides to success in 2008.
Unleashing our Inner Wizard At Wizard Academy. I'm not like you. our wisdom is not universally celebrated. We are in danger of remaining irrelevant to the rest of society if we don't come up with an analytical. you must fully recognize the duality and interconnectedness of the human brain. The aim of this book is to take these rightbrain concepts and explain them in a way that everyone can comprehend. To escape the knowledge of what can't be done requires that you go into your right brain. But first. We don't want people to say." In fact. left-brain way of explaining these ideas and making them accessible to others. And you're just weird. I'm not fun loving and free and uninhibited and I don't get it. we're going to address some silly things. We celebrate the weirdos. "Well. What worries us is that society will continue to ignore our ideas simply because they can't understand. we celebrate outsider thinking and the wisdom of absurdity and audacity. 22 . So now. sequential. logical. renegades. This type of thinking tends to be marginalized by society. Unfortunately. and mavericks – those that understand the importance of "thinking outside the box. these very traits are a defining characteristic of the people who are attracted to Wizard Academy. We want to teach people what creative people do unconsciously so that they can make a conscious effort to produce similar results." Their criticism isn't what worries us because we've lived with that kind of stereotyping our whole life.
Part 1 – The Basics .
He loves them so much that he buys caged creatures just so that he can set them free. so he is known only by the name of the mountain under whose shadow he was born: Lenny Albano.Lenny. Is your imagination intact? Long walks in the hills surrounding Mt. Estranged parents. Neither Lenny's father nor his mother is willing to give Lenny their family name. odd relationships. but how he spends it reveals his soul. but he doesn't care. How do you spend your money? People laugh when Lenny becomes a vegetarian." Jules De Gaultier aterina dumps baby Lenny on her boyfriend then moves to town and gets married to someone else. and Walt 1 C "Imagination is the one weapon in the war against reality. Buck. But his imagination is intact. How Lenny makes his money is unimportant. He goes 24 . People have laughed at him since the day he was born. Hank. Lenny hides from them by taking journeys in his mind. a badly broken situation. Albano cause Lenny to fall in love with animals. An unwanted child. Lenny grows up strangely in this remote rural neighborhood without access to comic books or video games.
Lenny is very smart. and painter. and Walt Disney: the giants of innovation and creativity who rocked the world as we knew it. da Vinci is considered to be one of the greatest painters who ever lived. sculptor. Lenny scribbles his thoughts in journals and draws little pictures in their margins. Lenny isn't completely alone in his quirky curiosity. I think Lenny would have laughed had he known. a man named Chris sails West to look for the East. famous for his 25 . futurist. geometer. And for some strange reason we insist on calling Lenny of Vinci.exploring deep inside his own head. We choose instead to call him by the name of the village he was from. But we no longer call him by the name of the mountain under whose shadow he was born. Would you like to learn to see the world as Lenny did? In this section we'll look at the world through the eyes of Leonardo da Vinci. Genrikh Altshuller. anatomist. But Lenny's deep curiosity causes him to be easily distracted. 1519) Infinitely curious and inventive. Leonardo. inventor. And I think he would have fit right in at Wizard Academy. Long after Lenny dies. Lenny (April 15. When Lenny is 40. the world realizes how far ahead of time he had been. In fact. Although lots of people are willing to buy his paintings. Leonardo da Vinci was a polymath: an architect. Lenny is amazed by the things he finds. Bill Gates recently paid $30 million for just one of Lenny's journals. Go figure. Buckminster Fuller. engineer. Although no publisher is willing to publish these random thoughts. rarely can he stay focused long enough to finish one. 1452 – May 2. Sigmund Freud said Lenny was like a man who awoke too early in the darkness while the others were all still asleep.
I became more 26 . double hull ships. not vertical. "I got my first patent while in the tenth grade. The helicopter. 1926 – September 24. The legendary curiosity of Leonardo da Vinci was horizontal. calculator. tank. theory of plate tectonics. 1998) Genrikh Altshuller was a Russian engineer. as well as for influential drawings such as the Vitruvian Man. journalist. Hank (October 15. civil engineering. Lenny's approach to science was that of a curious observer. modern science was only in its infancy when Lenny was alive and the greatness of his ideas was not recognized. and writer. Later there were other inventions. astronomy. Leonardo conceived visions of things vastly ahead of his time. and hydrodynamics (the study of water). and the use of concentrated solar power were conceptualized by Leonardo. optics. Altschuller said. He never studied narrow and deep. As Freud said. he would never have been able to contribute such a vast array of knowledge to the world. If he had been hung up on the details or been driven by a need to prove or disprove his observations.realistic paintings. scientist. although very few of his designs were constructed or even feasible during his lifetime. Rather than examining his observations and discoveries through the lens of experiments or explanation. Lenny was like a man who awoke too early in the darkness while the others were all still asleep. Lenny looked for the pattern – the connectedness of things. Although da Vinci greatly advanced our knowledge in the fields of anatomy. And Suddenly the Inventor Appeared. In his book. da Vinci simply tried to understand the world by describing and depicting each phenomenon as he saw it. such as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. I worked at the patent office and had meetings with different inventors.
only to discover that there are only about 1. I was not convinced and disbelieved them immediately and without argument. How were inventions made? What happens in the head of the inventor?" Altshuller believed that it was possible for people to "learn" to become inventors. In Creativity as an Exact Science. His original intention for the creation of TRIZ was to solve engineering and design issues. Every answer to every problem is found within the 40 principles of TRIZ (pronounced trees). Incredibly. Altshuller studied hundreds of thousands of patents.500 basic problems. he said. the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving. Today TRIZ is a set of tools – a model-based technology for generating 27 . however. he also found that each of these problems could be solved by applying one or more of the 40 universal answers. That's right. Altshuller embarked on a mission to prove his theory and establish a set of generic rules to explain the conception of new patentable ideas. the principles of TRIZ are now being successfully applied to both social issues and business dilemmas.and more interested in the mechanics of creativity. Altshuller's curiosity led him to question the "learnability" of creativity. "Although people who had achieved a great deal in science and technology talked of the inscrutability of creativity. Why should everything but creativity be open to scrutiny? What kind of process can this be which unlike all others is not subject to control? … what can be more alluring than the discovery of the nature of talented thought and converting this thinking from occasional and fleeting flashes into a powerful and controllable fire of knowledge?" Altshuller's personal creativity was devoted to understanding creativity and innovation in others. While working on a commission on innovation for the Russian Navy.
reaching millions through his public lectures and interviews 2 Buckminster Fuller Institute. creative thinker. penniless. discredited and jobless. 1895 – July 1. and the humanities • created work which was gathered into the permanent collections of museums around the globe • received dozens of major architectural and design awards including the Gold Medal of the American Institute of Architects and the Gold Medal of the Royal Institute of British Architects • circled the globe 57 times." Over the course of the next 54 years. and he had a wife and newborn daughter. at the age of 32. Buckminster Fuller stood on the shores of Lake Michigan. prepared to throw himself into the freezing waters and end his life. Fuller2 • was awarded 28 U. Accessed 22 Feb. Buckminster Fuller chose to embark on what he called "an experiment to discover what the little. 2008. but to the universe. In short. His first child had died. 28 . Buck (July 12. Altshuller's ideas have made it possible for anyone to learn to become a systematic. 1983) In 1927.S. During the course of this remarkable experiment. engineering.org. he proved time and again that his most controversial ideas were both practical and workable. not to himself. At that moment. Standing on the shore on the verge of suicide. He was bankrupt.bfi. science. patents • wrote 28 books • received 47 honorary doctorates in the arts. Altshuller's work has made TRIZ both teachable and learnable. Buck was suddenly struck by the thought that his life belonged. www.innovative ideas and solutions. unknown individual might be able to do effectively on behalf of all humanity.
000 of Fuller's domes have been built around the world. strongest. how?" As a practical philosopher. 1901 – December 15. and most cost-effective structure ever invented. Disney looked at the connectedness of things. limitations. and if so. while others still exist only on paper. Regardless of their current status. in part because of both men's use of highly visual and physical fantasies in their discoveries. and was able to create new combinations using existing elements. He devoted his life to answering the question. enabled him to provide the public with what they desired. The domes become proportionally lighter and stronger as they grow in size. Today. His domes are able to cover more space without internal supports than any other enclosure.Buckminster Fuller was another man who lived before his time. Disney possessed the capability to uncover new relationships between concepts and look at subjects from an entirely new view point. Walt Disney's creativity was twofold. or restraint. Disney's creative capabilities have been compared to those of Albert Einstein. This creativity 29 . 1966) Walter Elias Disney is known as one of the most influential and innovative figures in the 20th century entertainment industry. he viewed his ideas as "artifacts. The geodesic dome is viewed today as a breakthrough in architectural design due to its cost-effectiveness and ease of construction. His unique ability to see the "big picture" without the hindrance of boundaries. Fuller believed each of his creations were technically viable. more than 300. Fuller is best known for the creation of the geodesic dome – the lightest." Some of these inventions were built as prototypes. Disney was a master of visual and spatial intelligence. Walt (December 5. "Does humanity have a chance to survive lastingly and successfully on planet Earth.
we'll discuss the "basics" of these four men's creative thought processes and 30 . we're convinced we must start with public need. or visual depiction of Disney's fantasies. Like the other great minds we've examined in this chapter. Hank." Great Minds Think Alike All of these great men were seen as misfits. One of Disney's greatest innovations was the development of the story board. Although these innovators could not have been conscious of their common link. Disney's physical fantasies also came to fruition. even as the processes they used varied. EPCOT. Lenny. but in all actuality they were creative geniuses. and Walt all used the same fundamentals of creativity and innovation. And the need is not just for curing the old ills of old cities. The story board. In my opinion. "I don't believe there is a challenge anywhere in the world that is more important to people everywhere than finding the solutions to the problems of our cities. We think the need is for starting from scratch on virgin land and building a community that will become a prototype for the future.enabled Disney to imagine new technologies that paved the way to improved business processes. Was Leonardo da Vinci instinctively using the 40 Answers of Genrikh Altshuller's TRIZ? In the coming chapters. Disney was concerned with the obstacles standing in the way of human creativity. Buck. But where do we begin? Well. the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. I believe their thought processes are evidence of their mutual greatness. Disney said. allowed him to document and communicate "the big picture" behind his big ideas. was designed as a live showcase for the creativity of American industry.
Would you like to learn? 31 ." "View Point. I have named these basics: "Peel the Onion. creativity and innovation can be taught." As these great thinkers have proved." and "Universal Network. I believe these men. used these basics either consciously or unconsciously.examine how these principles align with the "tactics" of TRIZ. as well as most creative minds." "Sensible Design." "Try It." "Clear as Mud." in addition to the TRIZ fundamental "Ideal Final Result.
The burn rate of this particular batch of propellant was. but this batch looks more stretched out than normal. I also knew from experience that we weren't leaving that room until we had come up with some new theories. I knew my boss was waiting for someone to throw out an idea. "Is the shape within specs?" Joe asked. "AP particles are never perfectly round. We had been over the specifications for the raw materials and everything was "nominal." The shape was the only thing I had noticed that might be different. the general manager of Thiokol Corporation. "The AP particles. but after a long pause that seemed to span hours of time. They are more elongated like an ellipse of sorts." I replied. well … acting funny. "What is more hot-dog shaped?" Joe Lombardo. I was afraid to say anything at all." Yiddish Proverb "Well. demanded. Truthfully." as rocket scientists often say." Ammonium Percholorate (AP) is a major ingredient in the fuel used by Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters. 2 32 .Peel the Onion "A man should live if only to satisfy his curiosity. more like a hot dog. AP is a finely ground powder that could be mistaken for flour if you didn't know any better. they are more hot-dog shaped than normal. at least relative to the specifications.
even though this step was not required. but you would probably think so. Fortunately. let's peel this onion back a little further. I didn't write it. 33 ." "OK. I was curious enough myself to want to know why the propellant was acting funny before the meeting. "Let's shake hands with the physics." Joe Lombardo had several signature phrases he used to encourage curiosity and critical thought." "Really? Well." was one of his favorites. yes and no. I didn't have any idea what I would find. It doesn't say anything about shape. Does the particle shape affect the burn characteristics?" "I don't know."Well." was another. That was before my time. He wanted his team to remain curious at all times in order to get to the bottom of what was going on. then let's peel the onion back another layer and go find out. in general this funny batch seemed more hot-dog like. We learned through a subsequent investigation that the shape did have an effect on the propellant burn rate. I compared what I saw under the scope to earlier data. but once everything was found to be within spec. We got a lot smarter by peeling the layers of the onion and always asking "why" (or why not). Although I could not pinpoint the difference exactly. I decided to look at the AP under a microscope. "Peel the onion. The spec only covers particle size." "Then why does the spec not cover shape?" "I don't know.
if you're starting with what is known and you're only willing to look at what can be extrapolated from the known. Nobody in the world knows how the solar radiometer works. perhaps you will find Roy's summation of my statement easier to digest. we actually have no idea. You know how a solar radiometer works." Sadly. As we discussed in the introduction. The problem with conventional wisdom is twofold. then how do you discover a thing that is not directly relative to the known? Furthermore: Conventional wisdom is wrong 100% of the time…. right? When the sunlight shines on the dome. "Conventional wisdom at its best is still incomplete. or Canadian school system has studied the solar radiometer at some point in their education.Everything You Know is Wrong This kind of curious attitude makes innovation and discoveries possible. conventional wisdom kills curiosity – and without curiosity there can be no creativity. The solar radiometer was designed by William Crooks in 1873. Too many people rely on conventional wisdom as the primary source of knowledge and information. The more intense the sunlight is. in some context or percentage. Middle School Science Class Every person who has been through the U. the paddles spin. So let's get curious for a moment. 34 .. But how does a solar radiometer really work? Do you remember? Despite what you might have learned in school. the faster the paddles spin. If that statement shocks you.S.
yet we continue to teach our students inaccurate theories. These principles apply to all aspects of your 35 . none of these theories are accurate. Regardless of the fact that all of these teachings are incorrect. • Radiation Pressure o The photon pressure is too weak to move the vanes.Below are some common theories as to how the radiometer works. you'll find the reason why that theory must be incorrect. o Why would it hit the black side anymore than anything else? • Outgassing of Black Material o The radiometer would quit working when the gas is gone. but in reality. • Gas Pressure o The air is warmer on the black side. school teachers continue to perpetuate the "conventional wisdom" behind the workings of this machine. We have no idea how a solar radiometer works. Beneath each theory. but it doesn't. What do you think that does to their curiosity? You Swine The principles in this book do not apply exclusively to technical or scientific issues. • Photoelectric Effect o The radiometer works with material that has no photoelectric properties • Convection Currents o Why would the vanes blow in a single direction? We take all of these reasons why the radiometer works for granted. The way a radiometer works is just one of thousands and thousands of things that we are taught that just is not true.
) "Well let's peel this onion back a little." "Does your competition provide a better product or service?" "No. in fact. I used "Peel the Onion" a couple of years ago with one of my clients. The 2% of customers that actually leave us leave because they got out of the pig business all together or the owner died!" (FYI – yes. The average herd is about 36 . She sells pigs for a living – not exactly rocket science." "Why?" (keep peeling) "Well it is the risk of switching to us. It doesn't make sense. in fact even our competition will admit we have the best bloodline and breed of pigs on the market. All of the review magazines rate us number one. "So what issues do you want to work on today in our creative thinking workshop?" "We need more sales!" (Never heard that one before) "Why do you think sales are not growing like you want them to?" "I don't know. If you have the best product on the market what is stopping you from getting more market share?" "Customers just don't want to switch providers even when they know we can offer them something better.business and personal life. we have the highest customer retention rate in the business: 98%. there are pig review magazines out there.
I'm not asking if time travel is possible. why don't you guarantee potential customers that you will pay the $250. they want to turn the industry on its head before the competition knows what hit them. They can't afford that kind of loss.a $250. I don't mention the company name at their request." "No one in the industry offers anything that radical. Never. They are quickly gaining market share. but rather 37 . If they switched to us and our herd acquired a disease or something the loss could financially ruin them. Promise to replace their herd with the herd of their choice if they get sick.000 if anything happens. or at least a very remote risk of illness. Time Travel We view time travel as a science fiction fantasy. and my joy. If you are so confident that your product is superior and that there is literally no.000 investment and they feel the risk in switching is too great. but has time travel been proven? Think about that question from a curious point of view." "Why not be the first and dramatically differentiate yourself then?" To their credit." "Never? Really? Never?" "No. We have the best breed on the market. they implemented this policy." "Then why don't you eliminate the risk for them? Put your money where your mouth is." "Does this ever happen with your pigs?" "No never.
GPS systems use geometry and triangulation to determine the distance. "What if Einstein's theory was right?" The satellites fly around at different speeds and different distances from an observer on the ground. someone raised the question. GPS receivers pick up signals from the satellites and determine your position by measuring how long the radio signal took to get to your receiver and bounce back. the slower time goes relative to that object. or a thousand times longer to degrade. Fortunately.whether or not the theory of time travel has been proven. a hundred. and they know exactly how long it takes each particle to degrade. How can that be possible unless time was slowing down for the observer? The Global Positioning System (GPS) is essentially a bunch of clocks on satellites. However. Einstein's Theory of Relativity says that the faster an object goes. the particle takes ten. In fact. then the clocks would have all shown different times and the whole system would be worthless. If Einstein was in fact correct. They watch this occurrence thousands of times. time travel is proven every single day. there was a big debate about the extra cost of upgrading the satellite system to update the clocks continuously based on the orbit changes and speeds. Scientists can watch a particle degrade in a particle accelerator. When the GPS system was being designed. when you fly a particle in a particle accelerator past an observer at a speed near the speed of light. Guess what? Einstein was exactly right. they ultimately decided to spend the extra money to upgrade the 38 . time will stop for the observer. As a result of this conversation. time travel has been proven thousands of times. When you approach the speed of light. Although this may come as a surprise to some.
GPS clocks. 39 . How in the world could the SRBs be 12°F when the temperature outside was 36°F? Most people ignore this discrepancy. on average. do you think Alzheimer's is a form of time travel? Are you sure? Space Shuttle Challenger At times. however.org/wiki/2d_Space_Operations_ Squadron. many times. 3 2D Space Operations Squadron. On January 28th. The cause of the catastrophe was eventually revealed to be the Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) O-rings. 2008. 1986. is a phenomenon that only people and living things can experience. creativity doesn't require any more than some plain old common sense and a little curiosity. Accessed 23 Feb. Time travel has been proven many. by a United States Air Force team known as the 2nd Space Operations Squadron (2 SOPS)3. I suppose they assume the difference was due to "wind chill." Wind chill. Conventional wisdom was once again … wrong. http://en. but the outside surface temperature of the SRBs was. By the way. It was widely reported that the O-rings failed due to the cold temperatures at the launch.wikipedia. every day. 12°F. GPS clocks are updated continuously. the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded during launch. but could the weather alone really have caused the accident? At the time of launch it was 36°F outside.
The beer is chilled to perfection. the temperature never dropped that low during the night either. All wind chill does is makes you feel colder. Consider this real-life application. Wind chill is the sensation you get when cold air blows across your skin and removes some of the heat your body has produced. You're at the beach with a cooler full of beer on a warm summer day. you know what's going to happen. This 36°F wind should have heated the SRB to 36°F as well. What do you think is going to happen? Well.Wind chill does not relate to actual temperature. Furthermore. The beer can't stay cold unless something is keeping it cold. then what is your explanation for the SRBs being 12°F? For the record. The SRBs couldn't possibly have stayed at 12°F unless something was keeping them that cold: something that has nothing to do with the weather. You pop open a beer and stick the can in the dirt. yet the SRBs are only 12°F. This mysterious coolant would have to be something really. so the vent couldn't have reached the 40 . Now 36°F sounds cold to you and me. But for something that is not alive. So you have this 36°F wind blowing past the SRBs. cold to keep the SRBs at 12°F with all that hot air blowing past them. the vent at the top of the ET is 150 feet away. In the 1980s the External Tank (ET) experienced periodic problems with cracks and leaks. Could the liquid hydrogen and/or liquid oxygen have been leaking on the SRBs? If you don't think so. The beer is going to get warm. there is no such thing as wind chill. like the Space Shuttle. but that's a warm temperature compared to 12°F. The only thing on the launch pad that I know of that has that kind of cooling power was the liquid hydrogen (423°F below zero) and liquid oxygen (297°F below zero) in the external tank. but it didn't. really.
And it's not like there weren't a lot of smart people looking at this. Curiosity hasn't killed anything – in fact. fit. nor was tuna sold in soft packaging. There was no lemonflavored.bottom of the SRBs. tuna was just tuna. I am not against the Space Program. herb seasoned tuna. you couldn't be more wrong. curiosity itself is killed by conventional wisdom. light. Why was tuna sold in the exact same form. Aren't you curious why the SRBs were 12°F? The presidential report makes no mention nor offers any explanation of how the SRBs could be 12°F when it was a balmy 36°F outside. Did everyone miss this discrepancy? Why were more people not more curious about this puzzling temperature differentiation? Why didn't more people "Peel the Onion" and try to resolve the temperature discrepancy? Note to readers: Yes. "What else can we do?" 41 . and function "can" for almost 100 years? For a long time. That position was the highlight of my career. Sally Ride. no. Richard Feynman. Why is that? All those possibilities existed for those 100 years. No one stopped and asked themselves. I know this is a controversial subject and. Mostly because people didn't stop to question why. There wasn't any oil or albacore. Curiosity Killed … If you thought I was going to say the cat. I had the honor and privilege to work on the Space Shuttle for 15 years. or anything fancy – just tuna. 1986. I was at the launch pad on January 28. and Chuck Yeager were all part of the investigation team. I hate that saying. By the way. Neil Armstrong. either. Think about tuna fish for a moment.
because challenging wisdom and authority is fun. But did you challenge the interpretation of the regulations? Because there's a very good chance that when the regulations were written their intentions may have been something altogether different. someone always interrupts me to say. tell me how many of you have actually read the regulation?" I'll usually get one or two brave souls who will put their hands in the air. because most people have no idea what they're talking about. you read them." or "We already know how that works so why are you still talking about it?!" What Do I Know? I'm Just a Doctor! My doctor's real name isn't Becker. and two. The previous year my cholesterol had gone up just slightly. which was very depressing. I'll bet you that the original intent of the regulation and your interpretation are not the same. I essentially had no exercise regiment prior to that. but afterward I went into fat-free mode and started 42 . Then I say." And the people drop their hands. One day. "OK.Challenging conventional wisdom and being curious is one of the most important things I've ever done. Conventional wisdom kills curiosity because someone always steps in and says. I was sitting in my doctor's office anxiously waiting to hear the results of my most recent cholesterol screening. I say. By a show of hands." When someone says that. I stop. "We can't do that here. "OK. I constantly challenge wisdom and authority for two reasons. When I present classes to major organizations. "You can't do it that way. but the role played by Ted Danson in the popular sitcom proves a remarkable likeness in personality. One. That's against our policies and/ or regulations.
Yes. but I almost never take anything at face value. Well. buy fat-free everything. My cholesterol level was 30 points higher. but… come on. I was certain my current cholesterol level would be outstanding. which is a great thing. this surely qualified as nuts to me. I don't want to take anymore meds. I was a year older. Even though you're trying to eat better and exercising. As a result of my hard work. The test results couldn't be right." "I think we should put you on Lipitor. In spite of my protests. it sucks getting old doesn't it? Aging is that one thing you can't control." "What? Older? It has only been a year! Urrrrrrr…this doesn't make any sense. 43 .walking 4 miles a day. Let me think about it for a while. the test results painted a different picture. Most people would probably just do as the doctor ordered. I couldn't wait to hear the great results. It can't be true. your curiosity needs to kick into high gear. It's not fair. a couple of years earlier my doctor had put me on a low dose of blood pressure medication. Unfortunately. This makes no sense. and walk 4 miles a day. I don't even like to take aspirin. I don't eat beef brisket anymore… ever! I don't eat any sausage. these efforts are obviously not enough. never go to McDonalds. "That's impossible." "Yeah." "No." When something makes no sense to you.
So I racked my brain for days. I went back to Becker to explain my discovery." So I handed him the printout of the article with the Arthritis Foundation logo prominently displayed at the top of the page." 44 . The only thing I could come up with was this: two years prior to the test I started taking a dietary supplement called glucosamine sulfate." "Oh … well they are a pretty reputable organization. but be careful and watch your triglycerides. So I went to the Internet to do some research. I had read that this supplement helps with joints – elbows. After some time. I thought that this nutrient might ease the pain I felt on walks. glucosamine sulfate is made from shellfish and has been known to elevate cholesterol in some people. "This is some research I found from the Arthritis Foundation. "I found this information about glucosamine sulfate on the Internet…. What else could be causing this spike? What had changed in my life in the last one or two years? I was exercising more and eating better. ankles and knees – and as I had sprained my knee a few years ago snowshoeing. they are nothing but a bunch of kooks." I began. At the end of the article it said: "Yes. I found a page on the Arthritis Foundation's Web site that talked about glucosamine sulfate. "Don't believe anything you read on the Web. but my cholesterol was going in the wrong direction. glucosamine sulfate can help lubricate your joints and make them feel better." Aha! I'd found the smoking gun.
It pays to peel the onion back. I read a trade journal from an industry I know nothing about. two-hour sessions each week to do nothing but think and try something new. I took a 1. I actually went to kindergarten for a day. Even though I proved my own wisdom wrong. I've even read a couple of chapters in a Danielle Steele book (I almost threw up.Thirty seconds of complete radio silence. "Well. my cholesterol was 30 points lower and back under the limit." So I did. 45 . I'm proud to say that I questioned myself.000 car sample. Last year. and what do you know? The numbers came out even. I've scheduled two. She didn't agree. or I go to the junk yard. I got curious. I got curious and took action to find out whether or not I was right. Spark Your Own Curiosity I recently had an argument with my wife about cell phones and driving. So. Get off the crap for 2 months and come back and we will check your levels again. Ever since I was 20 years old. I sat in my driveway for several hours and counted how many men and women I saw drive by on their phones. If I did not have a curious nature about most everything I would have been on another needless medication. what the hell do I know? I'm just your doctor. I also spend one day of each month doing the same thing. no wait … honestly I did throw up) – just to make me think about something in a different way. One of the biggest things I've done for my career is to schedule learning time. I believed that women talked on cell phones while driving more than men. Two months later.
How many people do you know that actually do that? How many people actually schedule time to think about new things and learn? Quite frankly, not enough. What outside people, places, activities, and situations do you use to stimulate your thinking? What do you do when you're facing a mental block on an issue? The next time you have a problem, ask for help. Just don't ask the "expert." The expert is probably not the best person to approach to find new ideas. An expert is the authority on a subject because they are well versed in conventional wisdom. Specialization is a fact of life, but specialization also limits creativity. There is a great need for cross-fertilization to generate new ideas. Rather than asking the expert, purposefully pick someone in a different industry or department to talk to. If you're ever in need of a new sounding board, go to score.org. This Web site is run by a bunch of retired CEOs and executives who have nothing to do but give you their advice (for free!). On the drop-down menu of industries, select someone in a field that has nothing to do with your problem. If you have a marketing question, pick an IT guy – and pray. Of course, you'll have to send your target an e-mail that explains why you've picked them; otherwise their first reaction will be "you've got the wrong guy." You've got to tell them that you don't have the wrong guy – that you picked them because you're looking for a new perspective. Try that out for some fresh ideas. You can also take somebody that you really hate out to lunch. Yes … someone you truly hate. Present the problem or issue that's been troubling you and then shut up for 15 minutes. You probably won't have an easy time keeping your mouth shut, but just try anyway. I promise they will say something that will make you think of something creative that you hadn't thought
of before – and you might just find out that you don't actually hate the person. Challenge yourself to do something new. Schedule a time each week to do something to spark your curiosity. You can even start small. Try taking a walk each morning and looking for 10 new things that you have never noticed before, even if you have walked that path 1,000 times. You'd be surprised by how much more you'll notice about your world when you look at it from a new perspective. As Charlie "Tremendous" Jones once said, "The only difference between where you are now and where you'll be next year is the books you read and the people you meet." In Alan Lightman's book, A Sense of the Mysterious, he says, "Not long ago, sitting at my desk at home, I suddenly had the horrifying realization that I no longer waste time." Read both of these passages again. Remember: 100% of the time, at least a part of conventional wisdom is wrong. If you never stop to question what you already know, if you never stop to indulge your curiosity, you'll never discover anything new. Remain curious, just like our friend Lenny.
Try It
"I have not failed. I've found 10,000 ways that don't work." Thomas Alva Edison Most new discoveries don't result in a "eureka" moment, but rather a puzzled, "what the hell just happened?" That ever-elusive eureka moment is the result of testing, experimenting, demonstrating, and asking questions. The end result is often unexpected, but once the unforeseen result has reared its head, the accidental inventor's curiosity will take over and ask, "Why?" At that point, the inventor has to test and demonstrate to explain their unexpected results.
The Radar Range
In 1940, scientists Sir John Randall and Dr. H.A. Boot invented the magnetron, a key component of radar, in a lab at Birmingham University in England. Radar, which stands for Radio Detecting And Ranging, was used to bounce microwaves off enemy war crafts to detect their presence.4 In 1946, Dr. Percy Spencer accidentally stumbled upon an entirely new use for the magnetron. The engineer was running tests on a magnetron tube in his Raytheon Company lab when he was hit by a chocolate craving. Spencer reached into his pocket to retrieve the treat and realized that his chocolate bar had melted into a gooey mess. Spencer knew that the magnetron produced heat, but he had
Microwave Ovens. http://home.nycap.rr.com/useless/microwaves/index.html. Accessed 01 Mar. 2008.
not felt any of the heat waves during the test. He also suspected that the magnetron was responsible for the current state of his chocolate – after all, his body heat had never melted a bar before. So, Spencer got curious. He decided to explore his accidental discovery further and ask "why?" He placed a bag of popcorn in front of the magnetron tube, and the popcorn popped all over the floor. The next day, he decided to try to cook an egg. Another scientist got a little too close and the egg blew up in his face – but the egg was in fact, cooked. And so, Raytheon created the first microwave oven, known as the Radar Range.
The Pill Did What?!
In the 1990s, a group of pharmaceutical chemists at Pfizer's Sandwich, Kent research facility in England created a compound known as Sidenafil. Sidenafil was designed to treat hypertension (high blood pressure) and angina pectoris (a form of cardiovascular disease). Clinical trials revealed that although the drug did little to treat angina, there was one totally unexpected, yet remarkable side effect.5 Sidenafil induced penile erections. Known today as Viagra, this little blue pill was approved for use as an erectile dysfunction aid by the FDA in March 1998. Viagra was the first pill on the market to treat E.D., and quickly became a runaway success. Between 1999 and 2001, annual sales of Viagra exceeded $1 billion! Nobody in the world dreamed about Viagra's "side effect." I wish I had been able to be a part of that research team. On a paper survey of the drug's effects, how many people do you
Sildenfil. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viagra. Accessed 29 Feb. 2008.
think were forthcoming about that unexpected result? Once the researchers discovered the drug's more popular (and marketable) use, they had to actually test and demonstrate the medication.
Fight Fire with Fire
Researchers believe that smallpox first surfaced in human civilization around 10,000 B.C.6 Smallpox was an epidemic of epic proportions at the turn of the last millennium. During the 18th century alone, the disease killed an estimated 400,000 people each year, including five reigning European monarchs. Smallpox proved fatal in 20 to 60% of infection cases, with even more tragic results in children. Eighty percent of children infected with the disease died. In 1796 a doctor in rural England took note of a peculiar thing. Dr. Edward Jenner noticed that milk maids who were infected with a skin disease known as cowpox appeared to be immune to smallpox. Cowpox is related to the smallpox virus, but the disease is not really harmful to humans. Cowpox got its name from the manner in which the disease was transmitted; cow maids got the disease from touching the udders of infected cows. Jenner was curious as to why the cowpox seemed to protect the milk maids from the deadly smallpox infection. He decided to find out why, and embarked on a mission to shed light on the mystery. Jenner's experiments revealed that smallpox immunity could be produced by injecting a person with material from a cowpox lesion. Sure enough, cowpox inoculations created smallpox immunity. Jenner called the materials used in the inoculation a vaccine. Vaccine is derived from the root word vacca, which is Latin for cow.
Smallpox. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallpox. Accessed 03 Mar. 2008.
In the 19th century, the cowpox virus used for the vaccine was replaced by the vaccinia virus, an infection in the same family. Almost 200 years after Jenner's discovery, the World Health Organizations certified the eradication of the disease, in 1979. Today, smallpox remains the only human infectious disease to have been successfully eradicated from nature. Jenner's curiosity and subsequent testing saved countless lives, and helped rid the world of a dangerously infectious epidemic.
Librarian of Congress from 1975 to 1987. Mon April for When Knowledge Isn't Enough Looking to make a change? Remember: transformation happens experientially. Daniel J. and eurhythmic dancing so you can experience the flow of motion through your body. Tales of the South Pacific. "I see what you're saying. This is a problem.' When they look surprised I explain: 'Ceramics so you can feel form evolving through your fingertips molding the moist clay." but seldom do we actually do the thing we learned. When young people in my writing classes. We just agree with it in our minds. He went on to earn more than one hundred million dollars as the author of more than 40 novels. a novelist to whose success George Washington testified one hundred million times.10 Michener." Boorstin's statement becomes particularly poignant when you learn that he graduated with highest honors from Harvard. In his memoirs – published just a year before he died at the age of 90 – Michener wrote. Are you willing to go exploring with Boorstin and Dewar and Michener and me? Tommy Dewar said. not intellectually. chap. a university professor and the U. "Exploration makes one wiser. By occupation he was a lawyer." James Michener won the Pulitzer Prize in 1948 for his book. You might develop a sense of freedom that way. "I feel almost a blood relationship with all the artists in all the mediums. "The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance – it is the illusion of knowledge. But do you suppose any of them actually took classes in ceramics and eurhythmic dancing? 52 . ask what subjects they should study to become writers.emo ngM orni 2007 dayM 2. instructed thousands of aspiring young writers during his years at the University of Texas and he gave each student the same advice. Yet Boorstin warned us that the illusion of knowledge was the greatest impediment to discovery. was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and earned his PhD at Yale. Boorstin said. even if the only wisdom gained is to know where not to return.'" – This Noble Land. We often receive instruction and agree. for I find that we face the same problems but solve them in our own ways. for example.S. I surprise them by replying: 'Ceramics and eurhythmic dancing.
I doubt it." and then walked on to seek advice from other experts? Would you have allowed the illusion of knowledge to rob you of the joy of discovery? Roy H. Would you have done what Michener said? Or would you have thought. "I get it. Williams 53 .
Roy Williams has told me many times that anyone can be a bestselling author. Roy realized that he. go ahead and try it. in fact. and so he said. Creativity is coming up with an idea. 54 ." he asked Roy if lime and coconut were really good together. Roy tells a story about the two of them sitting together in his living room. After Akintunde heard Harry Nilsson's song "Coconut. coconut milk and lime juice actually make a pretty good combination – but he never would have had the opportunity to experience the drink if they hadn't actually created the concoction and tried it out.Just Do It The next time you have an idea. "Akintunde. innovation is getting off your butt and doing something about it. According to Roy. passing a coconut shell filled with their concoction back and forth." In the da Vinci course. had never heard of anyone who actually tried to put de lime in de coconut. we're going to do this. Test your theory or idea. The recipe is this: • • • • • • Pick a topic you're interested in Think about the topic a lot Think about it some more Develop your own unique theory about what it all means Just do it – go out and test your theory Write a book about it Roy has an African friend named Akintunde Omitowoju from Nigeria.
but you'll only see results if you actually take steps to test your hypothesis and answer the questions you've raised. Fear of Failure One of the key things to keep in mind when you are being creative and testing and demonstrating is to leave yourself a lot of room for error. In my opinion. His other mistake came in the form of a truly awkward answer. Alex: This term for a long-handled gardening tool can also mean an immoral pleasure seeker. The question was Tool Time for $200. Despite the necessity of failure to success. and get excited about their idea. He won 74 games before he was defeated. One was when he lost on purpose because they paid him to quit (that's my theory and I'm sticking to it).022. that's just a fact of life. only to do nothing? Most people never take action to test their theory or try out their plan. Do you remember Ken Jennings? Ken holds the record for the longest winning streak on the show Jeopardy. You're always going to experience failures and make mistakes. Curiosity is important. many people allow their fear of failure to prevent them from taking action.700 on the show. and earned an estimated $3. at least in his life on Jeopardy. but never stop to find out? How many people have a brilliant idea.How many people wonder why something is the way it is. Ken only made two mistakes in his life – well. Ken: What's a hoe? 55 .
OK. My first reaction was. now I am interested." That's what I kept thinking the whole time he was talking. my perspective changed. put your error in perspective. and one makes me some money. that is unbelievable success. especially if I'm allowed to screw up 85% of the time. one breaks even. Give Yourself Great Odds Fear of failure stops many people in their tracks." Think about that for a moment. They wanted to start a bunch of companies. "Here's what I think would be absolutely glaring success. I once had an angel investor approach me after a workshop. Keep that in perspective. failure and success is all perception anyway. by just being willing to try. At least you're not a clean-cut Mormon with 6 million people watching you say. too. "Wow. If you stop and think about it. If even one of them succeeds. He said that he and his friends had a $30 million fund. Let's talk some more." You can give yourself good odds. I think I've got a pretty good chance of being successful. "I don't want to take anyone else's money and fail. Eight of them fail. Later that night. 56 . "What's a hoe?" on national television (the answer was "What is a rake?"). We start 10 companies. we went out to dinner to discuss the subject further – and he said something that made me rethink everything. When I was told that I was allowed to fail. and they needed smart people to help.The next time you make a mistake. Just do something for the sake of your own curiosity and don't worry about the end result. After that conversation. I said.
if you ever want to taste great success.If you ever want to experience that eureka moment. so get off your keister and do something! 57 . you have to be willing to try – and be willing to fail.
" What did Brad decide? He decided to order 500 bracelets and give them all away.000 for the countless beads and charms with which women could personalize their bracelets. He could buy the base bracelets for 6 dollars apiece if he ordered at least 500. Brad was looking at a sort of charm bracelet for his jewelry store. By 1910 he was one of the richest men in America. Last year his company did more than $9 billion. Gillette. Recently." "It would cost more to advertise the charm bracelets than you could make on them. C.884 razor handles in 1904 in the hope of selling disposable blades." "They'll bring in the wrong customer." "People will take the bracelets. And within 6 weeks Brad had sold more than $100. he's grown his business beyond all expectations . That would be $3. During that time.mo gMe rnin 007 o dayM 0. That trend has come and gone. How did it work out for Brad? The 500 free bracelets were gone in less than a week. "Hurray!" Here's what his friends said: "People won't value the bracelet if they get it for free. the man who gave away 90.000 worth of beads 58 . then sell them on eBay." "Giving away jewelry will make you look desperate.mostly because he's got guts." But Brad knew the story of K. My staff and I said. 2 Mon July 3 for What Courage Can Do With Six Dollars Brad Lawrence has been a client of my firm for 12 years.000. But his real investment would be another $30. His friends gave him lots of advice: "Charm bracelets are dead. You'll lose your reputation for upscale sophistication.
We're making lots of new friends and winning lots of new customers. Williams 59 . And the view is better.and charms. Roy H." Brad Lawrence had the courage of his convictions. too. This week Brad told me. beads and charms. Do you? Life is more fun on the edge. Every day is like a party. "Groups of women are coming into the store during their lunch hour to shop for ornaments. Only 28 people who took a bracelet failed to buy any ornaments for it. The traffic is amazing. It was one of the smartest things we've ever done.
Sensible Design "… there is no perfect knowledge which can be entitled ours. in many cases. or derived in some way from our senses. that is innate. people do not consciously separate the senses and attempt to feel each of them individually. Manufacturers know this. Studies show that almost 75% of our emotional behavior is derived from the sense of smell." William Harvey What does Christmas taste like? What does Christmas sound like? Smell like? Feel like? What does the experience of Christmas evoke in your senses? Sensible design uses the concept of concurrent thinking to create ideas. The marketing concept of branding is designed to create emotional ties between the consumer and the product. yet a product's 4 60 . senses play a huge role in consumers' satisfaction with and attraction to a product or business. We all experience the five senses at the same time. none but what has been obtained from experience. however. Consumers evaluate products based on the way the product appeals to their senses. Thinking about Christmas from the perspective of each sense is simple enough. but how does sensible design translate to the business world? Although most people have never tried to consciously think and separate the five senses in their ambiguity.
and cost.com/blog/2005/02/brand_sense_. Consumers not only preferred the shoes in the room infused with a scent by a margin of 84%. Every projector in the world that I know of is advertised and sold on the basis of weight. color. http://cyberlibris. That's Not the Way We Do Things Let's talk about a leading projector manufacturer who will remain unnamed here to minimize the embarrassment. but not because it stands out in any of the above areas. consumers were asked to choose between two identical pairs of tennis shoes.html. The makers of this projector have tens of thousands of customers telling them why they bought this specific product– and it's not for any of those reasons. but they also perceived the value of the shoes in that room to be almost $10 higher! Wouldn't you think that all companies would try to identify what aspects of their product evoke a positive association with the consumer's senses and use that association to their advantage? Surprisingly enough. The shoes were placed in two different rooms. Multisensory packaging goes beyond the traditional look and sounds of a product and integrates smell. typepad. Accessed 03 Mar. This company's projector is the best-selling projector on the market. except that one room was infused with a pleasant scent. Research from the Milward Brown Institute has revealed that innovative packaging techniques can increase consumer's brand loyalty and generate increased sales. that's not always the case. luminosity. touch. 7 Cyberlis blog: Brand Sense: Beware Brands Are After Your Five Senses!. 2008. and taste into the product's casing. Each of the rooms was completely identical.7 Sensuality is enticing. In one study. The manufacturers of brand-name goods are just beginning to harness the power of the senses by differentiating their products through multisensoric (or Multisensory) packaging that appeals to each of the five human senses.scent is typically ignored in favor of look and sound. 61 .
Consumers choose this particular projector because it's quiet. This particular model happens to be the quietest projector on the market due to its unique cooling fan design. he said. Every projector in the world is sold on the basis of weight. he replied. brochures. color. Why don't you advertise that little detail?" He said that changing all of the marketing materials. and your answer still sucks. This is noteworthy because the makers of the projector do not say anything about the noise level of the product in any of their marketing or advertising materials. "Yeah. luminosity. and I brought the issue up again (I really do think that challenging conventional wisdom and authority is entertaining). "You've got all these consumers telling you the reason they're buying this projector is because it's so quiet. Besides. Why change?" I saw him about a year later at a Christmas party. it keeps keying the microphone and the people on the other end have real difficulty hearing people talk. Why won't you just try something new?" I suggested that they create an advertisement on their Web site 62 . "Didn't you already talk to me about this?" I said. and cost. When I got about halfway through my spiel. and advertisements would be too much of a problem. Why is this important to business consumers? We have all been in meetings where you constantly have to move the projector away from the conference telephone because the projector is so loud. Why? I once asked the CEO of this company. "That isn't how we sell projectors.
" leave the ad up for a month. they still haven't taken my advice. The girl was the daughter of one of Jobs's friends. "So what do you think of your new computer?" The girl told Jobs that her new computer was the coolest thing in the world. Steve Jobs learned a very important lesson in sensible design from a young girl.that simply says." "What do you mean it stinks? You mean something about it doesn't work?" "No. and see what happens." 63 . Jobs asked the girl. She was delighted by the Mac's features and capabilities.. Every projector in the world is still sold on the basis of those same four factors – even though those product qualities aren't the only factors that convince consumers to purchase a particular model – because no one is willing to differentiate. she said. But when Jobs asked if there was anything she didn't like about the computer.. Unfortunately. I'm certain that the company could sell even more projectors if they used their biggest marketing tool to their advantage. "Our projector is the quietest projector ever built. "Well. When Macintosh computers first came out. there is one thing. and Jobs had recently given the girl a brand new Mac. it just stinks. "It stinks. What Has My Computer Been Eating? I was told this story a few years ago by an Apple Computer employee." "What's that?" Jobs asked.
tastes. almost everyone in the room starts participating and throwing ideas out there. but by the end. they made an error in the timing of the curing of the plastics. or smells. Things are usually pretty quiet at first." Jobs was a little confused. The computers were built with sulfur-cured plastics. one little girl's keen sense of smell prevented the odor from turning off other prospective buyers. Sure enough. one at a time. hence the "fart" smell from the residual sulfur. "it smells like a fart. and the plastics weren't being cured all of the way. The computers were being shipped out to consumers in boxes when the plastics were only about 90% cured. 64 . he discovered that the production area did smell a lot like a fart – but why? It turned out that when the engineers took the Macintosh computer from a prototype to production. Luckily for them."Stinks? Like what?" "Well." she said. everyone in the room is asked to think about the concept from the same perspective at the same time – from the view point of our senses. they may have thought about and addressed this issue sooner. How could a computer smell like a fart? When Jobs returned to Macintosh. If Macintosh had considered their computer's design from the perspective of each sense. When I apply sensible design as a brainstorming strategy. he decided to investigate. When we start talking about how the concept feels. people usually look at me like I'm nuts. We think about the concept in relation to each sense. and generate four or five hundred new ideas.
addressing the issue or finding a solution is often simple. When the boosters hit the ocean after the first shuttle launch. we usually find that we've generated five to ten ideas that could be easily implemented – ideas that we never would have thought of if we hadn't considered the product from the perspective of each individual sense. At the next launch. These cases come in four pieces that cost $500. error. the water hit the stiffener ring and ripped the case up twice as bad. Many times. try again. so obviously we couldn't have these expensive cases being destroyed every time the boosters landed. Test. These cases were designed to be reusable. The biggest obstacle to solving the problem is identifying it in the first place. in our infinite wisdom. the ocean water moved out of the way and then slammed back on the metal case and crushed it. We engineers.After we finish brainstorming. we go into our left brain and think about each idea logically. but there was one issue: the foam contained 65 . Then we came up with an idea to spray-apply an isoprene foam at a 45° angle under the stiffener ring so the water would hit the case and curve off without ripping it apart. metal stiffener rings on the outside of the cases so they wouldn't crush. This plan actually worked quite well. In the end. no one has ever stopped to consider the product or problem from the perspective of their senses. Find the Simple Fix When I worked on the space shuttle program. put these big.000 each. we had an issue with the Solid Rocket Boosters during water landings. Although the issues and ideas we come up with can be pretty important concepts.
but these people looked at me like I was out of my mind. we actually came up with a very practical 66 . "OK. By installing a small venturi tube in each suits' airline. tin shed building that reached temperatures of 128° with 100% humidity in the heat of Florida's summers. Imagine sitting in a room with a bunch of engineers and NASA people and saying. The procedure would be taking place on the sixth floor of a new facility at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Let's talk about the operation of spraying foam. The sense of feel had revealed a particularly important issue. We used the sensible design tool in our next meeting to brainstorm some ideas. I asked the skeptics to trust me. The facility was an uninsulated. The biggest problem with the plan was that the guys in bunny suits were going to pass out from the heat. we could drop the internal temperature of the suits by approximately 50°. and we began brainstorming. The modification only cost $250. One of the most critical things that we came back to was the idea that these guys in bunny suits were going to be unbelievably hot.cyanide and the technicians spraying the foam needed to wear bunny suits to protect themselves from the deadly chemical. After we generated a few hundred ideas. Even though the process of sensible design seems really farfetched and freaky. How does it feel? How does it smell? How does it taste?" I get strange looks from students when we first approach this exercise in a class. we prioritized our list. We came up with the simple solution.
"We can't do that! Engineering orders take forever – and we don't have the funding for more water fountains." There was an immediate uproar. and there are only a few water fountains located at the ends of the building." In spite of the crew's protests. Walking to the water fountains took too long. The hangars are huge buildings that span hundreds of yards. and soon discovered that one of the biggest challenges the crew was facing was thirst. I asked. The solution seemed obvious. people were like. I said. Many times. The practice of sensible design illustrates an important point. "What? Painting F16s doesn't taste or smell.solution to a problem that we might not have ever thought of – and prevented the guys in bunny suits from dropping dead in the heat. and people were getting thirsty. The crew was stuck in their stations doing their jobs." Unfazed by their negativity. That Plan Just Won't Work Just about every F16 in the world has to go to a facility at Hill Air Force Base in Utah once a year for annual maintenance and painting. Several years ago I went to the base to conduct a session about the facility and the painting procedure. "Put an engineering order out and have more water fountains installed. This is stupid. Creativity doesn't have to be earth-shattering. we went through the five senses anyway. the solution to the problem is really quite obvious once you know what you're looking for. "Who's the supervisor in the room?" 67 . As we went through the sensible process.
Just as importantly. smell. or an event from the perspective of the senses shakes your brain up a little bit. and generate ideas that were previously overlooked. feel. Would you like to know which projector is the quietest? Probably so. business. using one sense at a time. Go buy 20 Igloo coolers. we think about how we want the product to taste. product. Try thinking about your problem. or service from the perspective of your senses. "OK. look. What if you were going to start a Cluster Balloon Ride company? 68 . but the team probably never would have come up with a simple working solution to the problem if they hadn't used the concept of sensible design to think about their process from the perspective of each sense. feel. have maintenance fill them with ice water every morning. and then distribute the coolers around the facility. think about the effects of each sense on the concept. I said. I know you have a $2. By using the tool of sensible design. look. we think about how we don't want the product to taste. an idea.When the guy raised his hand.500 limit on your credit card because I know how these things work. smell. a concept. Give Your Customers What They Really Want Sensible design allows us to think about a problem from a new perspective and generate more ideas. and sound. When we're talking about a concept. Would you want a computer that smells like farts? Probably not. Thinking about a product. and sound." My idea certainly wasn't earth-shattering. we are able to extract ideas from each sense.
com/html/newsletter/archives/000164. 44% of consumers say that the sound of a car is more important than the design. Consumers have said that sound is another important aspect of an automobile. Jamie Leventhal is the owner of a privately held company known as Clio Designs. http:// www. Leventhal once stunned a Target buyer who asked how much he intended to spend on advertising by answering zero. When Rolls Royce learned that consumers didn't like their new scent as much as the old. What did you discover? Car manufacturers understand the power of the senses. Accessed 22 Feb. Eighty-six percent of consumers are attracted to the "new car smell.php. The 8 AIPMM: Product Management Articles for Product Management."8 What most people don't know is that the smell is manufactured. Packaging appeal is another important marketing area that relates directly to the senses. tackle your biggest problem with the same approach. In fact. New car smell comes in an aerosol container and is sprayed into each car's cabin before it leaves the factory.aipmm. 2008. Martin Lindstrom. using the 1965 model as a prototype. 69 . The makers of the Acura TSX have actually artificially generated the "perfect closing" sound of their doors using vibrations generated by electric impulses in the door. The company has manufactured a new line of men's shaving gel with revolutionary visual packaging. they went to work recreating the "original" smell of the automobile.What would you want your customers to experience? What senses do you want to evoke? Now.
php.iht. "When you look down at them it's more dramatic. When the stir stick is sitting in the bottom of the glass.com/articles/2008/03/04/business/light. and when the batteries in the base are lighted. 'Let's take the less valuable real estate on the shelf and make it more valuable.' " he said. so what I'm doing is going into retailers and saying. This company uses stir sticks with a blue LED light on the end. Andrew Adam Newman. and then fades out. Consumers are drawn to unique packaging. is sold in a triangular container that glows on the shelves. The shave gel. Do not be afraid to try an unconventional approach to your issues. Levanthal's company has been able to eliminate advertising costs. By appealing to the consumer's senses. and retailers have expressed excitement about the new product. the whole drink glows blue. inviting customers to pick up the product and examine it in greater detail. Levanthal believes the ideal location for the product is on lower-level shelves. Appealing to your customers' senses works. http://www. Accessed 04 Mar. In fact. .buyer was shocked … until Leventhal revealed the prototype. known as NXT. stays on for a few seconds. the product looks like a miniature lava lamp or aquarium. International Herald Tribune. 2008. The container is tinted blue. and quickly noticed that it was the only drink in the entire bar that the women were drinking. Levanthal says that the additional manufacturing cost per unit was less than what bigger brands spend on advertising. referring to the design as the most advanced packaging they'd ever seen. A light-emitting diode in the bottom of the container lights up every 15 seconds. Creativity 9 70 Luminous packaging helps NXT product sell itself. I once saw this product in a martini bar.9 Blue Ice Vodka is another brand that has established an image via sensory product packaging.
and your idea doesn't have to be revolutionary. 71 . Sensible design allows innovators to take their product to the next level and harness the power of the senses.doesn't require genius.
Do you remember the nine secret words? "The Risk of Insult is the Price of Clarity. Mistake 2: Informing without Persuading Study journalism and you'll create ads that present information without: (A. The Wizard of Ads. Rare is the ad that makes its point clearly. they're written not to offend. They fail to gain the attention of your prospective customer. If you're curious what I said. I'm pretty sure it's still echoing in there. "Nine Secret Words" in my first book. the ones who don't come in because your ads never got their attention. just walk into my office." you force them to be predictable. 2 dayM Mon July 16 or f Why Most Ads Don't Work I've said many times. Ah." My client was worried that people might be offended. you apologize?) (B. so he asked me to change it to something else. I was writing an ad this week and decided to insert a word flag. "And to that. They do not open the door to conscious awareness." Clarity. I chose a phrase of declarative rebuttal." This goes back to chapter one. "Most ads aren't written to persuade. there we have it. "We use the Synchro-static method!" (Which means…?) "It's Truck Month at Ramsey Ford!" (Come to the party. bring my truck?) Mistake 3: Entertaining without Persuading Study creative writing and you'll draft ads that deliver entertainment without: 72 . "Piffle and Pooh" is just a whimsical way of saying "Poppycock.) explaining the benefit to the customer. Predictable ads do not surprise Broca's Area of the brain. Would you like to know the 4 Biggest Mistakes made by advertisers? Mistake 1: Demanding "Polished and Professional" Ads If you insist that your ads "sound right. we say.'" Obviously.mo gMe rnin 007 o . This is bad. 'Piffle and Pooh. "Lowest prices guaranteed!" (Or what.) substantiating their claims. The customers who cost you money are the ones you never see. I hung up the phone and yelled at the walls.
) causing the customer to imagine themselves taking the desired action. "Yes. a fragrance." Sorry. Mistake 4: Decorating without Persuading Graphic artists will often create a visual style and call it "branding. But you probably will. they just complain to the cashier as they're handing over their cash.(A. you will. Do you believe the public has to like an ad for the ad to be effective? You do? To that I say "Piffle and Pooh. I think it represents us well. I've got an idea. Williams 73 . "the colors create the right mood and the images feel exactly right. Hey." replies the client. "Do you like the ad?" asks the graphic artist. These ads deliver: INVOLVEMENT: Watch a dancing silhouette ad for the iPod and mirror neurons in your brain will cause part of you to dance. as well. Because you worry needlessly when people don't like your ads. These customers don't cost you money.) delivering a clear message. This is good advertising." Roy H. "Yo Quiero Taco Bell" (Dogs like our food. too?) (B. Ninety-eight point nine percent of all the customers who hate your ads will still come to your store and buy from you when they need what you sell." This is fine if your product is fashion. an attitude or a lifestyle. why don't you and Artsy go home and redecorate the living room at your house? Me? I'll stay here and ruffle some feathers and sell some stuff. "Yo Quiero Taco Bell" (I should buy a taco for my Chihuahua?) The best ads cause customers to see themselves taking the action you desire. but God help you if you sell a service or a product that's meant to perform. I hope you don't mind. it's perfect. but your banker disagrees. CLARITY: The white earphone cords leading into the ears of the dancing silhouette make it clear that the white iPod is a personal music machine.
Accessed 19 Mar.Clear as Mud "Neurosis is the inability to tolerate ambiguity. Accessed 20 Mar.000 years since the last flip. http://www. Why Does Earth's Magnetic Field Flip?." Sigmund Freud Men and women both have babies.11 Ancient pottery reveals that the poles have flipped. 10 5 74 . the iron particles in the clay acted as compass needles and pointed north. the magnetic poles flip every 200.html.com/ news/2004/09/0927_040927_field_flip. the time between reversals is variable and it's been about 780. If we make the assumption that both sexes are physically capable of giving birth and brainstorm for creative childcare options. That's a fact of life – because I just said so.10 We can prove this by looking at ancient pottery. it's already happening. If you look around the room.uk/ancient_china/inventions/compass/index. however. you'll see that the women are vigorously nodding their heads.000 years. When the clay was spun on the spinning wheel. and the men are looking at me like I'm completely nuts. in fact. 2008. what if I told you that the magnetic North and South Poles were going to flip? Is that illogical? Not at all.nationalgeographic. 11 Discovery Channel – Ancient China – Inventions & Technology. do you think we would come up with some new ideas? I actually get out a camera during my classes when we talk about this subject. On average. You've just gained a totally new perspective. But really. they created a permanent record of where North was.shtml. Once ancient civilizations cured the clay. Now.co. you haven't hurt anything by assuming that men and women both have babies. 2008. discoverychannel. John Roach. http://news.
Whether men can have babies or the North and South poles really flip doesn't matter. logic is part of the creative process. Things must be clear-cut. too. When I tell a room of engineers that absolutely. but in a brainstorming session. "you're wasting time." Sigh. Obviously." and "this is stupid. One of the biggest hindrances to creativity is the fact that people do not allow ambiguity." They actually get mad. People want to know that they're on the same page. but logic can be restrictive to the brainstorming session. It's okay to think about other ways an idea can be interpreted. 75 ." to "we don't have the budget for this kind of thing. My restrictions on logic really get under engineers' skin. We avoid ambiguity because of communication problems. We want specificity from life and from each other. right or wrong. their anger is palpable. I'm being ambiguous on purpose." "No. You've got to clear things up a bit. People also get too hung up on logic. it's okay to be ambiguous." "Well. When I'm speaking to a group of them. The title of this chapter refers to ambiguity. I hear everything from. "Okay. I'm not allowing my team to go through this without further clarification. Engineers hate ambiguity. What's important is the fact that there's no harm in assuming they can to break up the logic and look at things differently. positively no logic is allowed for one hour. hold on Mark." and "if we're being illogical how could we ever make it work. someone will always stop me and say.
you know that the little beagle is probably trying to give you an answer to what you were thinking about the day before.What the engineers don't understand is that we need that one hour to be totally illogical and ambiguous. but since I am one. Dreams are some of the most ambiguous experiences we encounter in life. When the boss opens their mouth and says. I want students to listen to their dreams in a more literal sense. I gave myself that license. withhold judgment and let the creative juices flow. but for one hour. You can be logical for the other 23 hours of the day if you need to. Judgment kills creativity. I'm to the point that I can connect my crazy wild dreams to what I was thinking about in my logical left brain about 50% of the time. and escaping from the fear of judgment. This attitude is a trap we all fall into). 76 . "That won't work. If you haven't already concluded that I'm a little bit different. Pay attention to what your illogical right brain is saying. I can usually make the connection between my crazy dreams of flying around in a pink tuxedo and a problem that I've been pondering. when I tell people to listen to their dreams I'm not encouraging them to try to steal Brad Pitt from Angelina Jolie or quit their day job to become a rock star. Ambiguity is really about interpreting things differently. I tell students to listen to their dreams. To encourage ambiguity. (OK." the creative process dies and no more ideas get thrown out. Do you ever wake up in the morning and think about your dreams? Are you able to apply that crazy dream to what you were working on before you went to sleep? Of course. letting go of logic. you're going to think so now. I am done picking on engineers. As long as I don't roll out of bed and fully wake up. If you'll remember the discussion about the lawyer and the beagle from the Introduction.
A comedian usually begins by telling a story. which was a bogus charge because it turns out they were stopping every vehicle …" The comedian tells the pieces and parts of a story that travel along a predictable path. Blue Collar Comedy Tour 77 . "I got this one DUI. That's profiling and profiling is wrong!" -Ron White. Think about good advertising or marketing. These campaigns work best when they include an element that grabs your attention because it was not expected. The punch line will be completely different from what was expected. Now. there's going to be an anticipated result. That's what makes the joke funny. the joke got your attention. is redirect you to left field before they get to the anticipated result. did you ever wonder why it was funny? You probably laughed because the punch line was unexpected. Both involve things that are unexpected from the consumer's point of view.Comedy and Creativity When you hear a joke that's funny. Now let's look at the anatomy of a joke. Because the punch line was not what you were anticipating. which was a bogus charge because it turns out they were stopping every vehicle traveling down that particular sidewalk. There are a lot of similarities between comedy and business creativity. and did not follow a normal train of thought. especially when they're telling a funny joke. The climax was unusual. What a good comedian does. based on this pattern. They're trying to build a pattern in your mind as they build momentum for the story. "I got this one DUI.
The experience needs to be both pleasurable and unexpected. or otherwise unexpected things to be stored in your brain. In order to make a lasting impression on customers. or you have a ho-hum experience with a company. you're probably not going to remember it. stop and ask yourself if the punch line was pretty close to what you were anticipating. the joke probably wasn't very funny. Broca's area only allows unusual. If the punch line was expected. If you can accomplish this. When you're looking for a new idea or approach to your business or life. you have to get past Broca's area. If you hear a hohum joke. exciting.The next time you hear a not-so-funny joke. its products. and its services into their memory and help trigger word-of-mouth advertising for your business. Keeping the Boring and Mundane Out Broca's area is a tiny part of your brain that serves as the gatekeeper for keeping boring experiences out of your memory. 78 . go for the unexpected. you can plant your company.
mo gMe rnin 2007 o 12." Suessing – making up your own words – gains our attention with a slap of wit. lollygagging verbs. canoodling verbs. Sizzle and wiggle and leap and thrust. Do you know them? Penetrate the shield of customer indifference by shooting verbs from your word-gun. Another teacher replies. Hold the gaze of a wide-eyed audience by smearing verb-honey on your lips." she mentions she'd never heard the word embiggens before moving to Springfield. there are magic words. cuddling. either. And meter doesn't hurt. "A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man. projected into the mind they must trigger a mental action. Here are some Broca-surprising half-steps as you move your feet toward Suessing: Use a noun as a verb: "Just Harley-Davidson your way to the head of the line. The Simpsons – When Lisa's schoolteacher hears the town motto. strutting. dayM Mon March r fo Magic Words Yes. the predictable. swaggering verbs." Later in the episode. Works every time. and hates. I'll settle for twinkle. Verbs kick open the door to Broca's area of the brain. "I don't know why. it's a perfectly cromulent word. Rollicking. Snuggling. If you want to bore a person. Think of it as Tabasco sauce. laughing. Broca's area is intrigued by the unexpected. Broca's area of the brain is that part of us that anticipates. This is why the word most electric is an unexpected verb. just do what they expect you to do and say what they expect you to say." 79 . drizzle and tickle and beep and bust." Use a verb as noun: "If you can't deliver dazzle. "He's embiggened that role with his cromulent performance. Verbs are magic words. Principal Skinner states. while talking about Homer's audition for the role of town crier. Take the magic up a notch by Seussing. that portal to conscious awareness. And Broca is required to interpret verbs. We're going for Broca. Leap the wall of inattention by putting verb-springs under your feet. Prancing.
" That's enough play for one Monday Morning.Use a modifier as a verb: "He's planning to slippery his way through the press conference." Use a modifier as a noun: "I'm on the road to lethargic. Williams 80 . We'd better get to work before our bosses doubt our cromulence and disemploy us." Use a verb as a modifier: "It's a kicking shade of pink." Use a noun as a modifier: "Now don't get all Brokeback Mountain on me. Roy H.
she made the mistake of leaving me alone with him in a room. Thousands of people claim membership to a group that believes that the round earth is a myth. He asked me what I did for a living. When she introduced me to her father for the first time. He gave me a look and asked. but he just cut me off and said. positively impossible.The Flat Earth Society I once had a guy in my workshop stand up and say that my theory about the magnetic poles was absolutely.000 years old. Where do you really work? There is no space shuttle. so there can't be a space shuttle program." I started laughing. There we go again with duality. 81 . What? That same man also expressed the opinion that we've never actually put a man on the moon. He said that the poles could not have flipped because the world is not 70. but then I realized that he was serious. in the end it requires balance. In the end you can't ignore facts and data altogether either. "No. but I was wrong. My wife is from Tennessee. so I started going into the details of my job. and I told him that I worked on the space shuttle program. My father-in-law died believing that there was no space shuttle and that we'd never put a man on the moon. "What do you really do?" I thought he was looking for more specificity. Ambiguity is a powerful tool for creativity. but like all things. there needs to be a balance of the two. I thought that there would only be like four nuts left out there. That shocked me.
A student in my class once asked. The teacher asked her how she would use this barometer to 82 .How Tall is That Building? One of the major roadblocks to creative thinking is the assumption that there's only one right answer to any problem or opportunity that you're having. Why? Because the best way to get a great idea is to get a lot of ideas to choose from. The higher you go in altitude. "Why would I come up with a bunch of answers if I already have a solution that will work?" I explained it to him this way. A barometer is a tool to measure pressure. As part of the barometer project. There is this story about a student in grade school who had to build a homemade barometer in her garage. Unfortunately. We all know that there are hundreds or even thousands of ideas that are better than the first idea that you came up with. Come up with one hundred ideas before you actually pick one. You can also use a barometer to determine altitude. The best way to get a good idea is to get a bunch of ideas first. most people stop thinking when they come across the first idea that has any merit at all. A better approach is to come up with a lot of ideas first. would you rather have three girls to choose from or three hundred?" Then the light bulb went off in his head. "If you were looking for a date. the less pressure you have. The homemade devices were just a simple design with plastic tubing filled with colored water. this student had to present her barometer to the class and answer questions from the teacher.
so I guess I could just throw the barometer off the roof. one big roadblock to creative thinking is 83 . the student said." At this point the teacher was steaming. "Hey! Look at this cool barometer I built. The barometer is twenty inches tall. go measure it at the top of the building. I don't know about you but I'd knock on the superintendent's office door and say. Of course. lower the instrument down until it touches the ground. and then pull the string back up and see how long it is. go to the roof of the building. and then solve the equation for the height of the building. Instead. I guess I could tie a string to my barometer. How else could you use your barometer to measure the height of the building?" "Well. and then use the pressure differential to determine the height of the building. What is the simplest and easiest way to use that instrument to measure the height of the building?" the teacher demanded in a stern voice. I'll give it to you if you tell me how tall this place is." Just remember. I would just go to the stairwell of the building and take my barometer with me. Well. that's not really the answer I was looking for. I know how I can measure it. Oh! And I know from my physics class that the equation for a falling object is ½ x gravity x times squared. "Okay. time how long it takes to smash to the ground. "You're driving me crazy! You know exactly what the barometer is used for. so I can just mark off twenty-inch sections and then count them all the way to the top of the building." "No. the teacher wanted her to say that she would go measure the atmospheric pressure at the bottom of the building.measure the height of a building.
Ask yourself. by allowing yourself to think about something in a new way. you'll gain an entirely new perspective – and discover a multitude of solutions to your problem. how else can this be interpreted? By allowing yourself to be ambiguous. Go for the unexpected.assuming there's only one right answer. 84 . The best way to find a great answer or idea is to generate a large selection of possibilities to choose from first. Don't limit yourself with logic and specificity.
your birth father. she might have raised you.View Point "From a dog's point of view his master is an elongated and abnormally cunning dog. but whose behavior was out of control. She was asked to leave the maternity home after some concerns about excessive 'necking' she and her boyfriend. he was 16. Your birth father was described as 'being on the short side of average build." Mabel L. Toni was described as a feisty. The social worker speculated that had she had her parents' active support and had plans to marry your birth father. She felt adoption was the best plan as she wanted you to have the security and family life which she could not provide. She was 14 years old when you were born. healthy kid who was very bright. Robinson "Your birth mother's first name was Toni. When you were born." That was the first line of the new packet that had just arrived in the mail. were engaged in during his weekly visits to the maternity home. She and your birth father were boyfriend and girlfriend in high school.'" 6 85 . "Toni held you after birth and showed a great deal of love and concern for you.
as mentioned earlier. They said they could send me a packet with "non-identifying information. I should take the safe route and get on Lipitor. Now I knew her full name." Except on the last page. McDaniel. Gayle." if I was interested.If you had ever met me. But I didn't want to take any more drugs. I also had no real desire to search for my birth parents. On the final page of the packet. Of course I thought about my birth parents from time to time as I was growing up (or I wouldn't be curious or even human) but it was never that big of a deal to me for one very good reason: I was raised by the best and bravest parents in the world. which occurred in spite of the fact that I was eating better and exercising more than ever before in my life. But then this cholesterol issue got me going. Becker. I never had any reason to search for my birth parents because I already had the greatest parents on Earth. just didn't make sense to me. 86 . Her name was Toni Gayle something. and left her last name. In the 60s. I said OK. Now don't get me wrong. I called the adoption agency and asked if they had any medical history on my birth parents. you would find that last statement extremely hilarious. After some thought. That was how I ended up with the Toni packet. someone had made an error and whited out the middle name. had suggested that since I was adopted and had no medical history he could refer to. God bless them. my doctor. I am 5'7 and 13/16th". This particular package had arrived because of the sudden and unacceptable rise in my cholesterol levels last year. I didn't know her full name because they had whited out her last name on each page to make her "nonidentifying. This spike. they adopted four kids from four different families.
I don't think I had ever seen my birth certificate before. "That was the name the foster parents gave you before we adopted you." I am certain that is what she was told or what she remembered. My birth father's name was Richard Martin something. especially when you consider I was only seven. At the time. I was standing next to the filing cabinet with her as she was going through the papers. the name wasn't all that important. When she pulled the document out. I knew my birth father's last name was Smith. Then it hit me. after totally forgetting about that unimportant episode. Now what? 87 .Toni Gayle McDaniel. my mother (the one who adopted me) was looking for my birth certificate for some reason long forgotten. some brain cell in the recesses of my brain remembered "Smith. When I was about seven. who is Richard Martin Smith?" She didn't know what to say at first. Hmmm … Brown? Green? I started to mentally peel the onion. I think she had forgotten that there were two names on the birth certificate. but I could tell the name was five letters. I saw two names. "Mom. But then." Go figure. The last name was whited out again. Mark Lee Fox … and Richard Martin Smith. thirty-nine years later.
My birth parents were now real people. or even another thing's view point and get a plethora of new ideas and thoughts about the issue. I use this story to illustrate an example of how a change of view point or a change of perspective can generate questions. and my life in an instant. Using a new view point allows your creativity to flourish.Knowing their names made a difference. If learning about my birth parents can raise 10. what other perspectives can I use to generate that same burst of ideas and curiosity? You don't have to experience something as dramatic as this to change your viewpoint.000 other questions ran through my mind the following days and changed my view point about adoption. 88 . What did that pregnancy do to her life? Did she even remember having a baby? I know she went to a maternity home for a while. You can change the way you are looking at an issue by looking at the idea from another person. This is an extreme example of contextual change. Was there a 60-year-old woman out there in need of closure? Was there a 62-year-old father in the same boat? What if I contacted her and she got angry? Would she be happy to hear from me or not? She was only 14 when I was born. things that may or may not have been correct.000 questions in my mind. place. That notion dramatically changed my viewpoint about my life. myself. but then what? Did her parents send her away? What if I called her and she had a heart attack? That possibility stuck in my head for several days. I started thinking differently about things I had assumed or taken for granted for 46 years. "What if my phone call kills her?" These and 10.
I once read about an engineer at Sunbeam who pretends he is the idea. gassy baby. You might be wondering if I ever found the medical history I was searching for. camping with her kidnappers six miles behind her house. Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her bedroom in Salt Lake City. he is able to make a mundane task both more fun and become more innovative. She was discovered eight months later. "Medical history: The only medical history (as follows) was provided by your foster family during the six months that you lived with them before you were adopted. Utah. crying. Gee thanks. The information was listed on the last page of that fateful packet. So if he's making a toaster. In June 2002. He asks himself. How could you change your perspective or view point in your business to generate 10." You were described as a whiney. do I want people to look fat or skinny when they see their reflection in my panels? How do I clean the crumbs out of my bottom tray? By thinking about the product from the view point of the product.S. 89 . how helpful.You can really get creative when you think about a topic from the perspective of something that's not human. That's Total B. he imagines that he is the toaster.000 new questions? What if you assumed the view point of the CEO of your company? What if you assumed the view point of President Bush? What would you do differently? Are the creative juices flowing yet? Oh yes.
" That was a bit of a conversation stopper. look for DNA in the water. I wrote a proposal to the FBI committee investigating the crime and offered to come in and teach my workshop for free. because I was a key member of that FBI investigation. At that time. Now. I started writing ideas of how to find her like. I was telling this story to a class when a man stood up and said. About thirty minutes later.While Elizabeth was missing. but hear me out. you could purchase any satellite image of the Earth for $149 and view any place on the planet that the Department of Defense hadn't blocked for security reasons. After all. One day. What if the FBI had actually done that? They might have noticed that someone was camping in the same spot for eight months. "Mark. I know absolutely nothing about lost children and procedures. but no one ever responded. in Utah no one is allowed to camp in any spot for more than 14 days. this may sound like Monday morning quarterbacking. I sent 25 e-mails and made 20 phone calls to that investigating committee. enlist the Civil Air Patrol." I asked myself. "I know for a fact. What do you say to that? So I just moved on. "How would nature find her?" In the proposal. and use satellite imaging." I said. I thought. I'm a perfect expert. The case took place before Google Earth was created.S. that story is complete B. "Okay … why do you say that?" He replied. 90 . "Maybe I can help them think about the case from a different perspective. After all. the same guy raised his hand and asked if he could say something to the class.
but you know what? I remember now. You're probably right about us not calling you back. I've been sitting here for the last half hour thinking about it. and I actually do remember some nutcase sending us a proposal about all kinds of crazy stuff." Even though the FBI clearly didn't see the merit in my plan. He said. "I want to apologize. I still think that the view point approach could have helped them find Elizabeth more quickly. How many other ideas could they have come up to look for her? The view point of Nature alone offered several viable ideas for the search. and we did run a background check on you.I held my breath. What if they had been willing to explore other perspectives and think about how they could find a missing girl from another view point? 91 .
Scott Fitzgerald put it this way. 92 . Winners never quit and quitters never win. "What's the use? Just get the job done." You realize I'm not talking about actual flowers. Balance is what you need." – Tom Robbins. right? I'm talking about the pitfalls of a too-flowery life and the emptiness of a life without them. Justice or mercy? Honesty or loyalty? Inspiration or accuracy? Time or money? Science or romance? Which way do you lean? A weak student will choose one side of a duality and disparage the other side while a brilliant student will stand between the poles and feel the energy that passes between them. and still retain the ability to function. F. I'm talking about the dangers of a lopsided perspective. The pragmatist never stops to smell the roses. The scientist keeps the romantic honest and the romantic keeps the scientist human. Another Roadside Attraction. "Roses are so meaningful." The romantic smells the roses and gets misty-eyed. 200 r dayM Mon ptembe Se for Seeing Yourself Real Paper Roses Have No Fragrance Most of us are out of balance and suffering for it. that mindnumbing "happy medium" cherished by the frightened and the weak. We're either too pragmatic or too romantic. "The test of a first rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time. romanticism and science are good for each other. Leaning is dangerous. Good things come into conflict.emo 7 ngM orni 24. And there is no choice so difficult as the choice between two good things." Life is a tightrope. move onward and upward. "In fact. 1971 I'm not suggesting that you seek watery compromise. Let's sit down and talk about our feelings and listen to some music and understand.
I shall try to demonstrate to them how these doubles are inseparable – how neither can exist without the other and how out of their groupings creativeness is born." – John Steinbeck. perhaps the greatest story of all – the story of good and evil. Electricity is not a compromise. 1952 Can you see the truth in opposite possibilities? Your opponent isn't always an idiot. Your adversary isn't always evil.I'm suggesting you find the electricity that flows when two poles of a duality are brought into close proximity. It is an altogether third. Williams 93 . East of Eden. new thing that emerges from two potentials. Roy H. Learn to love your enemy and feel fully alive. "And so I will tell them one of the greatest. of beauty and ugliness. of love and hate. Reach for the electricity. of strength and weakness.
The Universal Experience
"David, whatever you do, don't mention the 'L' word." "What the hell is the 'L' word?" "Shush….don't even say the letter. Don't even think about it. I'm talking about licensing. We don't even want to say that word. If we do, we'll have their lawyers on us like white on rice. The project will never get approved because we're too small for them to care about granting us a license. They wouldn't even give us the time of day. We'll be dead in the water. Don't you dare bring up that word. We have to figure out another approach. We need to go at this from another viewpoint." Dave Campbell and I had been brainstorming for days on how we could leverage our new creativity and innovation course. We kept asking ourselves, how do we make this new course larger than life? Who could we partner with that could take us to a higher level of status and credibility, one that we couldn't possibly reach on our own? We finally settled on Universal Studios. If we could partner with them and use the prestige of Universal to launch our new course, we knew we could make our class an instant success. Our plan was to put the course together and integrate our workshop with the activities and facilities of the theme park. The class would be a three-day corporate training event on creativity and innovation at Universal Studios Orlando. We had managed to set up a meeting with Universal to
showcase our product. We wanted to hold this event on Universal's property, and we desperately needed to use the Universal name in our marketing materials. Their name would give us the leverage we were looking for, but we knew they would never agree to let us license the Universal trademark. We needed approval to use the Universal name, but we knew if we brought up the "L" word, they would just tell us to go pound sand. From Universals' view point, there was no reason to allow us to license the name. We weren't big enough. We didn't have enough revenue potential for them to care. They spill more popcorn in a day then they would make on a revenue share with us over a year. To get approval to use their name, we knew we had to approach the issue from a different view point, so we put on our curious caps and started doing research. We found that Universal hosted three to four corporate events at their theme park per day. We figured that if all these other companies were already using Universal's facilities for corporate events, we could do the same thing; we just needed to host our own corporate event. On the day of the meeting, we were extremely cautious. "So let me get this straight. You are the Corporate Events Organization team for Universal Studios Orlando. You already have a system set up to handle three or four corporate events each day. What do we need to do to host a corporate event here as well? "Well, you simply select the facilities and days you want and then book your event with us. All we have to do is complete a normal purchase order."
Now I had to dance around the "L" word issue. "OK, so the corporations that come here now … they all have to tell their employees that the event is being held at Universal Studios Orlando … right?" "Yes, of course." "So I can safely assume they post information about the event on their internal Web sites." "I'm sure." "They probably provide maps of the park, information about local hotels, restaurants, and general details about the event, such as what to bring, what to wear, and what there is to do in the area. They probably use some of your marketing collateral to share that information internally, as well, right?" "Sure." "Do you have a packet of information about Universal that we could use to announce our corporate event? "Certainly. We can get you a package." "And since you have more than a thousand companies hosting events here each year, do you see any problem with us posting some of your marketing materials on our Web site? You know, the Universal logos, restaurant information, and details about rides … that sort of thing?" "No, we don't see any problem with that." We had just gotten approval to use the Universal Studios name without ever discussing the "L" word.
We just had to use a different perspective. Of course, we were looking out for Universal's best interest as well. Nothing we did was devious or deceitful. Not discussing the "L" word didn't hurt anyone. We got our new event approved, and we are providing another (albeit small) revenue stream for the Universal Corporate Events team, all by using a different view point. Check it out: www.imagination-live.com
Use View Point to Make Your Ideas Stick
Chip and Dan Heath recently released, Made to Stick, a book that explores why some ideas thrive while others die. I have spoken to Chip and Dan about their powerful and insightful book, particularly about how we could use a new view point to generate dozens of new products and services based on the book's principles. The foundation of the book is based on the observation that "sticky" ideas have several common attributes. Sticky ideas are: Simple Unexpected Concrete Credible Emotional StorieS
… and tell
These attributes spell success, which makes the concepts easier to remember. Let's now explore each of these concepts in greater detail, highlighting some examples from the book.
In the military, there is a concept called commander's intent. The commander's intent is defined as, "a concise expression of the purpose of the operation and the desired end state that serves as the initial impetus for the planning process. It may also include the commander's assessment of the adversary commander's intent and an assessment of where and how much risk is acceptable during the operation." No military plan ever survives initial contact with the enemy despite the enormous amount of planning that goes into the operation. Military operations and the environment are complex issues that are not easy to plan for – and the enemy gets a choice on what happens. That reality makes the commander's intent even more important. This statement is a simple core message that everyone can understand: "This is the desired outcome; this is what we came here to accomplish." No matter what happens, the foot soldier on the ground knows what has to be accomplished that day.
As you'll recall from previous chapters, Broca's area is the portion of your brain responsible for filtering boring, mundane, and otherwise unmemorable experiences from your longterm memory. An experience, product, or event has to break a mental pattern in your brain in order to be embedded in your long term memory. The movie, "The Sixth Sense," mastered the unexpected. Throughout the film, viewers are shocked and surprised by the multiple twists. This cinematic masterpiece is memorable primarily because the creators harnessed the power of the unexpected.
"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth." President John F. Kennedy, May 25, 1961 President Kennedy's challenge to Congress is memorable because there is no wiggle room in this statement. Kennedy's objective was to land a man on the moon and return him safely within the decade. The challenge was concrete and clearly defined, and thus more likely to stick in the minds of its recipients.
Credibility has an incredible impact on the "stickiness" of a message. In Made to Stick, the authors discuss how the NBA brought home the dangers of AIDS to their rookies in a way that they wouldn't soon forget. The NBA requires all rookies to meet in a mandatory session before the season begins. On the first night of the orientation, the players were hanging out at the hotel bar when a group of very attractive women walked in. The women were dressed for attention, and the players were happy to oblige. By the end of the evening, several of the players had made plans to get together with the various women later in the week. When the players arrived for their first meeting in the morning, they were shocked to see the women from the previous evening lined up in the front of the room. One-by-one, the women stepped out of line, introduced themselves, and said, "and I'm HIV positive." That stunt certainly added credibility to the NBA's message, but how do you think the rookies' viewpoint changed in light of the women's revelations? Their perspective changed dramatically
when they realized that the beautiful women they had been flirting with the night before were, in fact, HIV positive. This new view point brought home the message that the NBA was so desperate to transmit: AIDS is real, and anyone, anywhere can be a carrier of this deadly disease.
One of the easiest ways to make a message stick is to tap into someone's emotion. Charities have known for years that if they can make an emotional, one-to-one connection with a person, they'll give more money than they would have donated to a group fund. That's why charities often have patrons "sponsor" or "adopt" a young child in an impoverished, third-world country. By giving the donor a name, a picture, and a story of the recipient, the charity appeals directly to the donor's emotions, leading the donor to contribute more money. Targeted messages such as these change the donor's view point as well. Even though there are a lot of people in need, when a potential donor looks at the world through the eyes of a starving child in a third-world country, their perspective changes. Charities capitalize on this new perspective by letting donors know that their money really can change one life, even if they can't save the world.
Stories add a human element to a message, making it both more unusual and memorable. Think about Subway's Jared campaign. Almost everyone is familiar with the story of the man who lost hundreds of pounds by creating his own Subway sandwichbased diet. Jared's story has carried a lot of momentum and weight for the Subway campaign. Stories stick. As you consider your issue from different view points, keep Chip and Dan Heath's SUCCESS attributes in mind.
The Wonderful World of Shrink Wrap
The importance of opening your mind to new perspectives and view points cannot be underestimated. On January 16, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia launched into space at a seemingly uneventful launch. We later learned that the foam on the external tank, the insulation around the outside of the tank, had broken into pieces, fallen off, and struck the left side of the orbiter wing. Although nobody knew it at the time, the foam pieces had damaged the wing. Upon reentry into the atmosphere, the damage to the wing caused it to heat up and fail. Later on, we all saw the heart-wrenching videos of the vehicle tearing apart upon descent. The Columbia's fatal reentry was obviously a horrible disaster. The loss of the crew and vehicle was a devastating blow. Now, let's switch gears for a moment. Do you remember the Tylenol scare in the early 1980s? Seven people in the Chicago area died after ingesting capsules that had been laced with potassium cyanide poisoning. Although the perpetrator was never caught, the deaths led to reforms in the packaging of over-the-counter substances. Do you know how many billions of dollars that the pharmaceutical industry has spent on packaging materials and processes since that case? The advances and improvements they've come up with are unbelievable. As I was examining the foam problem, I asked myself, "What outsiders could NASA bring in for a new viewpoint and perspective to help solve the problem? Why couldn't NASA bring in some packaging engineers to shrink wrap the external tank? Shrink wrap. The idea may seem strange, but why not? We shrink wrap bales of hay, medicine, and leftovers. Shrink wrap
keeps things in place. Everyone knows that you cannot open a music CD, and the child-proof bottles on aspirin make it difficult for intelligent adults to retrieve their pills. I suggested my idea to a group of NASA officials and engineers in a lecture I presented in June 2005. After my lecture, there was a celebration for the opening of a brand-new facility. I was standing around talking and enjoying the appetizers when I decided to bring up my idea in a more personal setting. I asked a few people, "What do you think of my shrink wrap idea?" "Well, you know, it's not going to work because ice will probably stick to the plastic," they replied. Well, that wasn't actually what I had in mind anyway. I was thinking about a polymer that you would spray on. My polymer would be spray-painted on to the external tank, cure at room temperature, and shrink on its own. I am sure we can find a formulation that ice won't stick to. The conversation went on for a while, and the two men I was speaking with started looking over my shoulder and trying to figure out how they were going to get away from this nutcase. As they started to backpedal to try and escape from me, I dropped a bombshell. "Well, you know you never used to have a foam problem back when you used to shrink wrap the tank." That stopped them in their tracks. "What are you talking about?" I said, "Well, you used to shrink wrap the external tank."
"No we didn't." "Yes you did." They just looked at me with a glazed expression. "The shrink wrap was called white paint." Blank looks again. "You used to paint the tanks white. When the tanks were painted, you never had a foam problem." "Are you serious?" "Well, actually, I don't know if that's true or not, but you know what? Neither do you. There weren't enough cameras then to examine the details and see if any foam fell off or not. So the paint itself may have actually been strong enough to have solved the problem." Even though my hypothesis may or may not have been correct, I was just trying to get them to think differently and to understand the importance of a new perspective, a new viewpoint.
Uncover Your Inner Artist
Dr. Betty Edwards' book, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, teaches people how to become better artists, while also unleashing creativity by encouraging readers to explore and familiarize themselves with the hidden potential in their own brains. So, to further explore the power of view point and perspective, I'd like to make you into an artist. This is a five to ten-minute exercise. Go get a piece of blank white paper and a pencil. Do not turn your page upside down.
paying special attention to the relationships between spaces. I'll wait. Rather than looking at the picture as an object. it's only 10 minutes. You changed your viewpoint. put the book down and go get a piece of paper and something to draw with. You are simply trying to duplicate exactly what you see. and look at what you've drawn. a nose. When your image is complete. especially when you consider that stickmen are the foundation of my art career. which enabled you to depict the image in greater detail and accuracy. and the distance between lines. Seriously. turn it rightside up. The reason that your image probably looks better than the pictures you typically produce is because you changed the context. and spaces. angles. there is no nose. Remember. angles. there are no objects. and there is no face. Look at the lines. or as specific elements such as an eye. or a face. take your paper. and curves. not what you think you see. 104 . Do the exercise before you read anymore. There are no eyes.Replicate the image you see without looking at objects. Come on! Give yourself a gift and escape to the right brain. My drawing was incredible. Is your picture better than you expected? The first time I did this exercise I was shocked. you just tried to reproduce what you actually saw. curves. Start drawing.
prejudices. Remember. You're used to recognizing patterns and themes. Have you ever had someone finish a sentence incorrectly or miss your point altogether because they were so stuck on their own perspective? When you look at the image from a totally new perspective. they are assuming based on patterns and experience that they don't even need the rest of the information in your thought because they think they already know what you are going to say. "From a dog's point of view his master is an elongated and abnormally cunning dog. Apply the same concept to your personal and professional life. but when you identify those patterns and run with them.This idea of context applies to business and life as well. how much detail are you missing? How much detail are you leaving out because you already have the pattern established in your mind? Have you ever had someone finish a sentence for you? When someone does that." 105 . you're not allowing your history. Rather than drawing conclusions based on what you already know. look at the issue from a new context or view point and be amazed by what you can discover and create in your own mind. or patterns to draw the picture for you.
"Looks like you got you a new helper. so we saved up enough money for 3 tanks of gas and made the 200-mile drive from Broken Arrow to Ardmore. when I was nine. Roll the tarp over the ice. He saves me a lotta steps. And Mama Py took care of us all. He needed to check his trot lines and asked if we wanted to go along. 106 . I also saw Tucker Tower. I never knew my father's father. Oklahoma. As a child. Trot lines were illegal. of course. it never occurred to me that my family spent summer vacations at Daddy Py's because we didn't have the money to go anywhere else. It was even cooler than the garage at Daddy Py's house." Daddy Py couldn't say "grandson" without putting a T in it.emo ngM orni 11. Summer after summer. But my mother's dad I knew. I watched him dump the ice into the restaurant's icemaker and then I carried the empty canvas bag back to the truck. Williams. As I walked away I heard. crush and bag the ice. drive to Lake Murray. Once." "That's my grans-ton Little Roy. My career as an iceman began one afternoon when I was five. He got a big catfish that day and I got my first ride in a motorboat. I wasn't big enough to do much else. A couple of photographs and a pocket watch are all that remain of the original Roy H. but Larkin knew how to hide them so he never got caught. Daddy Py and I took a break from crushing ice to go with Larkin from Larkin's Bait Shop. Daddy Py and I would roll out of bed early. Daddy Py's house had chickens and a little stone washhouse and a garage from which you could see the edge of the world if you climbed up onto its flat tar roof. drive to the ice plant and slide 300-pound blocks of ice onto his '65 Chevy long-narrow pickup. cover it again with the tarp and deliver it to the convenience stores. toss it quick onto the truck. I was good at it. I figured we went there because it was the grandest place on earth. A restaurant called for 100 pounds of crushed ice and I went with Daddy Py to deliver it. Roy Pylant (PIE-lant) was the iceman in Ardmore for more than half a century. 2008 y dayM Mon ebruar or F f Once Upon a Time I was freshly married to Pennie and barely old enough to see over the dash of a car but I wanted to show her the magical places of my childhood.
He didn't turn to see who we were. His mama just liked the name. I looked into that mirror and saw the soul of America. Dopers would give up drugs for it. its edges smooth. Then Daddy Py would arrive with a tinfoil bundle and 2 mysterious jars of liquid. The quart Pepsi bottle with the screw-on cap contained a thin. The tinfoil contained sliced brisket. I saw only the white apron strings tied behind his neck and back. And it was beautiful. Each morning I'd hold open the screen door and Daddy Py would plunge into the mist with a 12-and-a-half-pound block of ice. A tightly sprung screen door traded magical aromas for outside air. I asked. but McKerson had no interest. These early morning hours had him boiling Pepsi bottles and baby food jars in a 25-gallon aluminum pot. Airplanes buzzed the house to get a sniff of it." 107 . redolent with coarse black pepper. This was Lieutenant McKerson's barbecue. I never saw McKerson's face. the silent work of a million shoes standing. One day as we drove away. "What branch of the service was Lieutenant McKerson in?" "He was never in the military. The baby food jar contained an equally thin. The sidewalk in front of McKerson's was broken. The building had no air conditioner.Back then they didn't let you become a grandmother unless you could cook and Mama Py was a grandmother of five. grey-brown au jus. Shakespeare wrote sonnets about it. He cooked for the tired. okra and corn on the cob with bowls of beans and fried potatoes. the poor. We were gone in less than ten seconds. twisting. Mama Py had a vegetable garden. tapering down to a mirror of grey cement. Her kitchen table glimmered like a leprechaun's pot of gold. red liquid that sparkled with what appeared to be cayenne. Ministers praised it from the pulpit. the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. Her food glowed like the sword Excalibur. There was a hole worn in the linoleum in front of the serving counter. We delivered ice to him every morning. turning to leave with their tinfoil treasures and sparkling jars. Bright rays of color would shine from her kitchen windows as she prepared tomatoes. Ice is an impatient master. Rich men had tried for decades to get McKerson's recipe by offering to franchise his little place. Our delivery of the ice was a morning ritual worn as smooth as the hole in the linoleum.
We watched as he went back in. my young wife. I sat and thought. Roy H. Daddy Py and Mama Py were dead. Then I drove away. He hung an Open sign on a hook outside. across the street from Lieutenant McKerson's in Ardmore. unwilling to taint the taste of the memory.A decade later I sat with Pennie. We were gazing in silence at the tired little building when an ancient man emerged in a glowing white apron. the baby food jars and the soul of America. I told Pennie about the Pepsi bottles. Williams 108 .
she was struck by the possibility of a disposable phone. This new thing can be a combination of things that already exist – things that were not previously used or applied in the same manner. but somehow work together in an application that was not thought of before. but what exactly is creativity anyway? Creativity is bringing into being something which didn't exist before. I refer to this phenomenon as combination creativity.Universal Network "When one tugs at a single thing in nature. Combination creativity involves looking at things that don't look like they should be combined. either as a product. a paper phone with an integrated 109 . he finds it attached to the rest of the world. process. 7 Changing the Application Randice-Lisa Altshul was a housewife with a big idea. One day. how else can these two items be used? How can I combine these two things to create something new? Altshul combined the cell phone with the phone card to create the Phone-Card-Phone. but Altschul looked at these two objects and thought. or thought. After realizing that cell phones were too expensive to lose or throw away. Combination creativity looks at the connectedness of things." John Muir We've talked a lot about creativity. We've all used cell phones and phone cards. she was tempted to throw her cell phone out the window of her car as a result of a bad connection.
2008. The Reebok Pump. The minutes are pre-programmed onto the circuit. 2008. is another example of combination creativity. and a pair of scissors. http://inventors.com/ library/weekly/aa022801a. As she painstakingly chopped each ingredient. 12 110 . someone explored the medical industry and found an IV bag. Accessed 24 Feb.circuit on the paper. stumbled upon another popular invention.about. salad chopper. She wrote a proposal to Motorola asking if she could do a pilot test of her product and they funded her project.12 Altshul took two things that already existed and created an entirely new product.htm. Silver's inspiration stemmed from the frustration she experienced while trying to recreate a chopped salad that she'd eaten in a restaurant.com/about_us. Mary Bellis. Accessed 25 Feb. 13 Toss & Chop. salad scissors." Silver wanted to create a tool that would allow her to chop and mix her ingredients simultaneously. In their search for innovation.silvermk. "There has to be a better way.cfm. she thought. yet she sold everything she had in inventory on the first day the product was sold on QVC.13 Silver took utensils that already existed: a spoon. without the hassle of cutting boards and knives. so they went completely out of their industry for inspiration. salad utensils. How's that for creativity? Wendy Silver. http://www. kitchen gadgets. kitchen utensils. and once the minutes are used up. Her invention was nothing new. and combined them together to create the Toss and Chop. The Toss and Chop is merely a combination of things that already existed. The IV (short for intravenous) bag was inserted in the sole of The Disposable Cell Phone or Phone-Card Phone. Reebok was trying to come up with a new product line. a popular line of athletic shoes in the early 1990s. a knife. the phone is thrown away. a stay-at-home mother of two.
The pump has since been modified. but the origins of the concept remain rooted in a product that was already in existence but used for an entirely different purpose. The prototype and the first shoes off the production line were actually made with real IV bags. Edison took hundreds of people from different industries and then mixed them into a huge cross reference of disciplines and fields. New Jersey. John Forbes Nash was an American mathematician who received the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his work in game theory." Many of the greatest inventors and thinkers of our time did not create their famed inventions. also got his idea from other 111 .the shoe. but his design was not particularly popular because it was too bright. Nash stumbled upon his prize-winning idea as a graduate student at Princeton chasing girls in a bar. Davy's basic technology is actually used today in search lights. The Art of Originality Thomas Edison once said. "Originality is the art of concealing your source. Edison's first innovation was really the industrial research lab built in Menlo Park. Humphrey Davy designed the first light bulb – not Thomas Edison. his team was actually responsible for the majority of the research and development. His team – not him – was responsible for expanding on Davy's design to create the first indoor light bulb. a U. and they called their new creation the pump shoe. but rather expanded upon what another innovator had already created. Robert Fulton. engineer and inventor who is credited as the creator of the steamboat.S. Davy had the first patent on the bulb. What many people don't realize is that while many of the inventions created at Menlo Park are legally attributed to Edison. like the ones you'd find in any hospital.
but she is not credited for her contributions in any formal public record. the couple writes back and forth about the Theory of Relativity. were separated for most of their married lives. Mileva Maric. The letters reveal that Mileva wrote many of the equations leading up to the Theory of Relativity. The couple's love letters have recently been unveiled and in the letters. he did not come up with the idea. Fulton took two things that already existed: the sailboat and the steam engine. and Einstein was ultimately awarded the Nobel Prize for his work. Albert and Mileva. Einstein publicly asked Plank.sources. who was also a physicist. was the first person to discover photoelectric effect. another scientist. Albert Einstein. "Can I borrow this idea and keep developing it?" Plank allowed Einstein to develop his theory further. Although Einstein. another widely recognized innovator and inventor. Another little known Einstein fact involves his first wife. Nash. Fulton. "Many times a day I realize how much my own outer and inner life is built upon the labors of my fellow men. won his Nobel Prize for his theory of photoelectric effect. Max Plank. Einstein once said. and created the steamboat. and Edison did receive inspiration and contributions from outside sources." His words take on a new meaning when one considers the contributors to Einstein's most-recognized inventions and theories. both living and dead. I am not disputing their genius. The fact remains that these brilliant individuals took something that already existed and built and 112 . however. and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received.
and all the other ships in the harbor. Pollution would no longer be an issue if the boats could run 113 . Robert Dane once sat on the docks of Australia's Sydney Harbor and thought about boats. ferries. Dane recalled reading a book about ancient insects and the evolution of how they grew wings. he could overcome multiple obstacles. These great men and women were recognized for taking an innovation to the next level. Dane had read that insects originally grew wings to regulate their body temperature. Dr. Common sense dictates that insects grew wings to fly. you're kidding yourself. After all. They admit it in their biographies. there is no such thing as a truly unique idea. but I estimate that up to 90% of award winners got their idea from an outside source. which is a major contribution to the pollution problem. Combination creativity is innovation. But Dr. But that doesn't mean you can't do something fantastic with it. Dr. not on the basis of how they created the idea.expanded upon it to create something entirely new. That's what I always thought. He realized that by combining these things together. Bugs used their wings as solar panels. I'm curious as to what percentage of Nobel Prize winners got their inspiration from somewhere else. I don't have a conclusive answer. Almost all of the ships in the busiest harbor in the world run on diesel fuel. Dane took the concept of a bug's wing and thought about the wing in conjunction with the pollution-free sailboat and the efficiency of solar panels. If you think you've got one. Ferries and Flies Dr. they stuck out their wings to absorb the sun's radiations and used the sunlight to stabilize their internal temperatures.
2008. sure this plan sounds great on paper. The mechanics of Dr. Using solar panels and wings together would also allow the ships to get more speed than from either force alone. What a cool idea for the environment.com/article.15 Many people believe that the propulsion or rocket forces would be the biggest technological issue to overcome. but nothing realistic could ever come from that kind of pipe dream. among many other revolutionary and record-breaking experimental aircraft.evworld. Rutan and his team won the Ansari X Prize.5 knots without producing any water or air pollution. the first plane to fly around the world on a single tank of fuel. 2008. He just combined existing technologies with a little bit of inspiration from nature to create an entirely new concept. http://www. When combined together.cnn/index. 114 .com/2004/TECH/ space/10/04/spaceshipone. but much of 14 Olympic Champion: Sydney's Solar Sailor. a $10 million award to the first civilian company that could launch the equivalent of three people into space twice within 14 days. Accessed 12 Mar.without diesel fuel. took to the waters of Sydney's harbor. Michael Coren. The Solar Sailor is a 20-meter-long catamaran that makes 7. He created the Voyager.14 the world's first solar/wind/hybrid-electric powered cruise boat. cfm?storyid=107. http://www. the wings and solar panels would overcome the vagaries of the wind that doesn't always blow and the sun that doesn't always shine. 15 SpaceShipOne captures X Prize.attempt. Shuttlecocks and Rocket Ships Burt Rutan is known as the aviation god responsible for creating all kinds of freaky planes. In the fall of 2004. Bill Moore. You may be thinking.cnn. CNN. Dane's Solar Sailor. Accessed 14 Mar. Yet in the summer of 2000. Dane's boats are not revolutionary.html.
he could apply a much lighter thermal protection system that would not weigh down the craft. The birdie enabled Rutan to not only come up with a lightweight reentry system.000 to 25. The technology will be utilized by Virgin Galactic. The craft could basically navigate itself because of the aerodynamically stable design. baseball. you hit the birdie as hard as you can. and football.that technology was borrowed from other sources. The flight pattern of the birdie gave Rutan a design parameter for SpaceShipOne. To solve his problem. which creates a great deal of heat. The birdie flies up to the top of the net and then falls at a slow. but he really hit the gold mine when he considered a badminton birdie.000 miles per hour in orbit. it will literally slam into the atmosphere upon reentry. the current systems were too heavy for his aircraft. The vehicle hits the atmosphere extremely hard and fast and slows down very quickly over a short amount of time. When an object is going 20. When you play badminton. To solve this problem. a company that aims to be the first space 115 . controlled speed. The SpaceShipOne technology is now licensed for use in a fleet of commercial spacecraft. "Rather than slamming on the brakes. One of the biggest obstacles for Rutan's SpaceShipOne flight was reentry. He thought about basketball. However. what would happen if I tapped them instead? What if I reenter over a much longer period of time and make reentry a slower process to give time for the heat to bleed off?" He figured that if he could accomplish that goal. Burt looked to the sports world. no such reentry process existed. but also to design the craft as such that it dramatically simplifies the pilot's role upon reentry. Burt asked himself. Although there were proven reentry systems that Rutan's team could have utilized.
The Ansari X Prize competition was designed to spur civilian spaceflight innovation.tourism company to provide sub-orbital flights to the public. but ten million is a measly prize when you consider that NASA does not have the capabilities to complete this feat – and a NASA shuttle launch costs something like a billion each! Think about that for a moment. One of the biggest technological accomplishments of our lifetime was solved by a fifty-cent badminton birdie. What can you create using existing technologies and ideas? Do you think that your creativity might one day change the world? 116 .
To increase ideality. 3. Glasglow What happens after you come up with an innovative new idea? How do you execute your system or plan to achieve the best results? The Ideal Final Result (IFR) describes the solution to a problem. 5. 6. the benefits of the concept must be increased by the solution. independent of the mechanism or constraints of the original problem. You must set yourself on fire. 117 . Occupies no space Has no weight Requires no labor Requires no maintenance Delivers benefit without harm Takes care of itself 8 Ideality is equal to the sum of the benefits divided by the sum of the costs plus the sum of the harm." Arnold H. none of the harm.Ideal Final Result "Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. The IFR is "the ultimate idealistic solution of a problem when the desired result is achieved by itself. The ideal system meets six important criteria. while the costs and harm are decreased. without jargon. and none of the costs of the original problem. The goal of the IFR is an infinite positive result." An IFR has all of the benefits. The IFR: 1. 4. 2.
Essentially the Ideality equation would equal infinity. an effort to continuously strive to maximize the benefits while minimizing everything bad about your product or service. less than ideal solutions are rejected. 6'3". The IFR gets people to think out of the box for ideas. How is that possible if you don't mow yourself regularly? It's in your DNA right? So what if you applied that same principle to the grass in your lawn? What if you planted a genetically altered grass that grew to the perfect height but then stopped? What would happen? Instead of owning a lawnmower with the associated costs. labor. The IFR also focuses the creator's attention on perfection as opposed to limitations. How tall are you? 5'8". 5'2"? How often do you mow yourself? I mean you grew to your adult height but then you stopped. breakthrough thinking is encouraged. fuel. By aiming for a flawless resolution from the start. and loss of 118 .This concept can be explained by the following equation: Ideality = ∑ Benefits / (∑ Costs + ∑ Harm) Ideality is a path toward perfection. but the rationale for creating this desired end result is important. maintenance. air and noise pollution. and discussions that will clearly establish the boundaries of the project are sparked. The goal of reaching a true IFR (or Ideality = Infinity) may seem unrealistic. The Ideal Final result would be reached if and when you have maximized the benefits and eliminated all of the bad. An IFR removes perceived and real barriers by forcing people to look at alternative solution concepts. storage.
the best way to get a great idea is to give yourself a great number of ideas to choose from. You have reached the IFR. The Ideal Final Result concept forces you to find ways to maximize the good in a problem. She left the room. She didn't wait for my reply. and in this case. Zero Budget "What the hell is burning in here?" my wife demanded. or idea. The first idea is rarely your best idea. One way I like to apply IFR is to assume you have zero budget to accomplish a task.Saturday leisure time to mow the lawn. concept. As you'll recall from our discussion about ambiguity. A recent client of mine named David McInnis (also a Wizard Academy grad) had just launched a startup company building parts via Stereolithography (SLA) and Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) – two bleeding edge technologies designed to build parts directly from 3D-CAD files by using lasers. Searching for the IFR forces you to reject your initial. There are several ways to look at this. flawed plans and strive for the system that will provide the best solution. placed it on the floor. the grass takes care of itself. She had smelled the block of wood burning in my home office all the way from hers. rarely the Ideal Final Result. and went back to her office without another word. This technology enables users to create these renditions without using any additional tools. the lawnmower doesn't exist. and minimize the bad. I submitted a proposal to the Air Force outlining a plan for 119 . returned with a fire extinguisher. This approach forces you to look at the available resources you have on hand and brainstorm ways to make your idea happen without spending any money.
commonly called dog bones. The problem was this: we were a startup company and we didn't own or have access to any tensile testing machines or a way to test the specimens at elevated temperatures. The manufacturer of the testing machines does sell an environmental chamber accessory that would have allowed us to measure the 120 . A company intern. This specification required that we use some new materials that Roger Spielman. We figured that his idea was worth a shot. The testing machines are very expensive. and I had recently developed. they needed the parts to function at elevated temperatures of up to 270°F. if we needed to use the machine a lot that we could pay a very small fee. Now we had a machine. the Director of Operations. We explained our situation and asked if they would be interested in letting us use the machine at a reasonable rate. and even said that the school wouldn't charge us a dime right then. BYU. so purchasing one of these machines was out of the question. Mike Sherwood. but still no way to test the specimen at elevated temperatures. Problem solved… or at least one of them. After all. He added that down the road. We picked up the phone and called one of the professors at the college. informed us that the local university. Dr. we had nothing to lose. Brent Strong gave us the go-ahead to start using the machine. We needed to test "tensile specimens" made from this new material. at these elevated temperatures. The Air Force specifications presented an obstacle.David's company to make parts for the F35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) using the SLS technology. had one of the tensile testing machines on campus.
the lights would work. In order to track the temperature readings. So. just maybe. "How hot will these lights get?" I know that they get pretty hot when I use them to shoot my videos. That probably would have worked. so I thought that maybe. I know that your first idea is rarely your best idea. but the accessory cost thousands of dollars. got my photography lights. I jammed a metal rod into a block of wood I'd found in my garage and stood the wood up vertically in my office. "What else might work? Is there another right answer?" Then I thought about my photography lights. I decided to try the lights out in spite of my doubts.effectiveness of the specimen at high temperatures. but I was doubtful that they could reach 270°F. turned them on. look at that engineering nerd and his laser thermometer. I went downstairs. so I figured I could just cut the oven in half. so I kept thinking. What resources did we already have available to accomplish this objective? I thought about my oven at home. I'd never measured the temperature of the lights before. I know what you are thinking: "Haha. and clamshell the oven around the tensile specimen while we tested them. The oven is more than twenty years old and we need a new one anyway. and shined them directly at the piece of wood from about three inches away. the next challenge was determining how to test the specimens at 270°F with no budget." 121 . I retrieved my laser thermometer from the closet. The appliance reaches temperatures of up to 425°F – I know because I do all of the cooking in our family. Since I am always curious. I wondered. but tearing my oven out of the wall sounded like a hassle.
Miss Two Weeks. 122 . What can you do with the IFR and zero budget? Raiders of the Broken Cable "You haven't taken me anywhere…in like…forever!" "All right. and other things like that. if it has been more than two weeks since we did something fun together like visit a restaurant. the smoke started. we'll do something fun. Her "fun memory" self-destructs at precisely 14 days. I didn't want to have to use the extinguisher my wife had placed on the floor. and best of all.but in my defense. it might as well have been 20 years. I'd found my solution. I quickly turned the light off before I set my house on fire. My plan worked like a charm. practical uses like measuring the temperature of the air in my hot air balloon. it didn't cost us a cent. checking the peanut oil temperature when I'm deep-frying a turkey (which as you know by now is off my diet). A simple photography light can heat a block of wood to temperatures over 600°? I would have never guessed. 400°F … When the wood reached 650°. 200°F. I simply turned the lights on my specimen. I have finally figured out one thing about my wife. the LT does have some real. and I never would have known if I hadn't been curious enough to test the lights out and Try It. and voila: mission accomplished. Wow. 250°F. I pointed the laser at the wood to measure the temperature and watched the readings climb: 150°F. take an impromptu road trip. or go see a movie." After nearly15 years of marriage. adjusted the lights' distance from the sample until the temperature stabilized at 270°F.
Sure enough. so could I." Wendover is a scant little gambling town. I investigated the cable and confirmed my suspicions. "Let's fly to Wendover. I immediately had my suspicions. of course."What do you want to do?" I asked. I performed a textbook-perfect. Wendover is about a one-hour flight in my homebuilt airplane. that straddles the Utah/Nevada border. and collected turn back to the airport with unruffled grace – a striking resemblance to the likes of Indiana Jones (this is how I remember handling it. Miss Two Weeks has her own version of the story). For the engine to over-rev like that meant I had lost the pitch in the propeller somehow. I immediately pulled back on the throttle to silence the screaming. calm. I never really liked the design. on the way to nowhere. cool.000 feet when suddenly the engine bellowed a blood curdling scream: "Whreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" The RPM's shot past the red line. After landing safely. I nursed the airplane safely back to the airport. Then without a second thought. I was still maintaining altitude and I figured if Indiana could get through this unscathed. all the while waffling back and forth on whether to declare an emergency with the FAA. From our home. the clevis design connecting the prop 123 . We both like to go to Wendover periodically to play Blackjack – our game of choice because money seems to burn more like a blowtorch than a bonfire. Even though the design of the prop cable had worked fine for eight years. We were smooth sailing at 8.
Then I tried to think about my surroundings and other hobbies. I wondered how I could connect the servo to the prop with the least cost. least risk. but each version still had some drawbacks. 124 . The problem was exactly as I had figured. they safely hold sails in even the strongest of winds. What am I really trying to do? How could I accomplish my task and maximize all the good and minimize all the bad? How can I minimize the time and cost? How could I approach the IFR equation so it got closer to infinity?" Applying these IFR principles.cable to the electric servo had broken.000 pounds of force. Let's look at the IFR. The part was still made of plastic and I wasn't ready to soil another pair of tighty whities just yet. the Ideal Final Result. I just wasn't satisfied. each one better than the last. and maximum simplicity. I knew even the smallest of these cables were capable of withstanding 20. which was part of the original airplane kit. I had come up with several versions that were better and stronger. I knew from my sailing days that sailboats have all kinds of stainless steel cables that have a clevis as part of the cable assembly. and they look a lot like this design. I thought. There is no plastic in sail boat cables. "Let's start from scratch and throw away the old design. either. I spent several weeks trying to improve the design. I measured the exact size of the servo and clevis connections. Then I hit pay dirt. Then I decided to take another view point. This lead to several solutions.
Aim high. 125 . and you'll exceed even your loftiest expectations. I felt confident that my next flight wouldn't require my best Indiana Jones emulation. and jumped on the Internet. and found the perfect cable for $30. you position yourself to find not only the best solution. and voila! I had a working cable. By searching for the IFR. installed it. and more importantly. did a little comparison shopping.measured the length of the cable I needed. I found a listing for sailboat cables. but also save valuable time and money. I FedEx'd the part. I had already spent 20 times that in personal labor trying to fix the original flawed design.
then there is no hope for it. many people get stuck when the time comes to be creative on demand." 9 126 . we are not trained to come up with a creative idea on the fly. How did you do? Were you able to think up three comical captions? If you're like most people. I'd like you to try to write three funny captions for this bubble. As a society. Still. try it. you probably drew a big fat blank – and that's not your fault. Examine the illustration to the right. "Heads are going to roll if we don't get some creative ideas and out-of-box thinking." Albert Einstein We've talked a lot about creativity and the "basic" tools we can use to generate new ideas and innovation. When I put this picture up in the da Vinci course. or any other time when your boss throws you in a room and says. Go on. This exercise is no different than when you're sitting in a meeting and someone puts you on the spot to come up with a new idea for a marketing or business plan. half of the class will start writing. The other half will put their pencils down on the paper and avoid making eye contact with me because they don't want to be called on.Brainstorming "If at first the idea is not absurd.
I know what you're thinking: "Rules in a brainstorming session? Doesn't that defeat the purpose?" Most people do not set brainstorming rules before a session. many different rules and ideas from hundreds of Web sites. but I've found that laying out the guidelines before you begin really helps start – and keep – the creative juices flowing. This list of rules is a result of trying many. 127 . These are the ones I have found to be the most useful so far.Brainstorming Basics How will you react the next time your boss throws you into an impromptu brainstorming session? Hopefully. friends. authors. I encourage you to do the same. and colleges on the subject of brainstorming. experiment and see what works best for you. but I am always trying new things as well. but first you have to establish the ground rules for the session so that your brilliant plan will not be ignored. I have added a strong dose of my own experience to solidify this list. the "Basics" that you've learned in this chapter will help you come up with creative ideas that wow your colleagues and boss. instructors.
Brainstorming Rules 1. 4. not quality. or far-fetched the idea might be. ridiculous. 8. Leave your titles at the door! 10. 5. no matter how crazy. 3. The optimum number of people is between eight and twelve. There will be no detailed discussions about an idea. 2. 6. Keep a copy of the rules in plain view. 128 . with one-third of the group being outsiders. The scribe should write down every idea – no screening. Assign someone as the scribe. 9. Postpone and withhold judgment of any idea. The brainstorming list must be visible to everyone. 7. except to provide clarification. Go for quantity. Generate as many ideas as possible. Encourage wild and exaggerated ideas. Snowballing on other ideas is encouraged.
Because the idea doesn't fit the normal patterns of business conversation. Aim to write down four or five hundred ideas in your session. The list can always be cut down and prioritized later. No Matter How Crazy. When someone says something that's really creative. Ridiculous. in fact.Rule Number One: Generate as Many Ideas as Possible. Say. that craziness is. the person feels 129 . Rule Number Three: There will be No Detailed Discussions about an Idea. Go for Quantity. Except to Provide Clarification. You'd be surprised at the creativity that will flourish when you encourage crazy ideas. encouraged. Remember Chapter 5? The best way to get a great idea is to get a lot of ideas to choose from. will open the door to new ideas." or "We don't have the budget for that?" That type of judgment stops the momentum and drains brainstormers of their creativity. not Quality. "That won't work. Another reason I emphasize quantity over quality is because quality doesn't matter at this stage of the game. Rule Number Two: Encourage Wild and Exaggerated Ideas. "OK guys. Have you ever been in a discussion where someone says something that's crazy and someone else in the room stops and says. the person who comes up with most creative idea in the next hour wins." Letting everyone know that craziness is OK for an hour. many times the other people in the room will begin objecting like crazy. Then the person who came up with the idea will try and give a twenty-minute dissertation on why the idea isn't completely nuts. or Far-fetched the Idea Might Be.
Many of the greatest innovations of today 130 . The Scribe Should Write Down Every Idea – No Screening. Do not allow this to happen. The rules should be readily visible to everyone in the room. I have to emphasize the second part of this rule because screening happens all the time. Everyone's shouting out ideas and somebody will say something really crazy. Each person is allowed 10 to 15 seconds to explain the concept if it is really bizarre and unfamiliar to the rest of the group. Rule Number Five: Keep a Copy of the Rules in Plain View. Rule Number Four: Assign Someone as the Scribe. Everyone should be able to see the ideas that have already been generated. As you learned in the Universal Network chapter. but they are not allowed to carry out a detailed conversation until the session is over. point to the list and politely tell the naysayer to shut up. there are no original ideas. Make certain that the scribe understands this rule. If anyone tries to overstep the boundaries and shoot down a rule. and the scribe won't record their idea because they believe it's too far-fetched. The list might provide the inspiration necessary for the next great idea. Rule Number Seven: Snowballing on Other Ideas is Encouraged. Don't let the scribe hide their list away out of sight. Rule Number Six: The Brainstorming List Must Be Visible to Everyone. which brings me to my next point.responsible for defending the merit of their suggestion.
there's dead silence. there is no vice president. or makes a deprecating comment. bosses. There are no directors. say the new thought out loud and write it down. raises an eyebrow. This is the hardest rule for bosses. stupid idea?" How many people would you guess raised their hand? What do you think that did to the team's creativity? Rule Number Nine: Leave Your Titles at the Door. totally. Judgment is even worse when it comes from a higher-up." I almost have to embarrass the most senior person in this room so that I can make it clear that they're probably going 131 . "What ******* SOB came up with this ridiculous. Suddenly. or owners. "Are we clear? Do you understand that you are not the boss for the next hour? I want you to be fully. and when I get to this rule I have to look at the highest ranking officer and say. I was once in a meeting when the Chairman of the Board stormed into the room and angrily demanded.are the result of someone piggy-backing on another person's ideas. That 10% difference might be enough to make someone else think about the idea differently and allow them to expand upon the concept even further. Whenever you do a brainstorming session. Even if an idea is only 10% different than another idea. Rule Number Eight: Postpone and Withhold Judgment of Any Idea. I teach a lot of sessions in the military. consciously aware that you are the person who is most likely to kill the creativity in this room. Almost everyone has been in a situation where someone throws out a crazy idea and the most senior person in the room makes a face. Judgment is one of the biggest creative killers that exists.
Try implementing a "brainstorm exchange" program with another company.to mess the session up. Most people think this rule won't work because outsiders will not be interested in sitting in on a session. I sometimes set a camera up in the room from a distance and really zoom in on the manager's face without telling them. Companies rarely ask outsiders to join them. I ask them. and other common business issues. To bring home this rule further. Get people from outside your department. but the reality is that everyone wants to exchange ideas. and unfortunately. with One-Third of the Group Being Outsiders. the least practiced in business. 132 . Both companies will benefit from the experience. An outsider might be able to shed some light on your company's particular obstacle. Consider this: every company in the world has problems with cost. but outsiders offer a unique View Point that insiders cannot see. Your problems are not unique. the smart ones anyways. Setting rules for your brainstorming session will enable you to come up with more creative ideas and solutions for your business. people from an entirely different industry to sit in on your session. This one is the biggy. I play the video back for them over lunch on the big screen and point out their expressions. employee retention. Well. The camera records their facial expressions and body language in response to really creative ideas. The critical part of this rule is bringing in outsiders. everyone has very similar issues to deal with. "Don't you think your attitude hinders the creative process?" Rule Number Ten: The Optimum Number of People is Between 8 And 12. your company. or better yet.
In Part II we will examine the 40 Answers. putting paper cups on my head. wonderful. tactical tools for generating new creative ideas. new ideas of their own. and Ideal Final Result. but when the fun is over and I come back and sit down at my desk. I've had a great time dancing and singing. Using these tools can make a world of difference in your ability to think up creative ideas and solutions. 133 . However. Clear as Mud. The next time you're buying a car. I've been through a number of creative thinking courses. and swimming through swamps at these workshops. Sensible Design. but in your personal life as well. planning a vacation. which will give you a set of even more tangible. or trying to figure out how to manage your teenage daughter. Try It. are the foundation for establishing a creative mind-set. we can all do it consciously. These basics cannot only be used in business. Universal Network. a home. try thinking about the issue from the perspective of these basics. Most of them probably never tried to describe what they do in concrete concepts because they just thought that way subconsciously. I strive to give my readers and students deliberate methods and deliberate tools to generate ideas quickly so that they can come up with some crazy. Hank. I often discover that I didn't learn anything that I can apply in a realworld setting. With these basics. and Walt all used these basic principles as well as hundreds of other creative geniuses.Back to Basics The "Basics" that we've discussed in Part I: Peel the Onion. View Point. I am fairly certain all of them would have had different names for the basics if they tried to describe how they thought and behaved. Buck. I believe that Lenny.
During this time. 134 . One of them said. Despite the doubts of the NASA officials I talked about in the View Point chapter. So I submitted my proposal and had a couple of months to wait before they awarded contracts. I wanted to find a cheap way to start testing my idea. I sent my proposal to another top NASA official. I wrote a one-page proposal outlining my idea and sent the document to several senior NASA managers.But first. "Well. I suspected that an idea like this might have gotten lost in the lower levels of the review process and been killed before it could be thoroughly evaluated. She suggested that I turn in a proposal for SBIR Funding – Small Business Innovation Research. I still believe that a sprayable polymer shrink wrap would keep the foam intact and prevent debris from causing another tragic disaster. I'm sure we thought about this. Paid to Play "I'm going to fix the space shuttle myself. a little more play." Having worked on the program. The foam issue on the Columbia mission has always been on my mind. but I don't remember the details or what happened to that plan. I wanted to "Try It" and get ahead of the game. especially when you consider that I am no longer on the space shuttle program and I haven't been for the last ten years. I was on both the Challenger and the Columbia investigating committees." That is the most arrogant statement you'll ever hear me make. SBIR funding is designed to encourage collaboration between the public and private sectors and stimulate technological innovation opportunities for small business owners. Not one to give up easily.
40%. Great Stuff is a sealant for doors. which wasn't very much help. After several days of research. look and see what type of funding you are eligible for. I discovered that Dow Chemical made the foam. The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Technology runs the SBIR and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs. 135 . did some more research. since Pratt & Whitney doesn't make chemicals like that. or a business plan that you think just might work. These programs are designed to ensure that small. of SBIR awards go to companies with less than 9 employees. I called Dow and spoke to an engineer who confirmed this. the largest percentage. windows. Who would have guessed? I could now start testing several shrink wrap materials with the foam before the contract even started. I needed to know who actually manufactured the foam. just to get a jump on things. He gave me the NASA spec number. I know that was unlikely.In order to test the feasibility of my shrink wrap plan. and that small business can be a company of one: you. My friend went back. Get Your Own Free Money The next time you have an idea. at least that I know of. and then he called and said the foam was manufactured by Pratt & Whitney. In fact. Any small business can do exactly what I did with the SBIR program. I visited their Web site. because NASA wasn't just going to send some to me if I didn't have a contract. started doing some research. innovative businesses are able to contribute to the federal government's research and development efforts. and discovered that the foam used on the space shuttle Columbia is the same stuff sold in a can at Ace Hardware by the name of Great Stuff. I needed samples of the foam used on the Columbia shuttle. I called a friend of mine at Kennedy Space Center and asked for the specification for the foam. and cracks. a concept. and can be bought for less than $10 a can.
gov to find and apply for other federal government grants. one out of seven get funded from every agency. laser technologies. 136 . Many federal agencies with large budgets have to fund the SBIR program.S. Agencies that participate in the SBIR/STTR programs include: • • • • • • • • • • • Department of Commerce Department of Defense Department of Education Department of Energy Department of Homeland and Security Department of Transportation Environmental Protection Agency National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) National Science Foundation U. Your chances of getting a grant are pretty good.grants. Small Business Administration Department of Health and Human Services Visit www.sbir. software for spacecraft operation and control. night vision goggle simulators. or visit www. Vaccinations. so if you have an innovative new plan for getting things done. nano-engineering techniques.The goal of the program is to translate scientific discoveries into products and services that touch people's lives. you'll find my initial one-page proposal that got things rolling.gov for more information on the SBIR/STTR programs. and a new long-life battery are all innovations that began in the SBIR/STTR programs. check out the SBA programs and see what type of funding you might be eligible for. robotic surgery assistants. On the next page.
LLC. FINANCIAL: This phase one study is estimated at $70. Fox is the CEO of SAAF.. SAAF. These same materials and processes have been used to wrap and protect almost every product imaginable. 137 . SAAF. Fox. The Ideal Final Result (IFR) would be to provide an off-the-shelf. or inspections. is a Chemical Engineer. stands ready to conduct this study immediately. Mark L. sprayable polymer that would room temperature cure and shrink. "Visualize an automobile painting process. Mr. Mr. July 5th. Aspirin bottles. Fox was part of the Space Shuttle Program for over 15 years and was a Chief Program Manager as well as a Chief Engineer at Thiokol and is intimately familiar with the program and NASA policies and procedures. thus eliminating the potential of future orbiter damage. 2006 CEO. soft drinks. This was the spark that infused billions of dollars into the packaging industry and its technology. Mark L. STATUS: SAAF. Fox. and will be the principal investigator of this study. Music CDs. This material would be applied as a final step in the ET manufacturing process just prior to shipment of the KSC. and millions of products now have state of the art tamper-proof designs. A more detailed proposal and test plan will be submitted upon NASA's request. Mark will travel to NASA to meet and discuss this further at the agency's request. regarding their level of interest via a phone call. This phase 1 study will investigate this industry to determine if a readily available material and process exists that would allow the Space Shuttle External Tank (ET) to be shrink wrapped in a strong. lightweight. and lightweight protective "cocoon" to eliminate the possibility of any foam shedding during launch.000 for a 6-month time period. ACTION: NASA to review this proposal and contact Mark L. and MBA. LLC. processes. The technology advancements in this field have increased many orders of magnitude in the last 20 years. LLC. yet would not require any changes to the current foam insulation material specifications.EXTERNAL TANK SHRINK WRAP Provide a shrink wrap type material for the Space Shuttle External Tank to eliminate all foam debris TARGET: To utilize the extensive experience of the packaging and polymer industries to provide a material and process to shrink wrap the ET foam and eliminate debris • • • • Improve the safety of all future Space Shuttle missions Minimum impact to current operations Provides a fresh independent assessment and solution to the problem Supports NASA's Small Business Strategic Initiatives In 1982 the Cook County Medical Examiner's office found several cases where Tylenol had been intentionally contaminated with cyanide. durable. Fox is currently a successful entrepreneur in several industries." This would have minimal impact to the current STS operations and would greatly increase mission safety. LLC.
Part 2 – The Tactics .
I refer to the 40 Answers or Principles as lenses because most people find it easier to examine the problem when they can look through the magnifying lens of TRIZ to see the solution. or as I like to call them." Albert Einstein Genrikh Altshuller. TRIZ is designed to create an algorithmic approach to the invention of new systems and the refinement of old systems. Altshuller called his theory TRIZ. the Russian acronym for the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving. TRIZ is a set of tools. for generating innovative ideas and solutions. but not simpler. however. was a Russian engineer. scientist. each of which can be solved by applying one or more of the 40 Universal Answers. Altshuller discovered that there are only about 1. 10 140 . I encourage people to ask themselves. rather than answers. the principles of TRIZ are now being successfully applied to both social issues and business dilemmas. He referred to the solutions as principles. and writer who once embarked on a mission to establish a set of generic rules to explain the conception of new. "Which lens can I use to solve this problem?" or "How would I solve this problem if I were looking at it through this lens?" In contrast to brainstorming techniques that rely on random idea generation. After studying hundreds of thousands of patents. or Hank. as I like to call him. His original intention for TRIZ was to solve engineering and design issues. lenses. journalist.The Lenses of TRIZ "Everything should be kept as simple as possible.500 basic problems. patentable ideas.
Creativity is now finding that solution and adapting it to this particular problem. or classical "trade-offs" are an obstacle to the desired solution because something 141 . 3. A thorough understanding of TRIZ involves learning the repeating patterns of problem solutions. Creative innovations use scientific effects outside the field where they were developed. Patterns of technical evolution are repeated across industries and sciences. and then applying the TRIZ patterns to a specific solution. These contradictions are broken into two categories: 1. the patterns of technical evolution. 2. The classification of the contradictions in each problem predicts the creative solutions to that problem. A fundamental element of TRIZ lies in the recognition that contradictions should be eliminated. and the methods of scientific effects. Problems and solutions are repeated across industries and sciences.At the foundation of TRIZ is this underlying principle: "Somebody someplace has already solved this problem (or one very similar to it). Technical contradictions." TRIZ relies on three basic findings: 1. The chart below illustrates this process in simpler terms.
For example: a. or opposite requirements. Coffee should be served hot. but the weight increases (bad). The problem with TRIZ is that the concepts are usually taught by PhDs who get too caught up in the technical definitions. b. The product gets stronger (good). However. In other words. Service is customized to each customer (good). but the service delivery system becomes more complex (bad). but should be simple enough for the average user to learn. "Inventing is the removal of a technical contradiction with the help of certain principles. Altshuller said. 2. another element gets worse. the individual must examine a great number of inventions. and even though she is a PhD (we will try not to hold that against her)." He believed that in order to develop a "method" for the process of inventing. The principles are complex. she is one of the few people who really understands the depths of TRIZ and how to communicate them. identify the underlying contradictions. but cold enough to prevent burning the customer. when one thing gets better. For example: a. For those readers who want to dig really deep into the principles. b. and formulate the principle used by the inventor to remove the underlying contradictions. and most educators do nothing to simplify them for the average person in need of real answers. I 142 . Physical or "inherent" contradictions are situations in which one object or system has contradictory. Software should be complex in order to include many features. Ellen Domb is a friend and colleague of mine.else in the system prevents the desired solution.
She has certainly helped me. Also at the end of each lens I have included some very brief additional examples called "TRIZ Bitz" to help you imagine just how many different ways the lenses can be applied. In some cases I have left the original definitions from Altshuller to demonstrate how some of the original.suggest visiting Ellen's Web sites.triz-journal. and real-life applications of each lens. TRIZ can be used in applications beyond problem solving.trizpqrgroup. In the pages that follow. I break them down with a broad range of examples to make the concept much easier to understand. 143 . my definitions of the 40 Answers.com.com and www. as well as how to be creative in your view of the world and its underlying problems. TRIZ gives you a tangible and tactical set of tools for your creativity. and I encourage people to use whatever definition works best for them. www. I want the opposite of technical definitions. I want liberal definitions. you'll find the technical explanations of each principle. I give my students license to use very liberal definitions of the lenses. so they can maximize the creativity of their answers. but don't worry. Once you understand the definitions and see the broad range of examples you can then focus these lenses on your issues. The lenses of TRIZ demonstrate how to approach relationships and societal problems. Create your own Answers When I teach TRIZ. technically-focused principles are too hard to swallow.
g. and corporate subsidiaries have in common? All are examples of segmentation applications. Replacing solid shades with mini-blinds 11 Denim Fads. a. segmented rocks and new denim jeans. During the wash cycle. The 144 . the cloth fibers are pounded and beaten by the rock fragments. resulting in a worn-out appearance. and Corporate Subsidiaries What do denim fads. segmentation is a transition to the micro-level.Segmentation Segmentation involves breaking an object into independent parts or fragmenting things. a. Increasing the degree of fragmentation or segmentation. Sectional furniture that separates into parts 3. firefighting techniques. Making an object easy to disassemble. Firefighting.g. Stonewashed Jeans Stonewashed jeans are an example of segmentation as a solution. for example: 1. e. e. Breaking down the writing process of a novel into chapter milestones 2.g. Segmentation can be accomplished several ways. a. e. The stone-wash finish is achieved by filling an industrial-sized clothes washer with large. Dividing an object into independent parts. basically.
By dividing the conglomerate into smaller profit centers. A conglomerate is a company that has partial or full ownership stakes in a number of other companies." 145 . Rather. Animals and Autism Temple Grandin's book. and causes much less damage than water sprayed from a high-pressure fire hose. Mist is a more effective fire extinguisher. Segmenting the stream of liquid into a mist of small water particles increases the good and decreases the bad. Grandin believes that animals think in the same way. the water does more harm than the fire itself. these individuals see things as segments – pieces and parts of an entire object. She argues that individuals with autism cannot see the big picture. firms that may be in the same or different industries.process also increases the flexibility and softness of otherwise stiff fabrics such as denim. Fight Fire with Mist Most people do not realize that fire is not the biggest cause of destruction to a burning building in many cases. Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior. explores the idea that autistic individuals can better relate to and understand the way animals think and feel because of similarities in their brain development. When firefighters pump thousands of gallons of water into a building. Many automatic fire suppression systems operate on this principle. so she has a unique "view point. The water used by firefighters to extinguish the flames actually causes the most damage. Grandin herself is autistic. bringing firefighters closer to the Ideal Final Result. the business becomes easier to manage and control. Corporate Subsidiaries A corporate subsidiary is essentially the segmentation of a big conglomerate into smaller profit centers.
bite-sized segments. Wendy's. 146 . She describes the natural brain segmentation that occurs in autistic people and explains how this segmented thought process has worked to her advantage. Segmenting the course into consumable tidbits was a great solution. and chickens that humans consume. Kentucky Fried Chicken.Grandin's theory is that the part of the brain that is underdeveloped in an autistic person is naturally much smaller in an animal's brain. I make my point. In relation to business innovation. pigs. Her checklists for the humane treatment of animals are utilized by meat processing plants across the country. Before I began creating the videos. How can you think like an autistic person or an animal to solve the problem? By looking past the big picture into the pieces and parts. In fact. her book raises several important questions. I struggled to find an effective means to transmit the information to the masses. Big training videos were hard to sell because they were too long and difficult to watch and absorb in one sitting. and Burger King purchase their meat exclusively from plants that have been certified by Grandin. Fast-food chains such as McDonald's. My video newsletters are an excellent example of a segmentation application. In the videos. can you find a better solution? I've utilized segmentation in my training courses to great success. offer a few relevant examples. My clients enjoy the short video clips much more than 1-hour training DVDs. Grandin's work has revolutionized the reform of quality of life and humane killing of the cows. she believes that autistic people think more like an animal than another human being in terms of brain development. and stop. My Sly as a Fox video newsletters are now 3 to 5 minute.
Different product or service offering for each target market 3. Let members of a broken family go their own ways How can you look through the lens of segmentation to solve an issue in your business or personal life? 147 . Your typical SWOT analysis in business: Strengths. Threats 2. Weaknesses.TRIZ Bitz 1. Opportunities.
A customer can be a relational shopper in one category and a transactional shopper in another. In other words. They want to find the right place. And for the first time in the history of Starbucks. facts. They describe only the mode of shopping. details. an expert they can trust. the momentary mind-set of the decision maker.emo ngM orni . the right person from whom to buy. 1 to Dec 31. there was $100 fewer dollars per person spent in brick-and-mortar stores in your town than was being spent just a few years ago at Christmastime. The reasons are: (1. 5 out of 10 customers will be in transactional shopping mode. Beginning to get the picture? 148 . Starbucks has always sold relationally. The labels don't define the customer.the idea of affordable luxury . 2008 14 dayM Mon January or f The Glass Ceiling Every business that tries to rise to its full height will bump its head on a glass ceiling they didn't realize was there. That glass ceiling is created by the business owner's core beliefs about the customer.7 billion online at Christmas (Nov. The other 5 will be in relational shopping mode. We pay for the atmosphere of the café with its half-lit earthtones and iconic logo . Shoppers in transactional mode are looking for information. Relational-mode shoppers are looking for a pleasant experience. Their thoughts revolve around the product itself. the transactional shopper is gathering the information that will allow them to be their own expert. But some of us have begun to compare the quality and price of the coffee itself to the quality and price available from other providers.as much as we pay for the coffee. prices. Meanwhile. woman and child in the nation. Here's what's currently happening in America: One of the 5 relational shoppers has begun to think transactionally. not the purchase experience.) concerns about the economy. Americans spent $29. (2.) approximately $100 for every man. up 19% from the previous year. traffic is in decline. Traditionally. the type of ad to which he or she will respond.) access to information via search engines.
) Think about it. or sponsorship package. don't fall into the trap of believing the answer is to "target" relational shoppers through some magical mailing list. a new perspective in 2008.Starbucks has found the glass ceiling. Williams 149 . This doesn't sound like a big thing until you realize that 6 is 50% more than 4. I'm sure you have your own idea about how Starbucks should respond to their decline in traffic. e-mail list. they're selling as much coffee as can be sold relationally. what new information will you deliver in 2008? (You realize this memo isn't really about Starbucks. In other words. Will Starbucks give us new information. details and prices they expect? Or will you simply demand that your marketing team deliver more customers in relational shopping mode? (Please. I'm begging you for your own sake. Do you have the clear answers that 6 in 10 shoppers demand? Are you willing to provide the growing tribe of transactional shoppers with the information. People never really change their mind. right? I don't care about Starbucks. facts. or will they just whine at their marketing department for the inexplicable decline in traffic? More importantly. won't you? Your financial future hangs in the balance. Roy H.) The Tiny Giant is that 1 relational shopper in 5 who is moving to a transactional perspective. They merely make new decisions based on new information. This effectively shifts the marketing balance from 5/5 to 6/4. but the point of today's memo is this: A glass ceiling exists when you overestimate the number of people who prefer to buy the way you prefer to sell. I care about you.
You don't want the generator. "What can I take out or take away to solve the problem?" Take out the interfering pieces and leave only necessary components. In other words. you should ask yourself. Franchises. An optical fiber is a glass or plastic fiber that guides light along the length of the cable or cord. or problem through the Taking Out lens. leaving only the necessary phases or pieces of the product. you ask yourself. have you ever sat in an office that overlooks the building's generator? If so. and Free CDs Examples of the successful application of Taking Out are abundant. or singling out the only necessary part or property of an object. "Is there something I can take out of this product to increase the good and minimize the bad? Is there a way that I can remove all extraneous parts or phases and keep only necessary components?" 12 Fiber Optics. Why not move the generator 100 yards away from the building and run the electrical cable underground? Follow the Light Fiber optics is another example of the Taking Out principle. you remove the problematic aspect of the system or object. you'll know that the generator is a noisy disturbance that interferes with your daily routine. Fiber optic technology has taken out 150 .Taking Out The second lens of TRIZ. When you examine your issue. For instance. involves separating an interfering part or property from an object. system. Taking Out. product. When you examine the generator problem through the Taking Out lens. you just want the power.
Christmas tree lights. and training requirements are removed from the business plan. Have you ever stood in a long line at the end of a show or workshop. In other words. In a franchise the marketing. The result is a simplified business model for franchisees. The light. the collection of money in a product transaction is a pain. so waiting 10 or 15 minutes to swipe your credit card is not fun.all of the machinery and mechanisms that generate the light. Cash Wrap I've used the Taking Out lens to simplify the purchase process of my CDs during my creative courses and workshops. 151 . all you really want to do is go home and relax. Ask any of these people what the biggest obstacle to making the sale is and I'll bet they'll point to the cash wrap process. is removed. leaving only the light itself. is kept in the core of the fiber and the machinery. Franchise Me Franchises are another example of this lens. the interference. the necessary component. and to illuminate department store showcases using only one light source. If the machinery were left intact and not removed from the fiber optic cables. Many of the traditional aspects of owning a business are "taken out. one that incorporates only necessary parts. presenters. and performers sell their work at a table in the back of the room. waiting patiently for your turn to pay? After a long session. The removal of external mechanisms allows fiber optic technology to be utilized in a variety of applications like endoscopic surgical procedures. startup costs." because the franchise owner has created a complete mini-business. the technology would not be as versatile and many of the current applications would no longer work. Many speakers.
Although my plan was shocking to many people. the details. and say. Ninety-five percent of the people who take a CD visit the site and pay me. The result is that you are drawn into the picture because you can't tell what's actually going on or what is taking place at the event. the details of the photo are under water. Problem solved. hand it to their secretary. The phrase. I list a Web address they can visit to pay for their purchase. 152 ." No hassle. I looked at the cost ratio of the CDs and determined what percentage of people actually have to pay for the product to break even.Many people don't want to deal with the hassle and stand in line so they just leave empty-handed instead. If you look at Frank's photographs. During my lectures. Frameline Magnetism Frameline magnetism is a tool that has been used by artists and photographers for centuries to help pull their audience into the picture. I asked myself. I noticed this issue at many events and wondered how I could solve the problem. Frameline magnetism engages your mind in the composition. no lines. same profit. On the back of the CD. "What can I take out of this process to simplify things?" I finally concluded that the best solution was to remove the cash wrap process entirely. I tell the audience that if they want to buy a CD they can just pick one up on their way out of the room and leave. You only see a portion of what's really going on. "Pay this guy. This is achieved by not including. "tip of the iceberg. I've actually found that taking out the payment transaction was quite effective. They take the CD home. or taking out. Roy Williams uses famed photographer Robert Frank's work to illustrate this concept. he captures the moment – but he leaves out the details." describes this concept very nicely because like an iceberg.
"Green-Home Consultants" to help you take out energy waste in your home 3. The Got Milk? campaign. or service to simplify the system? 153 . stays here. Silverstein & Partners in association with the California Milk Processor Board. Taking out carbon dioxide emissions from coal burning plants by pumping the flue gas through carbon dioxide-eating algae What can you "take out" of your product. Let's look at another example of this concept. Take the mystery out of copyright law (big opportunity for some lawyer out there) 2. R&R Partners is the marketing agency responsible for creating the incredibly successful Las Vegas advertising campaign. In both frameline magnetism and the Taking Out lens. one that practically everyone in America is familiar with. was another hugely successful advertising campaign. Unnecessary information or details are taken out – leaving only the necessary components. process. "Got Milk?"and allowed people to rely on their own interpretation of why milk is good for you." The playful television campaign the firm developed depicts ambiguous vignettes that suggest some sort of illicit activity. they don't need the benefits explained in explicit detail. created by Goodby.Let's take this concept and apply it to marketing and advertising. The firm created the powerful advertising images without going into excruciating detail or specifications about milk or making a list of a hundred points of why milk is good for you. you're frugal on the details. "What happens here. TRIZ Bitz 1. but leaves it to the viewer to decide what really happened. They just said. Consumers fill in the benefits of milk on their own.
unsubstantiated claims. statements that reflect your awareness of a competitor. May I suggest you do it like the Great Ones? When you're ready to tell your story." – William Boyd. 2. Here's a glimpse of how it's done by the Great Ones: "It came down to this: if I had not been arrested by the Turkish police. Don't just add incremental knowledge to what's already known. Advertising begins only after you win the attention of your target. any promise you might fall short of delivering. Frame. opening line from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 154 . what to leave out: Specifically. 4. anything the listener already knows or can easily figure out for themselves. The strongest ads use simple nouns and verbs with a minimum of modifiers.emo ngM orni . leave out: 1. Then frame the scene. Choosing an angle is a bit trickier. clichés. comparisons. self-congratulatory pronouncements. adjectives that are not essential to the clarity of the message. choose an angle of approach. and it can always be done in a single sentence. 7. 2007 13 dayM Mon ugust or A f Ready. 10. the opening line of The New Confession "There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb." – C. S. a difficult thing to do in this overcommunicated world. Decide what to include. 5. You must find a perspective to introduce a new reality. the name of the business anywhere it would not appear in normal conversation. 9. 3. It's like setting the stage for a Broadway production. the opening line of The Light of Day "My first act on entering this world was to kill my mother. Angle. Lewis." – Eric Ambler. Introduce a thought that will stand taller than any other figure on the horizon of the mind. such as "We're the number one…" 8. complicated ideas. 6. I would have been arrested by the Greek police. and he almost deserved it.
Details of their application will be the only difference. the opening line of a radio ad written for Rolex Did you notice how I slipped myself into that list of the Great Ones? I wouldn't usually have done it but this is Monday and on Mondays I'm ebullient. As with every other archetypal truth. five and one-half miles above sea level. Typical: Save up to 70 percent at Neederman Optical! Unusual: New eyeglasses cost like stink. Harness these ideas and your thoughts will gain speed and momentum." – Alfred Bester. Unusual: So you think you've had Mexican food. the opening line of The Stars My Destination "You are standing in the snow. These are the keys to opening the mind's eye. the principles will remain unchanged. heh. Typical: Juanita's Mexican Café at the corner of Fifth and Madison serves authentic Mexican Food from 8AM till 8PM daily. Compare them to the lines that come from unusual angles and better frame the new perspective: Typical: McMorris Ford is having a Clearance Event! Unusual: We want to get rid of this new truck even more than you want to own it. too. We know it. Frame. Roy H. Williams. Angle. Pow. It's only on Tuesdays that I'm modest. Here are some typical opening lines from average ads." – Roy H. gazing at a horizon hundreds of miles away. Gringo? Choose an unusual angle of view and leave out the obvious."He was one hundred and seventy days dying and not yet dead. Do it when writing ads. Most people like me better on Tuesdays. Do it when making presentations. so here's what we've decided to do. Typical: Leroy's Lawn Service has served the people of this city since 1972. Williams 155 . Unusual: Life is too short and wonderful to spend it cutting your own grass. You know it. Typical: Harvey Chevrolet is Going Out of Business! Unusual: Here at Harvey Chevrolet we're tired of being average. Ready.
" proclaimed Dean Rotbart. The catchy title caught my attention on a recent speaking trip to New York. Dean was applying these principles unconsciously. as it often is." although I'm pretty sure he had never heard of TRIZ. where the subject of my remarks.Local Quality "Newsworthy does not necessarily go to the worthy. Like most of the great minds.' from the March 2002 edition of Continental Airlines' in-flight magazine. "Newsroom Confidential. a Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist for the Wall Street Journal." taught by Dean. Based on all the money and staff resources 156 . We had just started Day One of the incredibly intriguing Academy course. Dean's ideas continued to scream "Local Quality. Below is just one of his insights into the PR world: 13 Know Me or No Me By Dean Rotbart I borrowed the headline for this column. Throughout the two-day course. 'Know Me or No Me. and I was already awestruck by how inaccurate conventional wisdom is in regards to the world of Public Relations. Rotbart's session was truly an eye-opening experience. was how companies and executives can get more positive news stories written and broadcast about them.
that large publicly held companies devote to media relations. or service so 157 . as they say. is commentary. When it comes right down to it. But media relations is a misnomer. in reality. system. they can't make the time to do it right. is built on one-to-one relationships. Dean's wisdom relates directly to Local Quality. Know Me or No Me. Indeed. Companies and PR agencies seldom take the time to really get to know the news organizations and journalists who they are pitching. you'd think they'd be awash in positive press. 1) Which news organization is most likely to WANT this story? (Not which news organizations do I most want to cover my story?) 2) Which reporter at the correct news organization is most likely to WANT this story? (Not which reporter would I most like to have cover this story?) That is it! Everything you need to know to succeed at media relations. PR newswires. When you have a story you'd like to place with a national news organization. is really the complete answer to successful media relations. As I mentioned previously. fancy schmancy press kits or even high-paid media consultants such as me. Most aren't. What the rest of the "media" think doesn't count. Know Me or No Me. Communications executives are so busy doing PR the wrong way. getting good press is seldom directly correlated to the size of the wallet you are willing to empty on public relations firms. Good press. you only have to make two correct decisions to succeed. Local Quality involves changing an object. The rest.
and system can be modified so that it has different functions in different environments or appeals to a specific. a.g.g. Make each part of an object fulfill a different and useful function. 3. Using a temperature gradient rather than a constant temperature 2. process. The lens of Local Quality is usually applied in one of three ways: 1. the initial audience is the reporter or editor. As Dean explained. Change an object's structure from uniform to nonuniform. a Swiss Army Knife Catering to the Audience Local Quality plays a role in every industry.that the product has different features in different environments. e. To accomplish this. or change an external environment or influence from uniform to non-uniform. and in the case of the press release. the Local Quality of the release must appeal to the gatekeeper. the best press releases are tailored to the publication and the journalist. e. Creating a lunch container with special compartments for hot and cold or solid and liquid foods. Make each part of an object function in conditions most suitable for its operation. a. Although the press release is written with the ultimate goal of distribution to the masses.g. e. The writer understands their audience's likes and dislikes. the release must first make its way past the gatekeeper. not just public relations. unique audience. a. Almost every object. 158 .
most pencils have two components. The tool can be modified to fit whatever bolt size you are currently working with. the site will be just as attractive and informational to a visitor from Chile as it is to a visitor from Brazil. Surfing the World Wide Web I use the lens of Local Quality in my Web site design and content. When people are writing or sketching on a piece of paper. with the lead at the bottom and the eraser at the top. The tools used to complete each function are centrally located. The local quality of the site has to be modified to make sure that the content and appearance of the site will appeal to the cultural needs and preferences of users. and design to make the page's local quality effective regardless of the culture and language of the user. With that in mind. Adjustable wrenches are another application of Local Quality. 159 . each one customized for visitors of a specific foreign country. Rather than forcing consumers to purchase many different-sized wrenches for different-sized bolts. content.Look at a standard #2 or mechanical pencil. each intended to fulfill the user's specific needs. That way. I have several versions of the site. Farmers analyze their soil and put down a different fertilizer recipe based on that specific area of soil's needs. Each area of the farmer's land receives the exact combination of nutrients and fertilizer necessary to produce the greatest crop output. I spend a lot of time (probably too much time) tweaking the site and changing the colors. they usually need two tools: a writing utensil and an erasing device. someone came up with the idea to enhance the Local Quality of the tool to make it suitable for multiple uses. Precision fertilizing also applies this principle.
Use of Google Maps to find a local hot tub supplier How can you use Local Quality to improve your product and anticipate your customer's needs? 160 . Offer basketball tickets for a local team's game as an employee reward 3. The product has different features in different environments. so that you are able to provide the functions or features your clientele need most. Add a joke to your presentation that specifically resonates with that particular audience 2. system.Local quality allows you to tailor and customize your product. process. or service to meet the specific needs of your customer. TRIZ Bitz 1.
Some of my clients serve larger populations that allow us to successfully target a niche. This isn't a time for wishful thinking.) positioning. 2007 dayM r 8 Mon ctobe O for Do You Lean Toward Niche Marketing? Think too deeply about customer profiling and you'll soon fall into niche marketing. and (2. Positioning: the Battle for Your Mind.) persona-based ad writing. If your marketplace isn't big enough for niche marketing. There just aren't enough rich people with bad teeth in the average small town. Considering a niche? Do the math. Be detached and objective." I fear he left disappointed. But when onlookers see this success and assume the same strategy will work in their own small towns. They were wrong. My friend had chosen a niche too small. The Long Tail. the niche-devil shows his horns. Tragically. a technique that speaks to personality type and appeals to a significant percentage of readers even when those readers are randomly chosen. He no longer wanted to see 6 or 7 patients a day who required only a thousand dollars worth of dentistry apiece. But many who read Positioning saw it only as a treatise on niche marketing. the seductive logic of niche marketing makes perfect sense even when it does not apply. which was likewise misunderstood. That book taught us to consider the strengths of our competitors and the "positions" they occupy in the customer's mind before embarking on our own journeys of self-identification. but most of them don't have the money.emo ngM orni . And the problem with niches is they're not created equal. "And make sure that all of them have the money. Chris Anderson openly celebrated niches in last year's book. He had chosen a niche and wanted me to create a marketing strategy whereby he would see only 1 or 2 patients a day who required 10 thousand to 30 thousand dollars worth of dentistry each. Have you chosen a niche too small? Reis and Trout inadvertently popularized niches in their extraordinary 1981 book. Here's a classic example: A dentist in a small town came to me for consultation. 161 . you can still embrace (1. Lots of people need that much dental work.
Niche marketing is built upon your own preferred style of selling. or are you navigating with your eyes closed? Niche marketing is about specialization. be sure the kingdom you've selected has enough subjects to provide you the living you desire. Advertising cannot create population. Do you recognize these positions. not their demographic profile. But before you plop your heinie on the throne. Please don't let anyone tell you that it can. Williams 162 . Roy H. Positioning is built around the strengths of your competitors. To what personality types are your ads currently written? Positioning is about the realities of the marketplace. focused inventories. narrow training. a perspective we bring to the creative process. Persona-based writing is about your customer's personality. becoming the king of an available kingdom. Each of these is a decision-making technique. Your competitors occupy positions in the mind of your customer.Persona-based writing is built upon a customer's preferred style of buying.
e. She began to question why all wedding cakes were symmetrical. but they also served a larger purpose: to differentiate her business from the competition. Change circular O-rings to oval cross section to specialized shapes to improve sealing This principle can be used to make your product. e. Now consider musical instruments. 14 Differentiation and Functionality There was once a wedding cake designer in one of my courses who examined her product through the lens of asymmetry. those instruments that vary in shape are more distinguishable and noticeable from their standard counterparts. more unique. a. Remember KISS' guitars? The shape of their instruments was half the show. system.Asymmetry The lens of Asymmetry is usually applied in one of two ways: 1. or service more attractive to customers. increase the degree of asymmetry. While many instruments are symmetrical in design. Change the shape of an object from symmetrical to asymmetrical. a. process.g. Her asymmetrical wedding cakes were certainly unique. Installing a flat spot on a cylindrical shaft to attach a knob securely 2. If an object is asymmetrical. or to improve functionality in design. Something as simple as changing the shape of their guitars made the band a much more memorable act. and decided to change the shape of her cakes. 163 .g.
" "Oh…well I am not from corporate marketing. how long are you in town? I didn't see an e-mail or anything saying that corporate marketing was even going to be here this week. I really think that turning the cases on their side will make the brand stand out more. An Incorrect Example "When you stock the Baja 7-packs of beer. "By the way. but removal was a chore." said the Albertson's grocery store manager. The pin needs to be tight when inserted. Asymmetry does not apply exclusively to objects. Right now you have them standing vertically and the customers can't really see the difference between the Baja brand and a normal 6-pack. corporations can distribute the funds unevenly or asymmetrically to best suit each department's needs. By changing the shape of the pin. I never really looked at it that way. I can see how that would probably make a difference." 164 ." "OK. Rather than distributing a uniform budget plan. I want to try this for one month and see how big a difference it makes in sales. For instance. a business's budget can be asymmetrical. the pin design accomplished the tight fit. but should also be easily removed.Shape can also be modified to improve the usability or functionality of an object. lay them on the side with the tops of the bottles facing toward the customer. It took a very long time for someone to realize that putting a taper on the pin would solve the problem. Different departments get different financial plans and monetary awards. the functionality was improved. Hinge pins have been used on ships for hundreds of years. Unfortunately.
but who cares? As you learned from my brief stint as a corporate marketing adviser."Sorry. sales of Baja increased by 50% that month. the more creative the solutions you'll come up with. asymmetrical just means do something different with the shape. I am just a customer. the lenses do not have to be applied literally to be successful. To me. By the way. TRIZ Bitz 1. Adding a single passenger side car to a motorcycle 3." Laughter and surprise rolled into one. just try my idea and see if the new display impacts sales. of course they are technically right. I told him that I teach creativity and innovation for businesses and that I am always curious about things and how to make them better. I am certain it will. the case is in the shape of a hexagon. I said "Come on. Well. Warfare in which the combatants have markedly different military capabilities and the weaker side uses non-standard tactics such as terrorism 165 . You have the license to use the most liberal definition of these 40 lenses as you like. An asymmetric trumpet mouthpiece that enhances musical range 2. I believe that the more creative the definition. I just assumed…which department are you from?" "I don't work for you guys. That's my definition." I have showed this example to a few other PhDs that teach TRIZ and they all tell me that this example is a horrible example of "Asymmetry" because the 7-pack is still symmetric.
If you look at your business or problem through the lens of asymmetry.Modifying the shape or symmetry of your product can differentiate your product from the competition and improve functionality. what do you see? Can you change the shape to make things work better? 166 .
I'm also from Louisville. Every year people always thought they would be the lucky one to drive the car home. "Well. Throughout the day he'd retrieve the bottles from his pockets. One of the guys in the church owned a local Ford dealership and he would donate a car to the church auction.Merging "Everybody called him Pepto. This was back in high school and we were just a bunch of rednecks working on the factory floor. take a swill of vodka. There was a ton of stuff to 15 167 . and then chase the liquor with a shot of Pepto." "Are you serious? He was drinking while he was working?" "Oh yeah. where to get the ticket rolls. every year at church we would auction off a car." "On the factory floor I drove a forklift. because every day at work he'd have a pint of vodka in his back left pocket and a bottle of Pepto Bismol in the right." I had asked my friend Dave to tell me the story about the time when he used to auction off his paycheck on payday. so I was very familiar with the auction process. and stuff like that. a huge betting community where we were always betting on the horses (Dave always pronounces it as "haarses"). One of the guys in accounting was even a bookie." "I ran the auction for the church.
It was a no-brainer. I mean minimum.. 'Hey everybody. Anyway. I was in a position to talk with people all day long. cash my check.. The winner would always buy a minimum of $5 worth of tickets. and then count the winnings out loud to the lucky winner in front of the entire lunch crowd … twenty. Well you know my personality and how chatty I am. I just decided to auction off my paycheck. so I was constantly moving from station to station delivering parts. and so on. I would take in $250. The place was a total hole in the wall. I mean I knew a lot about auctions.move around the floor. I knew everyone in the building so I would always stop and talk to the other workers as I was making my rounds.all tax free! On payday. I was used to betting. forty. Then 168 . I am raffling off my paycheck. I would take the lucky winner to lunch at the GE Bar and Grill." "How much did you sell the raffle tickets for and how much did you take in?" "The tickets were a buck each and minimum . and I had access to everybody in the company on a daily basis." "That's hilarious!" "Here's the kicker. everybody went there to cash their checks on payday." "So I drove around on the forklift every Tuesday morning yelling. lots of time $10. The previous week's winner was the first person I'd hit up for the new raffle." "Then one day. come get your tickets!'" "How much was your paycheck in those days?" "About $125 a week. without a lot of thought. sixty. although I usually made more like $350-$400…. I'd buy the winner's lunch.
I would say that is spot on. Remember in my workshop when I explained that you should look at all the available resources you already have around you?" "Well now that you mention it. I mean you had auction experience.I would hit up all the other previous winners." Like we have discussed throughout this book." "Yeah Mark.g. Dave went on to be a senior executive at GE. The technical definition of the Merging principle involves either: 1. but you were using some of the TRIZ basics and the Merging lens. and talked to people all day long. among other great things. e. You took your available resources and merged them together to come up with something new. knew about betting. you looked around at all of your available resources and merged them together." "So basically. Bringing or merging identical or similar objects closer together. you probably didn't realize this then. a lot of the great thinkers probably have never heard of TRIZ (for most the concept didn't exist yet) or ever realize they were applying the principles. By the way. the intention of this book is to give you a set of tools to help you consciously apply creativity and innovation principles the way the great ones have been doing it unconsciously throughout history. Personal computers in a network 169 . or assembling identical or similar parts to perform parallel operations. and finally I'd make my rounds to the rest of the folks. Because we are not all capable of understanding these principles unconsciously. yeah I do. a." "You know Dave.
this landmark is beautiful.g. Two different brands use the same resources and cater to customers from one location. The Internet is also ripe with examples of merging. People don't actually climb the bridge. e. In a circuit board. and overlaid the directory with Google Maps. Clearly. 170 . Making operations contiguously parallel. merging brings things closer together to improve the product or system. a. they walk up the rainbow-type arches to the very top of the bridge. The person who came up with this idea is a man named Paul Cay. The advantage of the merger is that each restaurant can use the same staff. Users can punch in their zip code and see a visual map of all the sex offenders in a particular location. but I want to talk about one entrepreneur who wanted to sell the experience of climbing the bridge. "Mashups" are the merging of two existing applications to make something new. somebody took one application. As you can see. cooking equipment. Cashing in on the View Let's talk for a moment about the Sydney Bay Bridge. a directory of sex offenders. soda fountain. KFC. For instance. and location. A mulching lawnmower. The applications of merging go beyond tangible objects. Taco Bell. Fast-food chains have also taken advantage of the benefits of merging. and Pizza Hut can often be found partnered in pairs under one roof. though. bring them together in time. Circuit boards are an excellent example of the Merging lens. you're merging multiple functions into one location rather than leaving each control in its own place.2.
merging. So in October 1998. and packaging your product. Most people would give up if somebody threw 60 roadblocks in front of their idea. and that kind of thing. The business actually won its first award for the "Best New Tourist Attraction" before the climb program even opened. Perhaps the most important thing to take away from this story is this: If you have a truly unique and creative idea and people don't hate it.com. "Is it still the same 60 reasons why I can't do this business? Because I have a solution for all 60 of them now. The board came back with a list of 60 reasons why he couldn't do this business. but Paul was persistent. yet Paul's idea has won more than 33 awards to date. more than 2 million people have climbed to the top. but he eventually returned to the naysayers and said. Two million may sound like a lot." He presented his rebuttals to them and after a review process they decided there was no good reason he couldn't start his business. it is also a lesson in using persistence to get what you want. The original idea seemed so unbelievably simple. the business was officially launched: bridgeclimb. harnesses. He needed a couple of years to make his comeback. they weren't listening. There was an initial $2 million investment in the bridge for safety cables. In eight years. 171 .This story is not only about marketing. Folks who have been to my workshops or lectures have undoubtedly heard me say this. communication equipment. You do the math. People pay $160 each to do the climb. but I'll let you calculate the return on investment. I'm told that Paul presented his idea for a bridge climb business to Sydney's city governments and various other bureaucracies.
This is a view that you sell to new customers again and again every day. What is their product? What are they really selling? They're selling a view. One rich family introduces their daughter to another rich family's son 3. Is there a way to package them differently to have a greater effect? Maybe there's a popular or famous landmark that you can partner with to get more exposure. It's a cash cow. Use of traffic lights on merge lanes for major highways to improve flow Think about your own existing products and services. Who can you merge with to create your own cash cow? 172 .The bridge already existed. And this view is not in the form of oceanfront property that can only be sold to one person. Splice a lemon and lime tree together to make a "limon" hybrid fruit tree 2. I've thought about this company a lot. TRIZ Bitz 1. and with a modest investment they turned the bridge into one of Australia's biggest tourist attractions.
Beer packaging has also become more multifunctional. "What can I bundle with my current products or services to increase their value?" 16 One-Stop Shopping and Multi-Purpose Shoes Multifunctionality is everywhere. take your kids in for an eye exam. imagine a toothbrush with a handle that contains toothpaste or a child's car seat that converts into a stroller. and voila! You have a collapsible cooler to keep your beer cold. You go to the store. thus eliminating the need for other parts. For instance. flip-flops have a rather unique secondary function. and scanner machines. Many beer boxes now also serve as coolers. fax. The manufacturers molded a little piece of aluminum tab and molded the tab into the 173 . and fill your prescription. Rather than purchasing four different pieces of equipment. Another great example is the combination printer. copier. Every 20-year-old kid in the state has a pair of flip flops that double as a built in bottle opener. If you visit a Wal-Mart or Costco store. get a haircut. In Florida. you'll find a gazillion different products and services. You can do your grocery shopping while your car gets serviced. These stores bundle products and services into a one-stop shop and service center. When you look through the lens of multifunctionality you should ask yourself. develop pictures. businesses and individuals can purchase one machine that is capable of performing all four functions.Multifunctionality Multifunctionality makes a part or object perform multiple functions. pick up a 12-pack. fill the box with ice.
a lead pencil. and removes oil What can you do to make your product or service fulfill multiple functions? Can you add value to your product by making it multifunctional? 174 . softens skin. and style during outdoor and recreational activities 3. A cosmetic powder that enhances skin color.bottom of the shoes. the creative guru. a non-drying orange highlighter. customer service specialist. a stylus for PDAs. I own a company of one – me. CEO. I am the marketing guy. This tab probably added about 1/100th of a cent to the cost of the product. Stanley Multifunctional pen that combines a black ballpoint pen. and financial planner for my firm. and a ruler with inches and centimeters on the side 2. the administrative assistant. A scarf that can be worn in a number of different configurations to provide a high level of comfort. I am a multifunctional machine. Even people can be multifunctional. protection. This company has dominated the flip-flop market by adding one simple function to their product. TRIZ Bitz 1.
The design allows the pointer to extend and retract so that the user can point to a graph or PowerPoint slide on the wall while standing a few feet away.Nested Doll The Nested Doll principle is usually applied in one of two ways: 1. e. Nutty Guys. The pointer is actually several pointers. Windows has built a monopoly-like empire on this principle. a. The founders. two college buddies. place each object. Retractable presentation pointers are also an example of a Nested Doll application. Another company. as the name implies. a Salt Lake City-based nut distribution firm. one within the other. and dried fruit products. The company carries 275 varieties of nuts. is simply windows inside windows inside windows. in turn. Measuring cups or spoons 2. e. An extending radio antenna 17 Bill Gates and the Nutty Guys Perhaps the most obvious application of the Nested Doll lens is Microsoft Windows. built a creative display rack to market their product – and essentially created a store inside of a store. a. There are multiple screens you can see inside of one computer. Place one object inside another. Windows. inside the other. Each window is "nested" within another window. trail mix. candied nuts.g.g. greatly expanded their business inside of an independent grocery store. 175 . seeds. Make one part pass through a cavity in the other.
Skype is also nested within the Net.Similarly. TRIZ Bitz 1. Place undercover forces inside of terrorist cells 3. it's real – www. there are several applications nested within the Internet that are examples of a unique product nested within an existing product or system. "How can I place one object inside another to improve efficiency or make my product more user friendly?" You might be surprised by the creative ideas you'll uncover. ask yourself. With unlimited calls for $30 a year. thebeerbelly. Skype uses Voice Over IP (VOIP) technology that allows users to make telephone calls using only their Internet connection. 176 . Topkapia in Istanbul has a fig tree growing inside an evergreen as a marketing attraction 2. The "Beer Belly" is a neoprene fake belly you place inside your shirt to sneak your choice of beverage into movies. concerts. Netflix is an independent company that operates and relies entirely on the Internet. they generate a hell of a lot of word of mouth. and ball games (yes.com) When you look at your business or product through the Nested Doll lens.
Great coaches are great. both were excellent head cheerleaders. Keep your ratio of positive comments 7 times higher than your negative ones and they'll soon begin to smile when they see you appear. And all because you believed they could do it and made them believe it. If in seven out of eight encounters we receive an authentic. Every organization has a head cheerleader. Are there really people who can do this job? Thrown into the deep water at 26. moon-eyed lunatics and plodding paranoids all headed in the same general direction. we love to see them coming down the hall. And it makes them happy to see you had a wonderful time. not because they were superstars. begin looking for things to praise. They have to make everyone feel like everything is going to be all right. But over the years I've had a chance to observe the great ones. Great managers look for things to praise in their people. whining excuse-makers. a bit of happy news or a piece of valuable insight from our boss. 177 . they ask to see the photos from yours. personalities and characters were different." The head cheerleader's job is to keep talented hotheads. 200 M nday mber Mo ove N for Ronald. Their politics. and I've noticed an unusual but recurrent characteristic: Great managers are rarely excellent at any of the things they manage. Do your people love to see you coming? If not. Great managers don't show you photos from their own vacation. Think about it. discouraged or scared. our hearts sink when we see the manager coming. too. Their business card usually says "manager. Bill and You I thought Bill Clinton was a good president for the same reason I thought Ronald Reagan was good. but each had a similar ability to keep things from spinning out of control. I was possibly the worst manager ever to assume the position. knowing that it takes 7 positive strokes to recover from each negative reprimand. affirming comment.emo ngM 7 orni 5. sycophantic suck-ups. But if the typical encounter leaves us deflated. Their newfound attitude and confidence will bring new levels of productivity. but because they know how to awaken the star that sleeps in each of the players around them.
he or she found a slightly smaller doll inside. Then prepare to meet a whole new employee on the 22nd day. Go.Great managers are never afraid to hire people better than themselves. he left a set of Russian nesting dolls on the desk of the incoming manager. Don't be surprised if they have the same name as the plodding paranoid that used to stink up the place. Roy H. we shall become a company of midgets. compliment that person every time you see them take a right action. we shall become a company of giants. But if each of us hires people bigger than ourselves. For each of the next 21 days. This continued until the manager came to the tiniest doll and retrieved from its interior what looked to be the note from a fortune cookie: "If each of us hires people smaller than ourselves." Now walk down the hall and find a sleeping superstar disguised as a plodding paranoid. Williams 178 . Each of the 217 times David Ogilvy opened a new office for Ogilvy & Mather. – David Ogilvy. When the manager removed the top half from the largest of these bowling pin-shaped dolls. The hallway awaits you.
a. Weight compensation solves a classic technical contradiction or tradeoff. a product may get stronger. and other forces. merge it with other objects that provide lift. an important aspect of TRIZ is the idea that contradictions have to be eliminated.Weight Compensation The principle of Weight Compensation. The displaced water creates an upward force known as a buoyant 179 . hydrodynamic. 18 Sink or Swim Submarines use the principle of weight compensation to float both above and below water. is used to solve a problem or improve a product in one of two ways: 1. the inventor or entrepreneur can find a solution that counteracts the added weight. e.g. In other words. As you'll recall from Chapter 10. To compensate for the weight of an object.g. but the new components increase the weight. Using the lens of weight compensation. buoyancy. Hydrofoils lift the ship out of the water to reduce drag. or Anti-Weight. Subs float because the weight of the displaced water is equal to the weight of the ship. thus solving the technical contradiction. a. e. this principle allows you to adjust your product or system to compensate for an existing weight. make it interact with the environment using aerodynamic. Use helium balloons to support advertising signs 2. To compensate for the weight of an object. For example.
Phil also had a younger sister. the slow merchandise add-on adds perceived value. allowing the sub to sink. and will often pay a higher price for the bundled product even though they probably wouldn't have purchased the slow merchandise alone. This trick works wonders for getting rid of inventory sitting in a back room taking up space. and ran just fine. He put the car up for sale and waited a few weeks. but he didn't have any takers. the air is released and the tanks fill with water.force. Ballast or trim tanks. but by the time he wanted to sell it there was hardly any paint left on the body and the car looked terrible. Phil was 17 and had a 1965 Dodge Dart convertible he wanted to sell. Because people want the hot product in the first place. The Best Bonus Feature Ever A friend of mine. which can be filled with either water or air. thus the sub's overall density is less than that of the surrounding water. thus keeping gravity from pulling the craft down. allow a submarine to control its buoyancy and sink or surface on command. Slow moving inventory can be bundled with a hot product. When the submarine is floating on the surface of the water. He said the car was a nice vehicle at one time. People feel like they're getting more. When the sub goes under. has a great story that exemplifies the weight compensation principle. The water in the tanks causes the sub's overall density to exceed that of the surrounding water. Buoyant forces act opposite to gravity. Phil Baker. All of his buddies were constantly 180 . the tanks are filled with air. Companies use the lens of weight compensation all the time to move inventory.
begging Phil to set them up on a date with his sister. but he wasn't having any of that. When this situation arises. but can't afford my salary. He compensated for the condition of the car by attaching a desirable feature. Then one day he put two and two together. The car was "dead weight. Salary v." but a date with his sister was a hot commodity. The next thing he knew. the principle of weight compensation is not restricted to tangible objects or literal interpretation. he'd get them a date with his little sister. and bundled them together to create a new. For example. Sometimes a fledgling business owner will want my help. Both provide financial benefits to employees. A combination of salary and profit sharing can also be utilized. Two of the guys actually came up with the cash for the car. What if he bundled a date with his sister with the car? He spread the word around about his new and improved "product. Phil took two things he already had access to: his car and his sister. but the two different forms of compensation each carry a weight. much more appealing product. Profit Sharing Much like the other lenses. 181 . he had three or four different eager buyers." and told his friends that if they would buy the car. consider the difference between a salary and profit sharing. I often give the business the option to forgo the salary altogether and instead give me a percentage of their profits.
of another object? 182 . Al Gore lifted his popularity by attaching himself to global warming How can you make your product or service better by compensating for the weight. Carbon credit trading system for greenhouse gas emissions 2.TRIZ Bitz 1. or vice versa 3. whether literal or figurative. Computer time-memory tradeoff where the memory use can be reduced at the cost of slower program execution.
Results will be proportionate to the strength of your offer. "Have you heard about _______? It's awesome. "Join us for worship this Sunday morning" is less likely to bring visitors to a church than "Single Parent Support Group meets Wednesday nights at 7:00. I know. stand at bus stops. spend time. such as pickup trucks. (If you don't have any money AND you don't have any time. 3. Convert your website to a virtual showroom. Now click the button that says 'Equipment.com." It sounds nuts. I'd walk yardto-yard diagramming rooflines on estimate sheets. estimate sheets. The homeowner came home to find taped to their door a schematic of their roofline with my detailed bid for what it would cost to install seamless guttering on their home. Flyers under Windshield Wipers. "Are you sitting in front of a computer? Good. If you need to reach the drivers of a specific type of vehicle. Use it as an instantly deliverable. interactive brochure when people call to ask details about your company. COST: Ink. If your target is geographically defined. Door-hangers on Doorknobs. Worked like magic. but it works. So make your offer detailed and specific. 4. 2. then you're spending your time on the wrong things. wait at crosswalks or hang around in coffee shops to tell strangers about your business. Pay a kid or do it yourself. but the results are usually worth the hassle. and shoe leather. print doorknob-hangers and hang them on doors in your area. what better way than to walk your doorknob-hanging shoes across parking lots putting flyers under windshield wipers? Yes. 2007 o 26 dayM Mon ebruary F for Are you a one-person company with a lunch-money ad budget? Good News: Time and money are interchangeable.mo gMe rnin . Here are some ways to do it: 1. Virtual Showroom. your products or your services. Ride up and down in the elevators of tall buildings. When money is tight. that's me. Yeah. Childcare provided.' See that 10 Unusual Ways to Advertise 183 .) The key to low-budget advertising is to focus on small groups and individuals. Purchased Word-of-Mouth. you'll occasionally get run out of a parking lot by a security guard in a golf cart and some lonely soul who needs a life will call to complain that you're ruining the environment. You can always save one by spending more of the other." When I was young and in the seamless guttering business. Now go to BlahBlah.
Make sure the virtual showroom is equipped with all the same tools and props as your physical showroom. Then the Associated Press issued a worldwide story about the exploit. You've probably never seen one of these… which means no one else in your town has seen one either. Daybreak evolved into the Monday Morning Memo and a trilogy of best-sellers. on a 90-day investment. ESPN Cold Pizza. Self-Publish a Book. I wore it a lot. Then arrange with the owner of that building – and the building across the street – to let you install a logo projector.second photo?" Think of this website as a place where you sit down to talk with interested prospects. Not a bad R. Did you hear about the guy who dropped a golf ball at the edge of Mongolia. They're effective and cheap. You're having fun. locate a tall wall in a part of town that has lots of traffic at night. 9. But he got interviewed by Jay Leno on The Tonight Show followed by The Today Show. "Take a Break in Your Day. especially foot traffic.O. and it's part of you. The ink might wash off. Can you imagine a better advertising vehicle for creating personal identification with a brand? There's something about looking down at your own hand and seeing a logo and knowing that the image has value. Dial Daybreak. T-shirts and Vests. Articles were published about him in the New York Times and the Times of London. 90 days and 510 lost balls. First. The hand-stamp was a delightful little mini-ad for one of the sponsors. Few things are as powerful as a publicity stunt that wins public attention. then whacked it 1. Nothing screams "expert" quite so loudly as writing a book on a subject. 5. 8. You'll be shocked what it does for the conversion rate of inquiries. My little ad firm with its 41 offices worldwide was launched in 1978 with a T-shirt advertising a thought-for-the-day recorded on a telephone answering machine. Going for inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records requires a lot of work.I. CTV." I could only afford one such printed t-shirt. CNN. 6. register it with 184 . Hand Stamps. the brand is there. In some situations you can even use an old slide projector to achieve the desired effect. 258-7700. then several European radio networks jumped on the bandwagon. CNN International. but the impression doesn't fade so quickly. Nighttime Silhouettes. and PGA Tour Sunday.170 swings of the club. then became the foundation upon which Wizard Academy was built. Publicity Stunt. but holding a world record is extremely cool. National Public Radio broadcast their interview with him from coast to coast. Outside Magazine featured him as one of its 25 Coolest People. Have you visited our 22-acre campus? 7. So get an ISBN number. One of my friends recently attended a ticketed event that required a hand-stamp for readmission.234 miles all the way to the other side? The journey required 12. the Men's Journal put him in their Hall of Fame.
And prepare to be amazed. he won by a landslide. But you'll make a fortune because of the book. then those hoods were tied with bailing wire to barbedwire fences across the state. pick 1 or 2 items from the list above.the Library of Congress. In the early 1970s. pay a printer to print your book. Spray-Painted Signs. 10. You may have noticed that each of these things requires time and creative energy. You may sell only a few copies. but his name was soon a household word.com. and then sell it on Amazon. When he ran for public office. Williams 185 . Roy H. but the copies you give away will make you a fortune. There's no one you can call to do these things for you. then get to work. But if you're willing to spend a little time to make a lot of money. Nobody in Oklahoma had ever heard of Hamp Baker. you've got to do them yourself. You won't make any money on the book. "Hamp Baker says Drive with Care" was spray-painted on car hoods salvaged from crumpled automobiles.
This lens is typically applied as follows: 1. the negative or harmful effect is the damage caused to the automobile by a cold start. For example. In this scenario. The preliminary counteraction is in the form of a preheated car engine. In some cases. conventional wisdom dictates that rust should be removed from the rebar 186 . Obviously. Implementing a preliminary counteraction solves the problem. preliminary counteraction means that you should use anti-actions to control harmful effects.Preliminary Counteraction Preliminary Counteraction dictates that a person take steps to counteract a negative action before the negative action occurs. this action should be replaced with anti-actions to control harmful effects. If it will be necessary to do an action with both harmful and useful effects. 19 Preheat Car Engines and Concrete Rebar When a car is started in a very cold climate. Wearing a lead apron on the parts of the body not being exposed to X-rays In other words. a. the engine cannot run without oil. the preliminary counteraction involves leaving a seemingly negative effect in place. Cold starts do increase engine wear and reduce battery life. Buffer a solution to prevent harm from pH extremes 2. a. e.g.g. e. Create beforehand stresses in an object that will oppose known undesirable working stresses later on. the oil is sitting at the bottom of the pan in a near solid form. A preheated car engine solves the problem by heating the oil in the pan before the car is started. reducing engine wear and extending the vehicle's battery life.
I review the negative aspects of the proposal beforehand. I brainstorm for an hour from the view point of my top competitor and then address the drawbacks in my proposal. For instance. That's a bad idea. Arrive one hour early for your speech to resolve any problems with room or A/V equipment What negative or harmful effects exist in your product or service that you can rectify beforehand? 187 . If you know and understand your weaknesses beforehand. so the preliminary counteraction in this situation is to leave the rust intact. TRIZ Bitz 1. I use the Preliminary Counteraction lens to improve my proposals. Offer early retirement to employees in times of slow growth to minimize layoffs 2. The rust actually makes the bond between the rebar and the concrete stronger. Even though this section is normally not specified in the RFP (request for proposal). involve that person beforehand. Require up-and-coming employees to spend time in each business discipline to gain a wider perspective before promotion 3.before concrete is poured. Please the Negative Nicks Preliminary counteraction can also be applied to standard business practices. if you are preparing a proposal or presentation and you know that there is a negative manager or employer who is certain to torpedo your presentation. you will be better able to discuss how you can fix the problem and why your audience shouldn't be concerned with the issue. Try to identify what their reaction will be ahead of time so that you can adequately prepare and avoid a showdown in the meeting. When I write a proposal.
It was their actions. Here. talk is cheap. It's been proven. What decisions have you made that send signals to your customers? "Who you are speaks so loudly I can't hear what you're saying. when it costs you nothing. He wasn't baring his teeth to scare you. Actions are powerful signals when they agree with your words. I think I'll pet him. Who are you being in your store? 3. he's a friendly dog. What are you afraid of? Here are some testimonials from other people who have petted him. I'll bet you have one. watch this. Have you ever felt a disconnection between what a company promised you in their ads and what they actually delivered? I carry a list of companies in my head called the "Never Again As Long As I Live" list. Was it the advertising of these companies that put them on our lists? Of course not. direct signal from the dog overrides all the assurances of its owner: "He won't bite." – Ralph Waldo Emerson 1." Wow. doggie. This small. Did you know this dog was voted Most Pettable Dog of 2007? He won't bite you." What is advertising but the assurances of a dog owner? Talk. But when words aren't backed by corresponding actions. Just bare your teeth. One dumb decision can undo years of good advertising. 2007 o dayM r 24 Mon cembe De for Actions Speak Louder Than I'm a big believer in the power of words. See. hundred-dollar bills. His breed never bites. Trust me. he likes you. "Here are ten. Put them in your pocket. I'll understand. too. A smiling dog. I've had him for 10 years. What are you saying in your ads? 2. he didn't bite me and he won't bite you either. is cheap. He was smiling at you. 188 . If this dog so much as snaps at you. Is there a disconnect? A dog doesn't have to growl to let me know it's dangerous.mo gMe rnin . they're yours. We care about our customers.
Material Wealth 2. Williams 189 . Roy H. Reputation & Prestige 6. Opportunity 4. Power & Control 5. Time & Energy 3.These action-signals gain credibility to the degree they cost you one or more of the following: 1. Safety & Well Being What do your signals cost you? What are you risking? Words that cost you little have little meaning.
Pre-paid return labels simplify the customer's job – and happy customers are more likely to be repeat customers. Companies that do not include pre-paid return labels with the clothes are likely to struggle because the return process is intimidating and confusing to consumers. before it is needed. Pre-paid return labels remove a necessary step from the return process before the action is even required. and so the process is performed prior to purchase. Pre-paid return labels are another excellent example of preliminary action. A flexible manufacturing cell 20 Simplify the Customer's Role Perforated stamps are a preliminary action. e. online clothing retailers know that the merchandise is quite likely to come back.g. a. a preliminary action is necessary to improve efficiency and make things easier for the consumer or user. 190 . The stamps must be separated before they can be used. Pre-arrange objects such that they can come into action from the most convenient place and without losing time for their delivery. Perform. Sterilizing surgical instruments on a sealed tray prior to the procedure 2. Preliminary Action is typically applied as follows: 1. the required change of an object (either fully or partially).g. Sometimes. a.Preliminary Action Not all preliminary steps are counteractions. e. With those odds. The return rate for women's apparel purchased online is almost 30%.
Another application of preliminary action is the assembly of pieces by manufacturers. the outline of the tool is painted on the board. Marketers do their homework and learn about their customer base before launching an expensive marketing or advertising campaign. a food preparation chain known in Utah as "My Girlfriend's Kitchen. The customer simply selects their desired meals. all you have to do is look for the shape on the board and you'll know exactly where the object belongs." (the same business model goes by different names in different states) has simplified meal preparation for busy families. you select a number of recipes that you would like to prepare. Anyone with a large set of tools in their garage can relate to the next example. Finally. and ready to go. When you finish working with the tool. Shadow boards are used to organize tools and keep order in the workspace. The manufacturers have simplified the process by doing work ahead of time and assembling pieces to make the customer's task easier. This chain makes answering the question. In the past. Market research is another example of preliminary action. The meals can then be frozen until needed. you'd open the box to find 400 pieces. and takes the finished product home. Now. When you visit the store. if you purchased a barbecue grill that required assembly. quickly assembles the ingredients. you might find six pieces that you snap together. 191 . laid out. All of the food is pre-chopped. "What's for dinner?" a cinch. On a shadow board.
Walt Disney's famous story-boarding technique for cartoon development 3. Review location of sex offenders online before purchasing a home 2. Modular automobile designs to allow implementation of unique customer requests What can you do to simplify your product or process for customers? Can you take preliminary action to improve efficiency? 192 .TRIZ Bitz 1.
A One Page Proposal is a document that succinctly expresses all the facts. reasoning. A good proposal fulfills all of these specifications within a single printed page. 21 193 . I have been plugging Pat's book for years. and conditions surrounding an undertaking or project. Adnan Khashoggi. "It doesn't say what you are actually going to do. and even though I had never met the author." Pat Riley's book." "I know. So I decided that I would put together a one page proposal and send the document to Pat. The One Page Proposal. But sometimes a proposal can be deceptively simple." That was my first indication that I might be on the right track. I have used the principles in the book countless times. is an invaluable resource that shows you how to get things done in business.Beforehand Compensation "So what do you think?" "That's the stupidest thing I have ever read. He learned the secrets of the proposal from one of the richest men in the world. That's the beauty of it. A One Page Proposal uses persuasive language to build a case for approval and propose a specific course of action.
If you want to discuss working together after that. so I had to compensate for the fact that he had no idea what I am capable of. but I assumed he was well connected and had some interesting projects in the works. but how could I? I had no idea what he was working on. I think I'm a pretty reliable guy – but Pat didn't know that yet. Skydivers packing a backup parachute and the magnetic strip on film that directs the developer to compensate for poor exposure are both great examples. 194 . Beforehand Compensation involves preparing emergency means beforehand to compensate for the relatively low reliability of an object. I overnighted the proposal and he called me the very next day. then we will cross that bridge when we get to it. however. No strings attached. my proposal was a choppeddown version of my resume. I removed any reason for him to say no before we ever met. We have been working on projects together ever since. Classic Beforehand Compensation. Technically.Basically. as you can see from my proposal story." How could he say no to someone who wanted to work for free? My wife thought my idea was stupid because I didn't tell him what I wanted to work on. not all beforehand compensation has to be related to the lack of reliability of an object. The punch line was this: "I will work for you for 60 days on anything you want me to for free. I included an explanation that I was always looking for new ventures and partnerships.
Finally. businesses and individuals could lose years of work to a glitch or virus. Frequently Asked Question pages on a Web site fulfill a similar purpose. Remember the episode of "Sex and the City" where Carrie never backed up her computer? Without the backup programs. Show your first event as sold-out regardless of participation to generate future interest How do you compensate for low reliability in your business. Fire extinguishers and evacuation routes are also examples of emergency means prepared in advance to counter low reliability. so automobile manufacturers install airbags to prevent injuries or death. software backup systems are designed to prepare for the worst and counter the relatively low reliability of computer systems. Emergency board meeting to discuss lower than expected revenue for the quarter 3. product. Natural disasters and fires are unpredictable. Hurricane evacuation signs throughout Florida highways 2.Preparing for the Worst Automobile airbags are a classic example of Beforehand Compensation. or service? Can you compensate for this liability to improve your product? 195 . The low reliability in this system is the driver. TRIZ Bitz 1. Companies figure out beforehand the top 10 to 20 questions customers are likely to ask and then put the answers on the Web site where they are readily accessible. and certainly not reliable. People make mistakes.
The plates are stacked on a spring that compensates for the pull of gravity. Frisbees use the gravity field to their advantage. The straps eliminate the need to work against the field. If you've ever worked around explosives. change operating conditions to eliminate the need to raise or lower objects in a gravity field. Every time a patron removes a plate from the pile. In other words. the next plate slides back up in its place. as you change altitude. In most airplanes. you'll notice that the workers' uniforms include a grounding strap to eliminate the static electricity. Consider the altitude compensator carburetors on my airplane. Grounding straps accomplish a similar objective. it creates just enough airflow to float. For example: springloaded parts delivery system in a factory or locks in a channel between two bodies of water (think the Panama Canal).Equipotentiality The technical definition of equipotentiality states that in a potential field. They are very advanced. you should eliminate the need to work against a field. my carburetors adjust the air/fuel mixture automatically based on pressure using a spring and diaphragm. reduce the likelihood of static causing an explosion. In other words. one should limit position changes. you constantly have to change the mixture of the fuel because there is less oxygen at higher altitudes. 22 Keep Newton's Apple Afloat Another example is the spring lift mechanism for dinner plates at restaurant buffets. In other words. 196 . or in this case. When the Frisbee spins in the air. the spring works against gravity.
thus eliminating the need to raise or lower the toy in the field. The Frisbee accomplishes that on its own. Like many of the other lenses, equipotentiality is not restricted to literal interpretation. For instance, have you ever worked for a business where you can never reach the decision-maker because there are too many levels in the organization? These levels are working against the field, or the gravity, of being able to get to the decision-maker. Making the organization "flatter" could solve the problem. As you can see, liberal definitions of the lenses are often necessary to uncover the greater potential for each principle. Don't be afraid to "think outside the box" and springboard off of these lenses to come up with your own solution or idea.
TRIZ Bitz
1. Use a magnetic field to protect astronauts from space radiation on their trip to Mars 2. Falkirk rotating boat lift in Scotland that connects two canals at different elevations 3. Maglevs (Magnetically levitated trains)
How can you eliminate the need to work against gravity in your business? How can you make your product or service "flatter" or more level?
mo gMe rnin 007 o dayM 8, 2 Mon May 2 for
Are Your Ads Getting Enough Complaints?
When an ad campaign is producing big results, there will usually be complaints from the public. When an ad campaign is getting poor results, the public rarely complains. What makes people hate an ad? 1. It's hard to ignore. Any ad that makes its point sharply will be an irritant. But sharp-pointed ads are also the most effective. 2. It presents a tightly focused perspective. Any ad that makes assumptions about the experiences of the customer will be judged as presumptive. Persons whose experiences are otherwise usually hate these ads. But presumptive ads connect powerfully to customers whose personal experiences are accurately mirrored in the ad. 3. It's given a lot of repetition. There is such a thing as too much repetition. And the sharper the ad's point, the less repetition will be required. But "too much repetition" is often the charge that's leveled against an ad that's annoying for reasons 1 or 2. "Hello, I'm a Mac." "And I'm a PC." Very few people are ambiguous about the "Get a Mac" TV campaign: "Apple's mean-spirited new ad campaign... Ad Report Card Grade: C+... And isn't smug superiority, no matter how affable and casually dressed, a bit off-putting as a brand strategy?" – Seth Stevenson "I don't know about you but I have had about enough of those Mac TV commercials that consistently rip on Microsoft and the PC. Any company that needs to badmouth the competition in an effort to sell their product is a company I don't want anything to do with." – ElectroGeek
"The Los Angeles Times has a big article for you about Justin Long, aka the Mac from the 'Get a Mac' ads… [The article goes on to explain that Justin Long is a 'smug little twit.'] Also of note: There are apparently 20 more of these ads in the can, ensuring that everyone will be sick of them eventually." – Tim Nudd "Reporting a $546 million profit on Wednesday, Apple also said that it shipped over 1.6 million Macs representing over 30 percent growth from the year-ago quarter. According to Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer, this represents the strongest quarter in the company's history." – Jim Dalrymple, reporter Complain about me all you want. Just leave the 546 million with my butler at the front door. Are your ads getting complaints? If not, why not? A: Do you have no sharp points to make? B: Or are you just afraid to make them? Turn the poles of a magnet North to South and CLICK, they connect. Turn the poles North to North and they'll repel each other just as powerfully. Advertising, like a magnet, is subject to the Law of Polarity: Your ad's ability to attract customers cannot exceed its potential to repel. Most ads aren't written to make a point sharply. They're written not to offend. How are your ads written?
Roy H. Williams
The Other Way Round
Usually, the lens of The Other Way Round is applied as follows: 1. Invert the action used to solve the problem. a. e.g. Instead of cooling an object, heat it 2. Make movable parts (or the external environment) fixed and fixed parts moveable. a. e.g. A moving sidewalk with standing people 3. Turn the object or process upside down. a. e.g. Turn an assembly upside down to insert fasteners Basically, The Other Way Round suggests that you should do the opposite of what you've been doing or invert the action. There are many examples of this principle. If you lived in a community inundated with fast-food restaurants, a smart business plan might be to open up a "slow-food" restaurant to differentiate yourself from the competition. Do the opposite of what everyone else is doing and you'll stand out from the crowd. You could also benchmark yourself against the worst, rather than the best in your field. Compare your business to the worst company in the industry and discover all the ways not to do things so that you don't do them. Again, do the opposite. If you commute to work, see if you can't work from home. Tired of cleaning the artwork indentations on a wood chopping
board? Why not just flip the board over? The opposite surface is smooth and easy to clean. Isn't this easy? Of course, The Other Way Round can also be applied to very complex issues.
Searching for the Needle
Kary Mullis, a student of Wizard Academy, won the 1993 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his development of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). PCR is a cornerstone of biochemistry and molecular biology because the technology allows for the amplification of DNA sequences. A great deal of Kary's work revolves around the principle of doing things "The Other Way Round." While everyone else in the world was trying to find the figurative needle in the haystack and chemically find and hold DNA, Kary decided to let the DNA replicate itself instead. Rather than looking for the needle in the haystack, Kary let the needle reproduce itself billions and billions of times so that the DNA was easier to find and capture. By doing things The Other Way Round, Dr. Mullis received the highest honors in his field. In fact, Dr. Mullis is currently doing research on how to counter bio-terrorist attacks by using the same principle – the Other Way Round. I can't tell you any more than that right now because it is a highly secret program. All I can say is that Roy and I are certain he will win another Nobel Prize for his work.
TRIZ Bitz
1. Start writing your novel in the middle of the story 2. Clock faces where the numbers go backwards 3. High heel women's shoe where the heel is horizontal off of the front of the shoe instead of vertical off the heel
What can you do with your business, product, or service by doing the opposite of what everyone else is doing?
e. and Ferraris For instance. a. Instead of using rectilinear parts. 24 Furniture. and turning large loads much easier. Go from linear to rotary motion.Curvature The lens of Curvature is typically applied in one of three ways: 1. balls. Use arches and domes for strength in architecture 2. or forms. use centrifugal forces.g. rolling chair. a. or shopping cart. Use rollers. The curvature design of the castor makes pushing. domes. a. A bearing above the wheel allows the wheel to rotate 360 degrees and automatically swivel to align the load in the direction in which the object is being pushed. rotating. think about the spherical casters on a couch. spirals.g. e. from parts shaped as a cube to ballshaped structures. 203 . Rather than wringing clothes to remove the water. Ballpoint and roller point pens for smooth ink distribution 3. spin the clothes in a washing machine instead Curvature can be used to improve the design or efficiency of a product. move from flat surfaces to spherical ones. A castor (or caster) is a type of wheel that is mounted with a steering pivot. surfaces. e.g. Film. use curvilinear ones.
I continue to encourage you to use liberal definitions of the lenses. For instance. He would just flip everyone around to throw a curve at them and make them learn something completely different. rather than carrying 40 or more film plates with them to each shoot. make the Development Manager in charge of Operations. This manager would announce role changes during regular staff meetings. curvature does not have to be applied literally. and so on. Automobile designers use the principle of curvature to improve design. I knew a manager at Thiokol who used to throw curve balls at his team every once in a while to keep them on their toes. Curvature is a big selling point for car manufacturers. He would place the Head of Engineering in charge of Quality. The new plastic film allowed photographers to capture multiple images on one roll of film. Curvature can be used in terms of "throwing a curve" at your team. The curved angles and edges of cars are greatly preferred by consumers to the former box-style designs that dominated the roadways. 204 . Photographers used to have to carry photographic film plates with them to capture their snapshots. His team was constantly learning new skills and gaining command of different aspects of the business because he threw enough curves to keep them sharp. Then the film design and material was changed so that it could be curved and rolled into carrying cases. boxy shape cars recently? Much like the other lenses.Camera film is another example of improved efficiency and design via the principle of curvature. How about the opposite of curvature? Have you noticed how Toyota and Honda have brought back the cute.
Use curved.TRIZ Bitz 1. Scholl's shoe inserts with multiple foot arch designs 3. pleasing lines in your Web site design instead of rectangular lines 2. Seats arranged in a curve around the presentation screen so no one has to twist their necks to see How could you use the lens of curvature to improve your product or team's design or efficiency? 205 . Dr.
a. This principle is usually applied as follows: 1. e. The "butterfly" computer keyboard 3. seats. 206 .Dynamics The lens of dynamics involves changing the static design of a product. e. Think about selfbreaking street lamp poles. the pole breaks away from the base. e. If an object or process is rigid or inflexible. or process to change to be optimal or to find an optimal operating condition. a. system. Allow or design the characteristics of an object. and mirror positions 2. The building's structure allows for mobility. buildings are designed with springs so that they can move with the shaking earth. the principle of Dynamics means you allow the part to change or have relative movement. or service. In an earthquake zone.g. A flexible boroscope for examining engines 25 Changing the Dynamic In other words. make it movable or adaptive. external environment. Divide an object into parts capable of movement relative to each other.g. When a car hits one of the poles. a. rather than damaging the car and injuring the passengers. Adjustable steering wheels. These street poles have been designed to allow relative movement. which helps absorb the shock in a quake.g.
" The signs change because traffic is dynamic and always changing. "Fifteen minutes to I-35. One click of the mouse and. of or relating to energy or to objects in motion. As you're driving down the road. Can you think of another instance of a changing object? What about the toolbar on your computer? You can move the icons and options around to customize the toolbar to best suit your needs. Automatic rebalancing of internal holding within your 401K once a year 2. activity. Billboard where the faces follow you as you walk by How can you change your product or service to allow for relative movement? Can your product be modified so that the user can customize its function for optimal operating conditions? 207 . TRIZ Bitz 1. bam! Ad changed. Freeway delay status signs are another great example. or progress. The dynamic aspect of the technology lies in the owner's ability to change the advertising on the fly.The dictionary defines dynamic as characterized by continuous change. and has relative movement in relation to the user's needs. The toolbar is ever-changing. the signs are updated to reflect delays on busy highways and interstates. A static status message would be of little use to drivers because the information would always be dated and irrelevant. The ad is projected on the building by a software program and a projector. Digital picture frame 3. e. One final example is a new technology that allows advertisers to shine images on the side of a building.g.
it's the company policy. that it was a requirement that all customers sign the credit card slip to complete the transaction. "How come when I drove through there last week I didn't have to sign anything?" "The drive-thru is different." "No I don't.39.Partial or Excessive Action "I am not going to sign it." "What? You have to." "Why is it different? I don't think my Visa card knows the difference. I didn't see the need for my signature. He continued to state his case." "Yes you do." 26 208 . He was demanding that I sign the Visa card slip for $2." I was buying lunch at Taco Bell when I found myself grappling with the kid at the counter. I pointed to the drive-thru window.
"I don't know." "Well your policy doesn't make sense. you can solve your problem more easily and efficiently. then by using "slightly less" or "slightly more" of the same method. By doing slightly more or less. but my point was valid. I shut up. That's just our policy. the lens of Partial or Excessive Actions is defined as follows: If 100% of an objective is hard to achieve using a given solution method. When you are spray painting a design using the stencil. I assumed you guys got smart enough to not require signatures at the drive-thru so that you can move more customers through faster. Right? More customers per hour equal more revenue. I was getting ready to tell him that speaking up might lead to a promotion when the Harley biker behind me said something about five seconds and sticking that card slip where the sun doesn't shine if I didn't move along. you're going to use more 209 . you "top off" your tank when you fill up at the gas station. So why don't you apply that same logic here at the counter?" "Listen Mister. The credit card slip was a perfect example of the principle of Partial or Excessive Actions. Think about a stencil mat for a moment. For instance. Technically speaking. the problem may be considerably easier to solve. I just work here." I started to tear into him about how he should take some initiative and question management on the policy.
Less Can Be More The Taco Bell story at the beginning of the chapter is a great example of a time when less is more. However. they will tell everyone they know. It took retail years to figure out that speeding up the transaction for smaller purchases makes way more sense. If customers have a bad experience with your company. Companies have to go far beyond what their customers expect to make word-of-mouth marketing a viable resource. Only by adding more to the customer service process can companies achieve stellar results. the process is much faster with the mat. Word-of-mouth marketing is a "free" marketing tool that companies can employ to spread the word about their businesses reputation. but you have to go far beyond what is expected. Customers are far more likely to share a bad experience with their friends than to speak highly of their experience. An average experience will generate zero results. because word-of-mouth marketing can backfire. they are unlikely to mention your business at all.paint than you would have if you'd just painted on the designs. Even though you're over spraying. they will share their good experience with their friends. Sure. but beware. but how many people are going to dispute 2 bucks anyway? 210 . If they have an average or expected experience. if you can greatly exceed the customer's expectations and go above and beyond to make their experience with your company positive. Exceeding Expectations Many companies apply this lens to their customer service process. the risk goes up slightly for the merchant in the event of a dispute because the customer didn't sign the stupid little piece of paper.
and for a preliminary draft. balancing the risk versus the reward. Prevention of a riot by showing excessive police force 2. African Americans fighting for more rights by less fighting back 3. doesn't do anything to improve efficiency or satisfaction in most cases. Slightly less movement in your backswing to improve control What can you add or subtract from your product or service to improve the end result? How could you improve operations in your business by using a little less or a little more? 211 . Less is more. sketching the images is much quicker and easier than drawing each picture in detail. or adding more to the process. Micromanaging. If you have to create rough illustrations for a project. Sketching uses less effort. TRIZ Bitz 1.Eliminating the signature process for small purchases is the simplest case of risk management I can think of. accomplishes basically the same result.
What dimension does the film play in? The images are not two-dimensional or three-dimensional. Baja Beer (liberal definitions of the lenses allows for all kinds of overlap. e. this is a good thing) 4. Replace a cassette with six CDs to increase music time and variety 3. A dump truck b. Use multi-story arrangement of objects rather than a single-story arrangement.dimensional space.g. Use "another side" of a given area.g. To move an object in two. An infrared computer mouse moves in space during presentations. a. lay the object on its side. e. 212 . Disney World uses "another dimension" to keep up illusions.g. a. a.g. Stack microelectric hybrid circuits to improve density 27 An Alternate Aspect Think about an IMAX movie. Tilt or reorient the object. rather than on a flat surface 2.or three. a. e.Another Dimension Another Dimension can be defined according to four principles: 1. The surround sound and gigantic screen create a new world for viewers. they are in another dimension all together. e.
A water park slide with a clear tube that goes through a shark tank 2.The theme park has underground tunnels that the staff uses to take out trash and move around the park when they are out of costume. there is a new horseshoe shaped walk with glass floors that overhangs the Grand Canyon. Actively participating in the online virtual world of Second Life 3. Finally. You experience this beautiful view (that you pay good money for) but they won't let you take any pictures! TRIZ Bitz 1. By revealing the machinery. they reveal this new dimension to the customers for their viewing pleasure. the world's tallest building. reveals another dimension to visitors. yet in an opposite manner. Toronto's CN Tower. the breweries display their HVAC systems for customers to look at. I am certain. Microbreweries in a restaurant or bar operate on a similar principle. Looking through this floor to see the world alters the viewer's perspective and dimensions. they never used the full power of Sensible Design when they created their business. There is a whole underground network at Disney – another dimension used to move people and equipment around. however. Using hypnosis to cure ailments 213 . The building has a glass floor that is 330 feet in the air. the owners have changed the actual dimension and layout of the building's structure. Rather than hiding the inner mechanisms of the system. Did the new Grand Canyon Skywalk attraction snowball on this idea? If you haven't seen it. Rather than putting the "other dimension" underground or out of sight.
or use another side of your product or service to achieve another dimension? How could you change your product or service to reveal (or hide) another dimension? 214 .Can you reorient. tilt. move. stack.
personification summons the imagination and triggers the emotions. then drench the pile in sparkling imagination and a new person leaps onto the stage. When conceived in words. It turns dead corporate brands into living persons. Mingle a bit of wood. And thought of doing something to the shore That water never did to land before. Can you do it? Can you speak a person into existence? Herman Melville did it 156 years ago in 3 short words. Listen to how Robert Frost gives human characteristics to inanimate objects in his storm poem. paint and cloth. You could not tell. which was lucky in being backed by cliff? Personification. It looked as if a night of dark intent Was coming. the Jolly Green Giant. and yet it looked as if The shore was lucky in being backed by cliff. Few techniques in communication are as powerful – or as often overlooked – as personification: ascribing human characteristics to inanimate objects. Clean and Ronald McDonald if not personifications of the brands they represent? This memo isn't about clumsy corporate cartoon characters. lively words. 2007 dayM r Mon Octobe r fo People are more interesting than non-people. There would be more than ocean-water broken Before God's last 'Put out the Light' was spoken. "Call me Ishmael. Great waves looked over others coming in. Personification is much bigger and more elegant than mere mascots and logos. Once by the Pacific: The shattered water made a misty din. and not only a night. The cliff in being backed by continent. Like locks blown forward in the gleam of eyes. an age." Can You Make It Talk? 215 . The clouds were low and hairy in the skies. Waves looked over others and thought of doing something to the shore. Someone had better be prepared for rage. Who are the Keebler Elves.emo ngM orni 1. Mr.
"I'm a Mac. smile sweetly and say. Days can become unruly if you let them.I did it 12 years ago in 5 words for Rolex and Everest." Apple is doing it in 7 words right now.) We gaze longer at pictures that have people in them than at pictures that have no people. You're happy and warm and comforting and good and if you think for one second that I'm going to let you be otherwise. Williams 216 . I believe the same is true of words. it's never occurred to anyone who sells radio airtime. either. Roy H." "And I'm a PC. you're sadly mistaken." Be firm. Now go look Today in the eyes. You're mine. "…the world's most angry mountain. We pay more attention to words that tell us of people than to words that don't." (Did it ever occur to you that the audio track from these ads would work even better on radio than it does on TV? Evidently. "I own you. That's enough rambling for one Monday morning.
If the wings can come off that easily. Building the craft myself was the only plausible economic answer to my desire for a plane of my own. and plane all intact. We were watching a promotional video for a new experimental airplane called the Pulsar XP. Now watch how easily the wings come off.Mechanical Vibration I popped in the VHS tape and flopped on the couch next to Barbara." Barbara wasn't really buying the whole dog and pony show. yours truly. then I won't even need a hangar for the airplane. but she finally gave me the OK to buy the kit. all the while smiling happily at the camera. About 1. 28 217 .300 beers later. "OK. I had recently gotten my pilot's license and like most people. I managed to survive. crash helmet. could not afford to buy an airplane of my own. no problem. "See how easily the wings come off? Those two blue hairs can do it. probably in their late 60s. but I was strongly considering buying an experimental airplane kit and building one myself. tail number N96MF finally went wheels up." An older couple. was removing the wings from the Pulsar with the greatest of ease. Even with my first flight jitters. I can just store it in the garage. Not being mechanically inclined was certainly a drawback.
I learned the right dance with the wing tip that allows the pins to be removed without any blood. and lots of blood to get them to turn loose. 218 . Technically speaking. The manufacturer recommends that you remove the wings several times during flight testing for inspection to make sure everything is A –OK. Finally. I spent many hours on the tip of the wing trying to vibrate it at various shakes. so I had to perform this act of hell several times. Cause an object to oscillate or vibrate. An electric carving knife with vibrating blades 2. a. lots of friends.g. The problem was fixed with the perfect vibration. while a friend pulled on the connection pins. e. The tightness of the pins that held them in place made them nearly impossible to remove. The airplane designer could have taken a lesson from ship hinge pins. but those wings took many days. but I found the magic. rattles and rolls. even up to the ultrasonic.The wing removal was another story. To this day I cannot explain my special moves well enough to tell someone else how to remove the wings with ease. Increase the object's frequency. mechanical vibration is usually applied as follows: 1. I am not sure what magical powers the couple on the video possessed. It took months before I found the right shake.
e. the astronauts went through an extensive debriefing. Eyeballs and Astronauts Sometimes your goal is to remove the vibration.g. amplitude. e. Use piezoelectric vibrators in place of mechanical ones. Vibration can often be the solution to your problem. or cycle. Quartz crystal oscillations drive high accuracy clocks 5.g. period. experiment.a. and processes to achieve better productivity and profit. Distribute powder with vibration 3. Mechanical Vibration does not always require literal physical movement. an organization might "shake things up" and change the company's management. Upon the landing of the first Space Shuttle launch. Mixing alloys in an induction furnace Shake Things Up Everything vibrates and has its own unique natural frequency. Cell phones vibrate to silently (in theory) notify the owner of an incoming call. For instance. Destroy gall or kidney stones using ultrasonic resonance 4.g.g. Use combined ultrasonic and electromagnetic field oscillations. Washing machines vibrate during the wash cycle to help break up the dirt on fabrics. Change the frequency. e. 219 . a. a. a. e. Use an object's resonant frequency. and see what happens. systems. One of their complaints was particularly odd.
when we looked at earlier rocket test data. Panning for gold 2. system.They said during the first two minutes of the ascent. we saw that the SRBs generated a vibration that registered exactly in this range. Have you ever been driving down the road and rolled the windows down only to suddenly notice a very awkward feeling in your inner ear? The wind and pressure swirling around that exact configuration has stimulated the natural frequency of your ear drum. everything was OK. Sure enough. How could the SRBs cause the pilots' vision to blur? Upon investigation we found that the human eye has a natural frequency between one and two hertz. they had a very hard time seeing. as soon as the Solid Rocket Boosters separated. or service to improve efficiency? 220 . everything was blurred. Everything vibrates. Then. We had to make a modification to the boosters to minimize this frequency in this range. Animals serve as a warning when they run due to vibrations caused by an oncoming tsunami Can you shake up your product. Coin-operated massage chairs in airports 3. TRIZ Bitz 1.
g. change the periodic magnitude or frequency. random drug testing is more efficient than scheduled drug test dates because employees will have no way to anticipate for or prepare to pass the screening. In cardiopulmonary respiration (CPR). Instead of continuous action. a. a. Hitting a nail with a hammer 2. a. Replace a continuous siren sound with an alarm that changes in amplitude and frequency 3. This lens involves taking action in increments to improve efficiency. If you watch an old episode of Mayberry RFD. e. e. The principle is usually applied as follows: 1. If an action is already periodic. business. breathe after every five chest compressions In other words. For example. you look at your problem.g. employees could plan their drug use around the set dates or take cleansing pills at an appropriate time before the screen.Periodic Action The principle of Periodic Action is exactly as it sounds. use periodic or pulsating actions. Use pauses between impulses to perform a different action. you'll hear the 29 221 . e. If the dates were scheduled in advance or occurred with regular frequency.g. or product through this lens to determine whether a change in the action or a segmentation of the action will improve the product. The siren example above is a perfect example of periodic action.
typically a professor. Rather than going to sleep for an extended period of time. Eliminating verbal pauses through Toastmaster training 3. Some computers rely on software programs to take periodic action to scan for viruses or defragment the hard drive. scientist.sirens emitting a constant whine. a person can take a short nap to improve their alertness and efficiency. The equipment can be scheduled to run periodically. Tapping into unused PC computing power while people are asleep 2. and Siestas Sabbaticals are another example of periodic action. The periodic change in sound makes the alert more noticeable. A siesta is also a periodic action. typically at night when electric rates are reduced and the user doesn't need to be using the computer for other tasks. Sabbaticals. A sabbatical is a hiatus from the work routine designed to allow the employee. TRIZ Bitz 1. or physician. The sabbatical is a career break taken in periodic increments. Politicians periodically stopping to think about their actions Can you use periodic actions to improve the efficiency of your product or service? 222 . The sirens of today vary in frequency and amplitude to alert citizens of danger. Software. an opportunity to fulfill a personal goal such as writing a book or completing an extensive research project.
A 24-hour mechanic is another great application of this lens. you are using that time efficiently and eliminating idle time. There is no idle time. Continuity of Useful Action is similar to multitasking. so why not use them? Making the entire menu available at all times keeps the kitchen working at full capacity. Rather than having the shop sit empty for 12 hours a day. 223 . e. a 24hour mechanic makes full use of all the hours in the day and available resources. On a similar note. make all parts of an object work at full load. a.g. For instance. if you listen to an audio book while driving. Why not just offer all of the items at all times? The ingredients and resources are already available. the mechanics are carrying on with their work continuously. A flywheel or hydraulic system stores energy when a vehicle stops so that the motor can continue running at optimum power 2. Eliminate all idle or intermittent actions or work. a. I've often wondered why restaurants offer different menus at different times.Continuity of Useful Action Continuity of Useful Action essentially means working at full capacity and eliminating idle time. Print during the printer carriage's return 30 Busy Bees In some ways.g. This lens is usually applied in one of two ways: 1. Carry on work continuously. all the time. e.
An alarm clock that continues to increase in volume until shut off Is your business running at full capacity? How could you improve the Continuity of Useful Action in your system? 224 . Anyone who has been in the military knows that there is no idle time. The military keeps its units running at full capacity at all times. Every minute. A hybrid car uses the continuous motor operation at idle to charge batteries 2. their commander will quickly find a task to occupy the time. TRIZ Bitz 1. of every day. is put to good use (or at least they tell you it's good for you). If for some reason a soldier finds a spare moment where they have nothing to do.The military has Continuity of Useful Action down to an exact science. every hour. Read a poem everyday to improve your writing skills 3.
My veterinarian. to find meaning. Morgan. Not every experience presents us with an opportunity to develop ourselves. Kate. Lechien had problems with arthritis in her spine and other issues. I'm suggesting that you seek to speed up the minutiae in your work and life. but when she got a tumor in her spleen. I am very confident in my surgical skills. right? Well not necessarily. because speeding up means compromising the journey. As she got older. explained our options. She said. And when I suggest you embrace speed. His skills are simply the best. That was a sad time. Speeding up the unpleasant tasks of our life is desirable because we then free up more time to do the things we like. he can do the procedure in half the time it will take me.Skipping In Vince Poscente's book. Dr. but more importantly. I couldn't agree more. One of my greatest pleasures in life was the time I spent with my Black Lab/German Shepherd mix. The Age of Speed. Although this is true in some scenarios. not every experience holds deep intrinsic value. he has a chapter called "Smelling the Roses" that starts as follows: Using speed to live a more meaningful life is counterintuitive for most people. we had to do surgery to remove the growth. missing out on smelling the roses. "I can do the surgery myself. Going 31 225 . to make deeper connections. Lechien. But I know a surgeon who is the best in the country. I'm not recommending faster strolls on the beach or accelerated games of catch with your child. Dr.
Skipping is defined as "conducting a process or certain stages (usually destructible. Dr. harmful. Morgan will cost a bit more. "Is Dr. Other physicians use medical injection guns. resulting in a cleaner cut. how did you know that?" "Well. Dr.faster does not mean lower quality. Morgan's first name Paul?" I asked. They're making the injections at high speed." My decision was clear. Speed here is good. money didn't matter when it came to my best friend. using a highly-pressurized tool to inject medicine into your skin." For instance. Morgan's name rang a bell. "Yes. When you cut PVC pipes. In terms of TRIZ. Plastic pipe cutting works on the same principle. However. because the longer she is under the anesthesia the more risk we have of her not coming out of it. the quality will probably be better than mine. you want to slice into them very quickly with a highspeed blade or a water cutter so that the plastic isn't melted on the ends. in fact. 226 . or hazardous operations) at high speed. dentists use a highspeed drill to avoid heating their patient's periodontal tissues. This tool allows the doctor to "skip" over the hazardous process of injecting something into you. but the decision is yours. he is actually a friend of mine. This enables them to inject the medicine rapidly without making a hole or mark in your arm." The Universal Network strikes again. In this case speed is on our side.
Scan Me. or person. it's a long-term investment 2. and simply walk to your car without passing a cashier or the self checkout lane. Please I know the day is coming when you will be able to visit the grocery store. Is this argument really going to matter tomorrow? 3. fill up your cart to the rim. isn't it obvious that at some point we will be able to push the cart through an exit door with a built-in scanner that reads the RFID tags in the cart and then charges your credit card? Won't that be sweet? Why not speed up the things that have no value to you or your business? Do you really like to stand in line? Do you like the quality time you spend with your dentist? Don't you love it when you spend more time at the gate than the actual flight takes? TRIZ Bitz 1. A technology known as Radio-Frequency Identification allows for the automatic identification of a product from several meters away. animal. An RFID tag can be applied to or built into a product. Skip worrying about what everyone thinks about you What can you speed up or "skip" in your product or service to improve quality and efficiency? 227 . Stop stressing over the daily value of your 401K. With RFID tags for every product just around the corner.
When a hacker breaks into your company's Web site. a.g. Another example is computer virus attacks or firewall breaches. How can you make a negative factor into a positive one? For instance. Eliminate the primary harmful action by adding it to another harmful action to resolve the problem. Some of the greatest recording artists of our time have taken a bad scenario and made their experiences into a hit record.Blessing in Disguise Blessing in Disguise is typically applied as follows: 1.g. They're essentially taking a waste product and turning it into a valuable resource.g. Or think about singing the blues. Use a backfire to eliminate the fuel from a forest fire Blessing in Disguise is essentially the idea of turning lemons into lemonade. Use waste heat to generate electric power 2. e. Amplify a harmful factor to such a degree that it is no longer harmful. a. harmful effects of the environment or surroundings) to achieve a positive effect. e. a. Use harmful factors (particularly. how do 32 228 . e. some entrepreneurial motor heads have learned that they can use leftover cooking oil from restaurants as a fuel to power their car's engine. Add a buffering material to a corrosive solution 3.
so we decided to give it a go. Breakfast with the Birds My wife and I recently took a trip to Australia. I've actually worked for firms that did just that. When the founders initially came up with their concept. and a very unique idea. Port Douglas has beautiful beaches that are really remote and pristine. The program sounded like a unique concept. Getting up close and personal with exotic species of birds was a really neat experience. a small town in Far North Queensland. They had a breakfast buffet set up outside with a canopy suspended over the eating area. and feed and pet the kangaroos. The concept sounds kind of weird.you turn that into a blessing in disguise? One great idea is to go hire the people. Some hacker would break into the firewall and figure out something we didn't know. One of the stops on our trip was Port Douglas. When you're finished eating. we decided to use their knowledge to our advantage and made them a part of our team. On our first morning at the hotel. a popular tourist attraction in the region. you get to wander around the rest of the habitat. "What are some of the more popular things people do while they are here?" The concierge immediately suggested Breakfast with the Birds. Rather than getting angry. we asked the concierge. they were most likely trying to figure out how to keep the birds away 229 . but the breakfast was actually pretty cool. All these different species of birds were allowed to walk around on the ground underneath (and sometimes on) the tables.
"How do you have access to the rainforest?" 230 . Birds flying overhead and dropping you know what on the customers' plates was not on the agenda. I quickly realized that the group size restriction is primarily in effect because David can only pick up four people in his Jeep! David drove us about 40 minutes up into the mountains and into the rainforest. We had also included a Rainforest Safari on our Australia itinerary. kangaroos. The owners of Breakfast with the Birds took available resources and applied them much more effectively. As we stood there. The birds were. the founder of Rainforest Safari and our tour guide. The Safari had caught our attention because of the way the trip was advertised: small groups only. they turned lemons into lemonade and made the birds a key selling point of their product. David Armbrust. I asked David. a question dawned on me. "What would it take to make this idea work?" The founders ultimately ended up designing the canopy over the eating area so that most of the bird species cannot fly over the tables. once we got out of the Jeep. and exotic birds approached our group in search of the treats David had tucked in a pouch around his waist. The Safari's Web site promised that there would never be more than four people on the tour. Sure enough. Rather than viewing the birds as an obstacle to their plan.from the food. "How can we make this work?" That's a question you should always ask yourself. wallabies. So they thought. a blessing in disguise. in fact. arrived at the hotel on the day of our trip and picked us up in his Jeep. watching David distribute sweet potato and peanut snacks to all of the animals.
aren't they almost always happier with the next one? 3." This guy picks you up in his Jeep and takes you to his backyard. when one day it occurred to you to bring people along for the ride and charge them $250 a piece?" David just smiled. He's booked about five days a week on this Safari Tour by using his available resources and applying them more efficiently and effectively. "OK.He informed me that he owned the piece of land. TRIZ Bitz 1. to start his own business. Remember Viagra? They could have scrapped the pill when it failed as a medication for hypertension. When someone gets laid off from their job. What great things are going to happen when gasoline reaches $10 gallon? How can your business capitalize on the price of fuel? 2. this is basically my house. He used all of his available resources. Some of these resources might seem kind of invisible at first. "Well. Available resources. I said. but you already have all kinds of resources that you can use more effectively to market your product better or to provide a better product or service. and said. things that he already owned. Look at all the available resources you have in your business. so you were already feeding the animals. I asked David how long he had been feeding the animals. and he told me he'd been doing it every day for the last 20 years. How can you best use them? Can you make lemons from lemonade in your business? 231 .
learn nothing. So the company took the powdered egg out of the mix. "A smart man makes a mistake." It's easier to say. People make these excuses because it's hard to say. learns from it. The average person explains away their failure. "We ran into unforeseeable circumstances. forever unwilling to stare into the light and see that their sacred cow was just a cow. Are you strong enough to see the truth and name it? Are you willing to identify the substance of your own mistakes? This humility is the key to progress. the kind of story that marketing people love to tell: "Betty Crocker failed at first because all you had to do was add milk. "we were ahead of our time. And now history must repeat itself one more time. holding up a little sign that says. But few of them will actually work. Women didn't buy it because they felt they would be cheating their families. What we might have learned from the mistake is lost forever.mo gMe rnin 2007 o 6. This tendency to save face is why so few people who hold a job for ten years get 232 ." That person you see at the back of the room is me. My friend John Young says. when women had to add both milk and egg." The problem with making excuses is that we convince ourselves they're true." But not everyone who makes a mistake gains useful knowledge from the experience. and in so doing." Assuming that the basic facts are true. powdered eggs are never as good as real ones. Then. buried under a pile of lies. A wise man finds a smart man and learns from him how to avoid that mistake altogether. "Our product fell below the customer's expectations. they felt like they were 'cooking' and the product began to sell. "Piffle and Pooh. what probably happened is that the original mix produced a bad cake. dayM Mon August r fo Do Good Ideas Always Work? The mind is full of clever ideas." A cardboard weasel will go so far as to paint his failure the color of success by claiming. The explanation that "women didn't feel like they were baking" is a romantic misinterpretation of the data. This week a man told me the story of Betty Crocker cake mixes. and never makes that mistake again. The weasel who announced the cake mix failed because "women are mysterious creatures" was not the last of his breed.
Williams 233 .ten years of experience. Don't let this be you. people who will try what's never been done. you must: 1. Think you can find your way to Wizard Academy? See you soon. And never forget: Stay at the plate until you get a hit. the possibility thinkers. hitters who keep their eye on the ball. This is the game of life. The average blame-shifter gets one year's experience ten times. 3. Summon courage See clearly Swallow your pride Speak the truth And be sure to run with the pacesetters.) I've got a bat that will fit your hands perfectly. You're not out until you quit trying. Roy H. To learn things most people will never know. the risk-takers. 4. 2. (The three-strike rule applies only to baseball.
cross-checking) to improve a process or action. These systems relate the necessary data straight to the user (or the machine) so that necessary adjustments can be made instantly. and "Spiffs" for the customer service representatives 234 . Introduce feedback (referring back. e. heart-rate monitors. Change the sensitivity of an autopilot when the craft is within five miles of an airport Anti-skid brakes. 33 Straight From the Horse's Mouth We had spent millions on promotional incentives. a. Automatic volume control in audio circuits 2. Feedback information is included on the CD or startup disk that comes with the computer.Feedback The Feedback lens is technically applied as follows: 1. and prototypes are all relatively straightforward examples of feedback. When the drive is spinning around at incredibly fast RPMs. the computer needs to know where the data is actually located so that the computer can locate the relevant information as necessary. Another way to think about feedback is to consider a computer hard drive.g. change its magnitude or influence. quality control systems. There is a great deal of data on the hard drive that gives feedback to the head of the drive so the computer knows where the data is on the disk.g. If feedback is already used. a. endcap displays. e.
As part of the campaign. I finally got him right where I wanted him. Our marketing department had made a big effort to get the sales representatives on the floor to sell more Zip drives. "So be honest with me. What do you think is wrong?" After much hemming and hawing from the 23-year-old manager. nights. right? Kickbacks or something like that?" 235 . He was about to commit a cardinal sin. basically. and weekends on the sales floor talking to potential customers and trying to help sell our products alongside the Circuit City reps. We were in the middle of the Christmas rush and Iomega sales were not where they needed to be. "OK…. give it to me straight. he was going to tell me … the truth. Do you really want to know what determines which products we push?" "Of course I do! What's the secret? Somebody gives you more money. I couldn't figure out why we were having so much difficulty selling more products. especially considering the additional marketing collateral and incentives for the sales reps. they had done everything in their power. I could see it in his eyes. and signage galore. clever endcap displays. They used cash incentives. I had volunteered to spend days. I took the store manager to lunch.at Circuit City.you can't tell anyone this or they will can my ass. On a hunch. Why do you think we can't sell more Zip Drives? Are the incentives we put out not attractive enough? Are the endcaps wrong? Is our message missing the target audience? Go ahead. Or at least they thought they had.
but he had told me that all stores operate pretty much the same way. so we make more money selling more volume. we can see what is working in the Eastern Time zone before we even open." Armed with this incredible feedback. Knowing what's hot beforehand makes our lives easier because we only push those products. we would be better positioned to drive up the company's overall sales. I was totally ignored. Since we are on the West coast."No. The incentives you manufacturers give us are all about the same. so they don't really motivate us. Granted. don't you think? Wouldn't you be curious? 236 . This kind of feedback surely warranted further investigation." "Really? You base your decisions on what to push by just looking at what stores on the East coast are doing?" "Yeah. The hot items sell fast and easy for us. I surmised that if the company spent a lot more of our marketing dollars targeting the East coast stores. "OK here's the deal. I presented my findings to Marketing. "We make commissions on everything we sell. we simply look at the computer reports on our PCs every morning and see what is selling in the East coast stores. it's pretty much that simple. It's well…umm…." "Go on …. this feedback was from just one store manager. Of course. " I prodded gently. it's not that at all.
They didn't. TRIZ Bitz 1. I wouldn't want him to get canned. half who like you and half who don't. Feedback is vital in any business . (I didn't mention the store manager's name in case he still works there and his boss is reading this. They weren't.) Never make the same mistake as our marketing team. to review your manuscript before it goes to print 3. process. or service? 237 . system. Set up a customer feedback link on your Web site and have inputs automatically e-mailed to internal managers 2. A toilet uses negative feedback to fill itself up with water when flushed How can you use feedback to improve your product.and the stuff that rocks your paradigm is usually the most valuable. Ask 12 folks.
Yesterday's selling techniques aren't working so good. 2008 John and Jane Doe 4321 Happily Thereafter Ave. 2. keep up the good work. You're doing all the right things. Just say it clean and tight. Everytown. You want us to give you a credit card number. shoulders back. You seem to be sincere in your confusion about why traffic is down and we're just trying to tell you the truth you need to hear. USA To the Companies Who Want Our Money. looking us directly in the eye. in fact. 4. Sorry. But what you really need is a clue. And that information includes the price. here are some things for you to think about: Today's customer expects easy access to information. You're charging too much and you know it. Quit trying to romance everything. been trending downward. Have you noticed? We're betting that your traffic has been trending downward for the past few months.emo ngM orni 8. You're planning to contact us and control the conversation with rigged questions under the pretense that you're "consulting" us for our own good. You want an opportunity to "overcome our objections" or 3. Openhanded disclosure. we don't mean to be rude. Are we right? (If we're wrong. 238 .) But if your traffic has. If you tell us about a product or service online and we wonder what it costs and we learn the only way you'll tell us the price is if we give up our contact information. we think: 1. Give us the truth with clarity. Nothing hidden behind your back. Cut the hype. Transparency. 2008 2 dayM Mon anuary or J f Hello and Goodbye from John and Jane Doe January 28. 5.
You don't want to give your competitors "the edge" or something or other. We understand that. John and Jane Doe 239 . it's partly the economy. But companies with good prices aren't afraid to share them. Over the phone. From the housetops. In their ads. Or at least that's how it seems to us. You've got reasons for not disclosing your prices.Yes. On their websites. But you've also lost touch with the times. Have a great 2008.
g.Intermediary An Intermediary is a temporary or nonessential component of a product or system which can be easily removed. Use an intermediary carrier article or intermediary process. Use a pot holder to carry hot dishes to the table A consultant is an intermediary in a business environment. Merge one object temporarily with another (which can be easily removed). In the old days. sole purpose is to make the main chemicals. bootleggers used salt as an intermediary to hide their goods. a specific. A and B. The consultant comes in to the company to evaluate a certain aspect of the business or solve a problem and then leaves. Carpenter's nail set. 34 240 . the smugglers would put salt rocks on top of the 55-gallon drums of alcohol. When the bootleggers got a tip that authorities would be coming on board the ship to look for loot. e. Chemical C's (a catalyst). They'd throw the drums overboard. The new chemical. Chemical processes often use this principle.g. a. In some chemical reactions. a. otherwise unnecessary substance is included as an intermediary. react faster or move the process along further. The intermediary lens can be applied in one of two ways: 1. used between the hammer and the nail 2. and the salt rocks would cause the containers to sink. e.
The salt rocks served as an intermediary in the bootlegging process. Intermediaries are even making their way into the legal system. We still built the hydraulic actuators at ParkerHannifin. but we shipped the actuators. This extra. couples hire a mediator to help resolve the issues before the parties actually go before a judge. to a Japanese company. Mediation is big business in today's divorce-happy society. When I worked for Parker Hannifin. all the company had to do was glue the tag onto the actuator – using a glue kit that we supplied to them. and then let the Japanese company do 30 seconds of labor to glue the tag on. The company marked the product up a percentage to make a profit and then sent the actuator back to Boeing. We did all the work. When the product arrived in Japan. with a part tag. Japanese Airlines would not give Boeing the contract to build airplanes for them unless at least one company in Japan got a piece of the action. After a while. the contraband was gone.When the authorities searched the ship. So. Unfortunately. Give 'Em a Piece of the Action Sometimes an intermediary is necessary to make a project happen. although seemingly unnecessary. we built flight hydraulic actuators for almost all of the commercial aircraft in the world. and Parker Hannifin was sub-contracted to Boeing to build the actuators. Boeing actually builds the airplanes. Mediators are quite popular these days in divorce court. the salt would dissolve and the drums would rise back to the surface. Rather than fighting out battles in the courtroom with expensive lawyers and legal fees. intermediary step allowed us to say 241 . a temporary step to improve the end result. we came up with an insane plan to get around this requirement.
the Japanese airlines then agreed to a purchase contract with Boeing. Hire a tax consultant instead of trying to do it yourself 3. to proofread your proposal Can you improve your product or business by adding in an intermediary? 242 . Boeing was happy to pay the extra shipping costs and the markup. the extra money was a drop in the bucket in comparison to the profit from the contract. As a result." your part-time executive assistant. Funny what you'll do to get the job done. Use a travel agent to book your Australia vacation 2. Use "Get Friday. isn't it? TRIZ Bitz 1. after all.that a Japanese company was included in the process.
Make an object serve itself by performing helpful auxiliary functions. 35 Diapers. test strips.Self-Service The lens of Self-Service is exactly as it sounds. and Daddies Medical supplies are a great example of Self-Service.g. a. This principle is usually applied as follows: 1. the Google algorithm used to generate search results applies the Self-Service lens. This self-serve aspect of the testing supplies allows diabetic individuals to lead a more normal life. a. Consider the home pregnancy test. Self-Service implies that either the customer or the product serves itself. Diabetes. or substances. Use food and lawn waste to create compost In other words. e. Blood sugar monitors. Couples can find out whether or not they've conceived a child without ever leaving the comfort of their own home. this assures that drinks will not be flat and eliminates the need for sensors 2. insulin pumps. and meters work to measure insulin levels in the blood stream so that the patient can adjust their medication or insulin supply to keep their levels normal. energy. without 243 . The algorithm is a type of Self-Service because the program is constantly updating itself. Diabetic testing products are also Self-Service. A soda fountain pump that runs on the pressure of the carbon dioxide that is used to "fizz" the drinks. For instance. Use waste resources.g. e.
16 .com and you'll find thousands of self service ideas you can apply to your business 2. Accessed 27 Mar. When you visit a McDonald's or Burger King. http://www. a do-it-yourself DNA test. TRIZ Bitz 1. 2008. msn. gather your condiments. The self-check lane used to be a huge pain for customers.having to make constant visits to their physician. fill up your drink. Fast-food chains rely on this self-service element to keep their prices low.selfserviceworld. Visit www. MSNBC. JoNel Allecia. sold by Sorenson Genomics of Salt Lake City. lets users answer paternity questions in the comfort and privacy of their own home.000 tests this year. However. The Identigene. allows parents to establish the paternity of their children. Self-Service has also made its way into the airline industry.msnbc. in the last year and a half or so. you are your own waiter. You walk to the counter to place your order. you put away your own trash. Fliers can swipe a credit-card at a self-check-in kiosk and get their boarding pass without ever seeing a human agent. ScanBuy software allows you to take a picture of a product barcode with your cell phone camera and 244 Who's your daddy? Answers at the drugstore. Look at the recent advancements made in Self-Service centers at grocery stores and home improvement centers. When you are finished eating. and pick up your own food. One new product.com/id/23814032/. rather than having to rely on a cashier – and as consumers continue to flock to these Self-Service centers. the reliability of these service stations has greatly improved. The company expects to sell about 52. more improvements will follow. Customers like scanning and bagging their purchases themselves.16 Fast-food restaurants are another application of this lens.
A self-service happy hour in the hotel lobby Is there an element of your product. or business that could be made Self-Service? 245 .automatically sends competitor pricing 3. service.
expensive. Rather than paying for the rental or purchase of an airplane. e. A significant portion of a pilot's instrument flight training can be done on a simulator. 36 Learning to Fly and Fire Perhaps the most obvious example is a flight simulator. service. Make images in infrared to detect heat sources. The military uses virtual reality in Basic Training to prepare 246 . e.g. move to infrared or ultraviolet copies. a. This lens is usually applied in one of three ways: 1. Listen to an audiotape instead of attending a seminar 2. or even an experience. or fragile object. The copy can be a replication of a part. a would-be pilot can start learning to fly via a flight simulation. such as diseases in crops. a. The pilot does not have to actually be in the plane to begin learning the basics of how to fly. inexpensive copies of their product or service. or intruders in a security system Copying can solve many problems in a business.g. use simpler and inexpensive copies. a.Copying The lens of Copying instructs users to use simple. Measure an object by measuring the photograph 3.g. Replace an object or process with optical copies. e. If visible optical copies are already used. Instead of an unavailable. product.
YouTube operates on a similar principle. document scanning or faxing allows for a cheap copy of a document to be quickly and easily sent to multiple destinations around the world. trade school. Students can get a degree without ever having to step foot in a physical classroom. eBooks are much cheaper to produce and make it possible for anyone to become a published author. such as a DVD or VHS. The virtual course is a "copy" of the real thing. or distance learning. Obviously the Army can't use real people to prepare their soldiers to kill. e-learning programs. consider video conferencing. so they use the next best thing – a copy. the creator can post their masterpiece online for the whole world to see – without ever spending a penny. E-learning programs. Similarly. and eBooks. document scanning and faxing.soldiers for combat. a user can simply scan in the document and instantly send the paperwork wherever it needs to go. or college courses from the comfort of their own home. For example. Rather than sending the original via the post office. An eBook is essentially identical to a printed book. Video conferencing allows participants to interact in a meeting without having to physically be in the same location. 247 . allow students to complete technical programs. Rather than making physical copies of a recording. Soldiers are desensitized to killing enemies through the use of video games and virtual reality technology. except that the manuscript is published digitally. Applications of this lens are abundant in our digital world.
TRIZ Bitz 1. Swiffer wet disposable cloths revolutionized mops How can you Copy your product. Post all of your user manuals online in a PDF format and make them easy to find 3. Use 3D printing services or stereo lithography to make your first prototype 2. service. or system to cut costs or make your product more accessible to consumers in distant locations? 248 .
" In other words. there's no need to bring expensive china on a camping trip or picnic – and a disposable camera is usually preferred for a trip to the water park over an expensive digital version. Obviously. This lens is technically defined as. which serve their purpose and can be thrown away afterward. you don't want to take away too much metal because the metal cases have to be reused. and lighters are all inexpensive products that can be thrown away after one use. create an inexpensive copy of your product – or an intermediary product – that can be easily replicated and disposed of after use. compromising certain qualities such as service life. We experimented with many different types of materials because when you're grit-blasting a part. "Replacing an inexpensive object with a multiple of inexpensive objects. and not too soft. plastic cups. Disposable diapers. 249 . 37 Button Up When I worked on the space shuttle program. for instance. you want to be able to clean the part up and create a pristine surface to bond to. and many medical supplies operate on the same principle. disposable razors and cameras. The metal cases get thinner and thinner from the grit-blasting.Cheap Disposables Paper plates. I remember struggling to find just the right material to grit-blast some parts on the Solid Rocket Boosters. inexpensive copies of the real thing. and when they get too thin they become fragile and can no longer be used due to the pressure requirements. However. These objects are simple. We needed a material that wasn't too hard.
Those tiny little dots of plastic were inexpensive. and is not messy 3. TRIZ Bitz 1. shortlived disposables? 250 . Disposable diaphragm that required no inspection.Ironically enough. and basically a scrap product in button manufacturing – yet they worked really well as a grit-blast media. one of the best materials we found was plastic buttons. Virtual war game where no one really gets killed Can you improve your product or service using cheap. or rather the pieces ejected from the buttons to create holes for threading. cleaning. BIC disposable lighter made almost all normal lighters obsolete 2.
maybe it was standard-issue student torture. the lab procedures stated that we were not allowed to leave the machine unattended while turned on. but sitting there for two hours each time seemed ridiculous. I studied Chemical Engineering in college. the machine did not come with a flux capacitor. (In case you were wondering. To test the concentration we used an FTIR machine. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. Holland with some research work for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. no. FTIR stands for Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. and I was assisting Dr. each time we got ready to test a sample's concentration. I have no idea why that requirement was in place.Mechanical Interaction Substitution Waiting for the FTIR machine to warm up is about as exciting as watching paint dry." Part of the research required us to test the concentration of the samples before we sent them off to Oak Ridge. which is scientist lingo for "suspended in water. We were making a chemical soup for them. The soup was suspended in an aqueous solution. but then they'd have to kill us. especially when you consider the test itself took only five minutes. the machine had to warm up for two hours! To make things worse.) This beast of a machine was a major drain on my social life. Oak Ridge said they could tell us what the soup was for. 38 251 . a caustic recipe with ingredient names that I forgot years ago.
I had two to three percent accuracy with just my eyes. compared colors. mark with chalk. but that degree of specificity wasn't necessary. 252 . and put them on the window sill. The whole situation reminded me of that trap we can all fall into: Measure with a micrometer. Oak Ridge informed me that the tolerance was plus or minus five percent. Holland and asked him. He didn't know either. and cut with an axe This FTIR was way overkill.The soup was purple. so I went back to Dr. labeled them. I could pretty much guess what the concentration was going to be before I even stuck the sample in the machine. Then when I got a new sample I simply held the new solution up to the light. So I made up several different mason jars of different concentrations. so I called Oak Ridge. What's the tolerance required on the concentration measurement? I had never read the spec. I could see plus or minus 5% with my eyes.000 times more accuracy than that. At least that is what I called the color then. and guessed at the concentration. I was furious. Easy. Anyway. I had noticed that the intensity of the color changed based on its concentration. Then it hit me. Why the hell was I letting this machine crush my social life if we can live with a range as big as 5%? The FTIR could measure something like 10. now I guess I would say that the color was better described as a shade of fuchsia (this unfortunate knowledge may be due to my nasty exposure to Danielle Steele).
g. I exchanged a mechanical machine's results for an optical one – my eye. a. The lens of Mechanical Substitution is typically applied in one of four ways: 1. but I figured the story sounded better this way. magnetic. Change from static to movable fields. e. Use fields in conjunction with field-activated (such as ferromagnetic) particles. To mix two powders. but now I realize that situation was a simple case of mechanical substitution.g. electrostatically charge one positive and the other negative. taste.) Of course I had never heard of TRIZ or any of the lenses back then. and electromagnetic fields to interact with the object. acoustic. Social life restored. I only had one date in the entire four years I was in college.g. 3. Early communications used omnidirectal broadcasting. 4. Replace a mechanical means with a sensory (optical. a. or mix them mechanically and let their acquired fields cause the grains of powder to pair up. 253 . (Not really. Either use fields to direct them. Replace a physical fence to confine a dog or cat with an acoustic "fence" with a signal audible only to the animal 2. from unstructured fields to those having structure.Good enough. e. We now use antennas with very detailed structure of the pattern of radiation. e. or smell) means. Use electric. a.
the material becomes paramagnetic and no longer absorbs heat. Holland's lab. rather than forcing the user to physically control the machine. The foul odor is added intentionally so that people can identify when there is a gas leak in their home. Remote controls are another example of this principle. are replaced by the sense of smell. No one gets off their butts to turn the channel or change the volume anymore. Remotes communicate with their devices via infrared or radio signals. The remote uses electromagnetic fields to interact with the object. Use a digital camera to survey property 3. What's that Smell? Many people don't realize that propane actually has no inherent smell. the odor is always added. Heat a substance containing ferromagnetic material by using varying magnetic fields. When the temperature exceeds the Curie point. Black and Decker laser tape measure 2. Wireless computer mouse I was doing more work than necessary in Dr. TRIZ Bitz 1. sound. Butane and other hydrocarbons do not have a scent either. such as a mechanical or electrical sensor.g. The mechanical means for detecting a leak. or sight replace a mechanism in your business? 254 . Are you making the same mistake? How can you use Mechanical Substitution to replace a mechanical means with a sensory means in your product or service? Could the sense of smell. taste. e.a.
on the other hand. Pneumatics and Hydraulics is the use of a gas or liquid in place of solid parts.Pneumatics and Hydraulics Pneumatics and Hydraulics refers to the use of gas and liquid parts of an object instead of solid parts. or hydro-reactive parts. Air beds are much easier to store than an actual mattress. Basically. I believe air is also the preferable means of travel on a float trip. liquidfilled. outdoor movie theater. Air mattresses are another great example of Pneumatics and Hydraulics. a vehicle can store energy from deceleration in a hydraulic system and then use the stored energy to accelerate later. Their little boats are constantly getting banged and beaten up by the rocks in the river. I frequently go tubing down the river in Utah. and I'm always amazed at how much trouble people have with their kayaks and canoes. 39 Light as Air Have you ever seen those really cool. Floating is smooth sailing for me in my air ship. For example. such as inflatable. Hosts can create an extra bed for their guests by simply pulling the mattress out of the box and inflating the bed. The air-filled screen is greatly preferred to solid. air-cushioned. inflatable projection screens at conferences or big events? These projection screens are filled with air and can be used to make an instant movie screen. My inflatable inner tube. fixed structures that require installation on site. making 255 . outdoor. just bounces off obstacles – and there are no issues with rocks. Inflatable projection screens allow users to temporarily transform a location into a high-tech.
Shoe manufacturers also utilize this principle to make a more comfortable product. Water knife that can selectively cut pathological tissues without damaging nerves 2.these pallets a simple solution to providing a comfortable place for guests to rest. rather than using an insert filled with a solid material. Are you gelling? Pneumatics and Hydraulics does not have to be applied literally. the Reebok Pump uses an air pump in the shoe soles to give users an extra lift. and convert their funds into cash. For instance. Inflatable air travel "U-pillow" converts easily from storage to use Can you transform a solid part in your business or product into a gas or liquid and improve efficiency? 256 . As you'll recall from the Universal Network chapter. TRIZ Bitz 1. Dr. a person can "liquidate" their assets. Mars Landers uses airbags to "bounce land" on to the surface 3. Scholl's created shoe sole inserts filled with gel.
the audience immediately assumes I am talking about products for romantically-challenged males." I throw this example out when we get to this lens: Flexible Shells and Thin Films. You can't tell that the doll is not the real thing. I guarantee you'll hit the brakes as soon as you see this inanimate police man. dressed in a cop uniform. I simply allow the visual to sink in and wait for the expression of disgust. The example I am talking about is using an inflatable doll.Flexible Shells and Thin Films "How about Blow-up Dolls?" After I throw that idea out there. without having to pay someone $25 an hour to just sit on their butt holding a radar gun. Of course. Where else would this kind of application work? The Flexible Shells and Thin Films lens is technically defined as: 40 257 . as a dummy police officer sitting in a parked squad car on the side of the road. especially from the females in the room. In the "da Vinci and the 40 Answers workshop. until you have already passed by. This sort of illusion is popping up everywhere as a means to get commuters to slow down. but I am not.
Float a film of bipolar material (one end of hydrophilic. Gel caps get into the consumer's blood stream more quickly than traditional. Hand warmers and baby bottle warmers are another application of flexible shells and thin films. The shell dissolves in the digestive tract and the pain reliever is absorbed into the blood stream. providing faster relief from aches and pains. the aluminum is so thin that the can would not be able to withstand the weight of the cases stacked on top of each other if the can wasn't supported by the pressure of the carbonation in the beer. you'll see that the warmer is actually encased by a flexible shell. In fact. powder-based tablets. If you ever examine a hand warmer. one end hydrophobic) on a reservoir to limit evaporation Consider Tylenol gel capsules. This thin shell that encases the "Silver Bullet" beer is lightweight and inexpensive to produce. You actually have to remove the packaging and shake or break the contents of the warmer to activate the heating element. e. thin film structures as winter covers on a tennis court or pool 2. Baby bottle warmers work in much the same way. Use inflatable. The use of flexible shells and thin films instead of three-dimensional structures.g.g. you 258 . e. Then. Isolating the object from the external environment using flexible shells and thin films.1. You boil the warmer to set up a chemical structure inside the bag. Have you ever noticed that a Coors Light can is a lot thinner than a Budweiser can? The Coors can is made from a very thin piece of aluminum. a. The thin shell serves to encapsulate the gel in the bottle. a.
At the same time. TRIZ Bitz 1. Hard contact lenses replaced by "soft" 2. Soccer shin guards for improved flexibility and comfort 3.wrap the warmer around the baby bottle. Surgical gloves have to be strong enough to ensure sanitary conditions for both the patient and the physician. The open door policy is symbolic of a thin shell because employees can break through the company hierarchy to access upper-level management without hindrance. the flexible film inside breaks and allows the warmer to create an exothermic reaction and heat up the bottle. Once you squeeze it. and guard health professionals from exposure to diseases and viral infections living in bodily fluids. The condom is designed in a similar fashion. These gloves protect patients from exposure to potentially infectious matter. Protection and Prevention Two examples that stand out in my mind are surgical gloves and condoms. and durable to protect people from sexually transmitted diseases and to prevent unwanted pregnancies. A flexible shell or thin film does not have to be a physical object. Many corporations utilize "open door policies" that encourage employees to address their grievances with the company's executives or CEO when the employee believes middle management will be either unable to resolve the conflict or will retaliate against the employee for making the complaint. elastic. Condoms must be waterproof. Bicycle seat made of thin padding over a flexible shell that uniquely shapes to the individual How could the application of a Flexible Shell or Thin Film improve your product or service? 259 . this protective layer has to be thin enough so as not to hinder the sensations of sexual intercourse.
When The Cluetrain Manifesto was published in 1999. like Maxwell Smart's shoe-phone and Dick Tracey's TVwristwatch. Rather. or are they a pompous lecture? 2. Wow. Markets consist of human beings. the current homogenized "voice" of business – the sound of mission statements and brochures – will seem as contrived and artificial as the language of the 18th-century French court. They are conducted in a human voice. In just a few more years. the human voice is typically open. natural and uncontrived"? 15. You've noticed it. Both of which are now possible. but no one's laughing anymore: 1. haven't you? 22. or are you marketing to a "target"? 3. a little humility. perspectives. it smacked of silly futurism. 2007 o 29 dayM Mon ctober O for Tomorrow Has Come. or the way ads talk? 4. dissenting arguments or humorous asides. Are your ads written the way people talk. natural.mo gMe rnin . Whether delivering information. Are your ads a conversation with your customer. it requires big values. Optimally. uncontrived. Can you feel it? Here's a look at a few of the 95 Theses of The Cluetrain Manifesto. and a genuine point of view. Would the public describe your ads as "open. Conversations among human beings sound human. the societal shift predicted by The Cluetrain is already happening. or go sideways? Are you willing to say what you really think? 23. Companies attempting to "position" themselves need to take a position. Getting a sense of humor does not mean putting some jokes on the corporate web site. it should relate to something their market actually cares about. What are your values? Do you admit your mistakes? Do you talk straight. straight talk. That's already happening. not demographic sectors. opinions. These statements were laughed at when they first appeared 8 years ago. 260 . Markets are conversations. Are you marketing to people with names and faces and favorite places. Likewise.
They're written not to offend. Advertisers often claim to have what the customer wants. the fourth of my Twelve Most Common Mistakes in Advertising (chapter 35) was: "Unsubstantiated Claims. You must prove what you say in every ad. Williams 261 . Do your ads give the prospect new information? Do they provide a new perspective? If not. such as 'highest quality at the lowest price." Is your business in step with the fast-coming future? Roy H. be prepared to be disappointed with the results. Bombastic boasts – "We are positioned to become the preeminent provider of XYZ" – do not constitute a position.' but fail to offer any evidence. The Wizard of Ads." Do you have the courage to take a position and suffer the wrath of those who disagree? Will you choose who to lose? 24. In my 1998 book. An unsubstantiated claim is nothing more than a cliché the prospect is tired of hearing.I've said it often: "Most ads aren't written to persuade.
g. Drill holes in a structure to reduce the weight 2. or porous enough. the porous gaps are a necessary element of the deck's design to allow for the release of external elements (i. On the other hand." Porous Materials is usually applied as follows. e. a.g. Women step in between the planks and break off their heels. If an object is already porous. easily crossed or penetrated. 41 262 . e. If you've ever been to a wedding reception or other formal event where many of the women are wearing heels.. you'll know that poor deck design can be a nightmare. However. to allow water and dirt to flow through. porous is defined as "full of or having pores. a. 1.Porous Materials According to American Heritage Dictionary. and it's just not a pretty picture. you can't make the gaps so large that a woman's heel would get stuck in the space. admitting the passage of gas or liquid through pores or interstices. but one of the most important things about designing outdoor decks is to make sure the gap between the planks of wood is big enough.e. Make an object porous or add porous elements such as inserts or coatings. use the pores to introduce a useful substance or function. Use a porous metal mesh to wick excess solder away from a joint Deck design relies heavily on the addition of porous elements. Most people don't think about a deck in this way. dirt and water).
263 . they'd know exactly who to talk to. The cooler uses a porous mat that allows water to flow through and evaporate. swamp coolers. If a customer was unsatisfied with the degree of customer service.In the Western part of the U. and the rest of the employees would be thrilled that they weren't having to listen. also known as sump coolers. Your business can be made porous through the use of customer advisory boards. moist air to be delivered into the building. Swamp coolers are evaporative coolers. so why not make listening to their issues a full-time job? Customers would be happier knowing that their voice was being heard. or allowing customers to sit in on a meeting.S.. are used to cool homes and office buildings. so that everyone would know that person's sole responsibility was to listen to complaints. The heat in the air evaporates the water from the pads. allowing cooled. Imagine if there were a person whose sole responsibility was to be porous and soak up customer complaints like a sponge. they should be dressed in a different kind of uniform (maybe like a sponge!). The customer complaint sponge shouldn't be another guy standing around in the lobby in a sport coat. Find ways to let the customers into your business. "Porous Materials" does not have to be applied literally. A fan draws air through the vents on the sides of the machine. or was unhappy with an aspect of the product. which is then run through the porous pads. Instead. Customers love to complain. an open house. The Complaint Sponge I've always thought that there should be a customer complaint sponge in restaurants and hotels. many people do not have air conditioning units.
Porous pavement with a stone reservoir underneath that temporarily stores surface runoff How can you make your company or product more porous? 264 . A hiking vest which incorporates a porous polyester shell to reflect the sun's rays and to allow air to flow freely through it 2.TRIZ Bitz 1. A porous marine matting that protects your boat. and your dock 3. your feet.
" Roy Williams' latest project. send a signal. Thought Particles. make an accurate statement." "The score was out of a 100!! " "Oh…yeah…now I remember. transfer a feeling. which had been some 25 years ago. is based around the intriguing question: "What is the smallest unit of Thought?" Only after science had deconstructed matter into its constituent components – its smallest particles – were we able to design substances with the specific characteristics we desired. paint a mental picture." Mitch Culbreath and I had not spoken since college. found me.. He had googled my name on a whim." "A what?" "Yeah. that's what all the guys say.Color/Clarity Changes "Do you remember when Dr.. and picked up the phone. if we want to design an idea. After we covered the basics – jobs. where we live. Yarborough gave me a 9 and you a 10 on that pop quiz?" "No. and so on – I asked him what his wife did for a living. He told me she was a "color consultant. or persuade a person. we must craft a 42 265 . Similarly. not really. pets. capture a mood.
She does infinitely more than just "consult on color. That's really all I want to say about thought particles here. I am always curious and intrigued if I can learn more from people who are experts in color. We do this by consciously or unconsciously arranging the constituent components of thought: thought particles. One of these languages is color. Robin looks at trends and predicts what product manufacturers should be making a few years in the future. Mitch's "color consultant" wife's name is Robin Culbreath and she is the founder of Robin Culbreath Limited. Knowing this. to keep the product looking fresh and to give it longevity. What I do is this. Of course I had to have a chat with Mitch's wife. that subject matter could fill many volumes of books. I mention thought particles because the results of this research revealed that we communicate through 12 languages of the mind. interpret. and translate consumer lifestyle design trends and color for primarily the home furnishings industry. I finally started to understand what she does. Trends can last three to seven years and one of the primary things manufacturers can do over these years. but others as well. "Mark. I hate to say this. is to change its color and manage the color evolution over time. 266 . Robin is the creator of TrendLab Report: the foremost consumer lifestyle design trend and color forecast report. but most men just don't get what I do. let's stick to the color discussion because it is extremely powerful. I identify." But for our purposes.message with specific characteristics. including what colors are going to be hot." As I spent more and more time with Robin. I think it took Mitch nine months before he finally understood.
It took many. you know. What was this radical new color. Here is a great example that Robin shared with me. Not everyone likes neon. Change the color of an object or its external environment. Color sells. but the right color sells better.g. Use safe lights in a photographic darkroom. a. you ask? White. She was finally successful in getting her "Sweet Pea" selection of colors approved. 267 .Making color changes to a product is infinitely cheaper than changing the actual design and retooling the product. 3M Post-it Notes have had the same line of neon colors for years. but she almost didn't get one radical new color approved as part of the package. Robin had to go all the way to the top of the 3M food chain for approval. The principle of Color/Clarity Changes is usually applied in one of two ways: 1. 2. In her industry they have a popular phrase. Robin spent months and months convincing 3M that the Post-it Notes were in dire need of a color face-lift. many meetings to get that final color approved and added into the color selection. Change the transparency of an object or its external environment. e. You can dramatically extend the life of a product line by changing the product's color and keeping the look fresh.
change mask material from transparent to opaque for silk-screen processing. to the point that the regular glasses can serve as sunglasses. The Tylenol scare in the early 1980s (which we discussed earlier in this book). The tint. Clarity does not apply strictly to tangible objects. and the lenses become clear again. e. NASCAR and Motocross drivers use tear away visors to improve their vision clarity on the road. Similarly. Have you ever had to open a product while standing in the aisle of a department store so that you can see and touch the product inside? Toy manufacturers eventually got smart and designed their packaging so that kids and parents can actually see the toy within the box. Clarity also plays a role in sports. Color/Clarity Change refers to a change in color or transparency. Use photolithography to change transparent material to a solid mask for semiconductor processing. When you walk back inside. Rather than wiping away the mud and dust from their visors. or transparency. they just tear away the top layer to create greater clarity.a. In other words. Toy manufacturers also utilize transparency when packaging their products. the sunglasses' transparency increases. Clarity and Transparency Have you ever seen the eyeglasses that change in tint? The tint of the glasses becomes darker when worn outside. After seven consumers died as a result of ingesting 268 . of the glasses adjusts according to the level of lighting in the environment.g. is a great example of clarity change from a non-technical View Point.
potassium-cyanide laced capsules. Tylenol stepped up to the plate and took full responsibility for the deaths. Can you look through the lens of color and clarity to find a solution for your problem or to improve your product or service? Can you give your product a face-lift with color? 269 . Even though the capsules were believed to have been tampered with by an outside source. TRIZ Bitz 1. Tylenol executives promised to take prompt action to prevent a similar situation from ever occurring again. Tylenol's management was very transparent and took full responsibility for their actions. Plant "sticks" that change color 2 days before they need water 2. How did Iomega become a billion dollar company in the 90s with the Zip Drive? They took existing technology and substituted the boring off-white colored plastic exterior that every other company used with Cobalt Blue. Their transparency and willingness to accept fault for the situation made the fallout far less severe than it could have been. Fiat car design that changes color based on the environment 3. Mood rings change color based on how you feel Color and clarity can make a world of difference in your product or business profit and productivity.
This sucks for advertisers and the public isn't helped by it. Mon ebruar F for Clarity is the New Creativity In the language of academics: The central executive of working memory is the new battleground for marketers. but they haven't gotten more convincing. thereby gaining the momentary attention of the public. Focus on what the public actually cares about. Stay tuned for complete details. In the language of newscasters: Are your ads gaining the attention of the public but failing to get results? Find out why and learn exactly what you can do about it. (Insiders have too much knowledge. either.) Ignore everything that doesn't matter. 5.mo gMe rnin 2008 o dayM y 4. 3. (Insert commercial break here. See it through the eyes of the public. In the language of clarity: Can your product be differentiated? Can you point out that difference quickly? Can you explain why the difference matters? This is effective marketing. Close the loopholes by anticipating the customer's unspoken questions. Williams 270 . To differentiate your product powerfully and clearly: 1. but an absence of salience remains. Writers are successfully surprising Broca. 4. Roy H.) In the language of the street: Ads have gotten more creative. 2. Say it in the fewest possible words.
Another example is the use of cotton thread to sew cotton material. For instance.g. or material with identical properties. and as such can be treated and cared for in the same manner. if you've ever worked with polystyrene chips.Homogeneity Homogeneity refers to: 1. Making objects interact with a given object of the same material. e. You don't have to pour the bag's contents into the mixer. The light outdoors is homogeneous with the light indoors. instead. creating a more natural environment. that they're often used to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). you can just throw the whole bag in intact. These bulbs create a close replication of sunlight in an indoor room. a. Natural light bulbs operate on a similar principle. 271 . The cotton fibers in the thread and the material are identical. The light bulbs are so effective and so similar to natural sunlight. and help individuals with sight problems. you might have noticed that the bag is usually made from the same material as the chips. Make a diamond-cutting tool out of diamonds 43 Cut from the Same Mold Containers and packaging are often made from the same material as the contents to reduce chemical reactions and product waste.
Artificial bone material is made with the same properties to strengthen dental implants 2. and premise remain homogenous. the sequel is simply an extension of the original film. rather it gets eaten with the contents and is part of the process. the holder doesn't exist alone. The sequel is created from the same material as the original. setting.In a way. and you eat both parts. and use identical material or material with identical properties? 272 . Make clothes. The cone. handbags. TRIZ Bitz 1. The ice cream cone holds the ice cream. is a homogeneous mixture. shoes. Alternatively. ice cream cones are another example of this lens. Plastic bottles can be made from corn so they are biodegradable 3. think of a movie sequel. or holder. The characters. in many cases. and accessories out of the same material to reduce costs Can you make your product or service more homogenous.
Breath strips work in a similar manner. Medical practitioners utilize this principle daily. to alleviate bad breath. 44 273 . Discarding and Recovering aims to make things go away after their use has been fulfilled. a. and screws that dissolve in surgery. and then disappears after a few days. or repairs itself so that the part does not need to be replaced. restore consumable parts of an object directly in operation. Use a dissolving capsule for medicine 2. The breath strips serve a temporary purpose. There's also no need for follow-up appointments to remove the stitches or screws because the apparatus discards itself. The body art serves a temporary purpose. Temporary tattoos are another example.g. e. a. Making portions of an object that have fulfilled their functions go away (discard by dissolving or evaporating) or modify these directly during operation.Discarding and Recovering Discarding and Recovering is usually applied as follows: 1. e. and then dissolve in your mouth. because there are no foreign objects left in the patient's body. especially when the stitches are used internally. Consider dissolvable stitches. Absorbable sutures are made of materials that break down in body tissue after a known period of time. Conversely. The disappearing aspect of the stitches is an advantage. Self-sharpening lawn mower blades In other words.g. also known as absorbable sutures.
When the dry ice particles fall on the ground. Crock-Pot liners that you throw away after one use 2. but with one distinct advantage. bead. which are made from carbon dioxide. As a result.Dry ice blasting is a popular process for preparing or cleaning a surface. Creams that make stretch marks go away after pregnancy 3. Drano disappears after it has removed the clog Can you make an unnecessary aspect of your product or services disappear after its use has been fulfilled? 274 . Dry ice blasting is similar to sand. TRIZ Bitz 1. because all of the blast material has disappeared. or soda blasting. This process utilizes dry ice particles. there's no residue or mess to clean up. plastic. they disappear because dry ice sublimes at room temperature.
gooey. begins with a soft material.Parameter Changes The principle of Parameter Change is usually applied in one of four ways: 1. Change the concentration or consistency.g. Change the temperature. the medical community provides a great example of the application of this lens. a.g. rather than handling the messy. Vulcanize rubber to change its flexibility and durability 4. a. or solid. Change the degree of flexibility a. liquid. Change an object's physical state to a gas. a. Liquid soap is more concentrated than bar soap. and is more sanitary when shared by more than one person 3. which makes it easier to dispense in the correct amount.g. Medical plaster. Not in Your Hands Once again. Freeze the liquid centers of candies and then dip the centers in melted chocolate. The soft material can be wrapped around the affected 275 . e. used to make casts. e. e.g. e. Lower the temperature of medical specimens to preserve them for later analysis 45 Melts in your Mouth. hot liquid 2.
textures. and chemical properties of the food. you raise the temperature of food in the cooking process. concentration. M&Ms also utilize this principle. aroma.area. With gas prices at all-time highs and continuing to rise. consistency. or flexibility of your product? 276 . Powdered milk allows longer storage and more efficient transportation How can you change the parameters of your product or service to improve the physical state." The parameter change was to put a candied coating around the chocolate so the candies don't melt until you put them in your mouth. Floating candles in colored oil 2. M&M's "melt in your mouth. Parameter change also refers to flexibility. Cooking at a higher temperature changes the taste. TRIZ Bitz 1. many people are finding ways to work from home. Concentrated energy drinks 3. and when it cures. Temperature change is also a variation in parameter. not in your hands. For example. the plaster turns hard. Working from home is an example of a parameter change in your job.
such as volume changes and the loss or absorption of heat. 46 Hannibal and Hot Air Balloons Hannibal is reputed to have used this principle when marching on Rome. The heat can then be extracted and used to heat a home. The nitrogen changes the phase of the beer. These machines use the phase transition of gas to a liquid. One of the biggest selling points of Guinness beer is the creaminess of the drink. Hannibal supposedly poured water in the cracks of the rocks at night. unlike most other liquids. The phase transition of the beer gives it unique properties not found in other ales. and the expansion to a solid state split the rocks into small pieces that could be easily pushed aside. making it a more gaseous and creamy solution. water expands when frozen. Have you ever felt the warm air on your feet while standing in front of the refrigerator? The heat is the by-product of the phase transition. the heat is taken from inside the fridge and released into the environment.Phase Transitions A Phase Transition uses phenomena occurring during phase transitions. The cold night air froze the water. superheated vapor travels through the condenser. The creamy texture is achieved by injecting nitrogen into the beer. There were large rocks blocking his passage through the Alps. For example. Think about the way refrigerators and condensers work. Did you know that hot air balloons run on propane? Most 277 . As highpressure. the vapor loses heat and undergoes a phase transition to become a cooled liquid. In a refrigerator.
Web designers transition to volunteers to create "Katrinalist.000 cubic feet and requires a lot of pounds per second of fuel. TRIZ Bitz 1. hot air balloons use propane tanks that differ from your traditional barbecue grill tanks. Hot air balloons require that the propane undergo this phase transition. So. The propane changes from a liquid to a vapor at the flame point." a web platform to reunite lost families 2. However. Software companies that transition into a new phase of open source code 3. These tanks allow liquid propane to come out of the tanks. A standard propane tank doesn't work because you have to burn a lot of propane quickly to be able to generate enough energy to heat the entire balloon. and run coils around the flame in such a way that liquid is moved in a much stronger and larger mass up to the burner. The only way to get enough pounds per second of energy to the burner is to have a phase transition and turn the propane from a liquid to a gas immediately before it is burned. Use of Vitamin E to reduce hot flashes during menopause Would a phase transition make your product or service more efficient or profitable? 278 . the average hot air balloon is approximately 90.people think of propane as the gas or vapor stored in their barbecue grill tank. and you can't run vapor from the tank to the burner because you can't move enough pounds per second. up to the burner. You can't burn vapor and have enough energy per second.
By 1969. Efficiency is the new Service. Your customer is equipped with a bullshit detector 279 . please. dayM Mon January for 2008: Year of Transition In January of 2004 I launched a public presentation: Society's 40-year Pendulum." 2008 will be the sixth and final year of that transition. Most have adopted an entirely new outlook and are becoming part of what's happening now. 2008 will be the last year of our transition to a Civic perspective. "Quality and price and quick. the new views introduced by that generation's youth will be adopted by the adults within 6 years of the tipping point. regardless of their age. 2. Audiences from Stockholm to Sydney to Vancouver to Myrtle Beach will recall my statement. reluctant holdout will finally admit that Woodstock is over. This attraction will increase over the next few years." Service and selection still matter. In their 1993 book. And at the bottom of each arc. "2003 was the first year in a 6-year transition from the Idealist perspective to the Civic. The last." 1968 was the final year of that transition. Kennedy is dead. Listen to the street. Today's customer is magnetically drawn to efficiency. but this time we're headed in the opposite direction. Generations. I've got things to do. Look around and you'll see that Baby Boomers aren't Boomers anymore.mo gMe rnin 2008 o 21. Thanks. Inefficient organizations built on high-touch "relationship" selling will decline. 1963 introduced the Idealist outlook we associate with "Baby Boomers. Labels like Baby Boomer and Gen-X and Soccer Mom assume a person's outlook is determined by when they were born. but not nearly so much as they once did. By the end of 2008 there won't be a Baby Boomer left in America. Strauss and Howe asserted that western society swings from an Idealist outlook to a Civic perspective and back again with the precision of pendulum. Here's what to remember when selling in 2008: 1. "Being cool" has become "Keepin' it real. Your customer is saying. This is a very foolish assumption. 2003 was 1963 all over again." Naiveté is rare today. Authenticity is essential. and the Idealism of the 60s was a wistful dream. was seeing through rose-colored lenses. everyone in America.
they won't believe the upside. Sort of. the more accurate their bullshit detector.) 280 . He was The Man. the political satirist. "I'm number one. crowding around. "You ain't all that." gets the response. thinking I was advocating organized labor. A Horizontal Connectedness is replacing yesterday's vertical. When selling. So he stands in it. or Ellen DeGeneres famous. The driver honks and yells. (I wasn't. but the drive-through is still open. You ain't all that. at the hotel. It seems Russell gave this performance where he packed the hall. but the only place to eat is a McDonald's across the road. asking for autographs. Labels like "white collar" and "blue collar" sound almost racist today. Then it's over.that is highly sensitive and amazingly accurate. OK. not Will Smith famous." Listen to the streets. Mark!" For the record. a relic of the past. You are nobody again. 3. I consider Leonard Pitts to be one of the greatest living writers in the world today. You walk through the airport the next day and no one gives a second glance. The front door is locked. Later. social hierarchy. Dave Barry told me this story about Mark Russell. "Winning" has become less important than "belonging. I'm the kind of famous where you fly into some town to give a speech before that shrinking subset of Americans who still read newspapers and. audiences often laughed or folded their arms and curled a lip. The new American dream isn't about pulling ahead and leaving the others behind. It's about becoming a productive member of the team. "Great show. remember: If you don't admit the downside. got a standing O. they treat you like a rock star. And the younger the customer. for that hour." Labor unions were deader than a bag of hammers in 2004. A car pulls in behind him. Read his column and see if you don't agree. so when I predicted that collective bargaining would reawaken and gain momentum during the coming Civic outlook. All right. applauding. I'm famous myself. dog. not even Marilu Henner famous. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Leonard Pitts gave us an example of "keepin' it real" when he opened his syndicated column recently with the following lines: I've got nothing against fame. The Man gets hungry.
Video games and cable TV stripped our kids of their innocence at an early age. WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS: It's no longer enough just to have great advertising.) sharing their happy discoveries with each other and (2. Don't tell me what you believe. Roy H. if I ever win a Pulitzer. Show me." IN YOUR ADS." 7. do you include "proofs of claim" your reader. But if what I said earlier about "the last. Word-of-Mouth is the new Mass Media. Viral marketing wasn't created by the advertising community. but the Technology that robbed them of idyllic childhood also empowered them with cell phones. blogs and blackberries. Your customer is saying. It's time to take the advice of Bill Bernbach. Hide and watch. See if I'm not right. these trends will be accelerated by the facts that: (1.) trying to protect one another from mistakes. When your customers carry cell phones and can e-mail all their friends with a single click. Boasting is a waste of time.Have you heard about the Hollywood writer's strike? Expect to see Wal-Mart unionized in the upcoming years.) Access to information is going up and (2. Let's tell the truth. Keep in mind that during the next 12 months. reluctant holdout" is true. you need to be exceptionally good at what you do. Actions speak louder than words. I expect my attitude will change approximately one second before midnight on December 31. Have a great week. I'll immediately start wearing French shirts with 3-inch cuff links that spell out PULITZER PRIZE WINNER in diamonds. 5. Williams 281 . It's simply the result of a horizontally-connected generation (1. Everyone is broken a little. listener or viewer can experience for themselves? 6. as we complete the transition from the Idealist outlook to the Civic perspective. By the way. "I've got a great gimmick. And the most broken are those who pretend they are not. "Talk is cheap. 4.) Access to money is going down. 2008.
The use of thermal expansion. and you can actually make the engine fail. e. the engine is cooling very quickly outside while the piston inside is still hot. If you can't undo a lid.g. If thermal expansion is being used. heating the outer part to expand. is you can shock cool them. also known as combustion engines. a. One of the biggest problems with Cessna aircrafttype engines. and returning to equilibrium. The metals are links so that it bends one way when warmer than normal and the opposite way when cooler. you can always heat up the jar to loosen the lid. 47 282 . Pilots have to be very careful upon descent in a piston airplane to avoid engine failure. many people use torches to loosen up tight bolts. If you cut the power and descend too quickly.g. e. 2. or contraction. An easy way to explain thermal expansion is to consider the problem of a tight jar lid. Fit a tight joint together by cooling the inner part to contract. of materials. You end up shrinking the engine around the piston.Thermal Expansion Thermal expansion is usually defined as: 1. My airplane engine is another great example of Thermal Expansion. Similarly. The basic leaf-spring thermostat uses two metals with different coefficients of expansion. use multiple materials with different coefficients of thermal expansion. a. putting the joint together.
The engine in my plane actually uses a combination of watercooled and air-cooled heads. Combine two dissimilar personalities on the project team to balance heated discussions How could you look through the lens of Thermal Expansion to improve your product or service? 283 . TRIZ Bitz 1. will encourage creativity and productivity in the less outstanding employee. you can't shock cool the engine. Use hotter water if material still won't come clean 3. Pairing someone who is "hot" in their career. Because water takes so much longer to undergo a drastic temperature change. A less literal application of Thermal Expansion is mixing up team members in group projects. Relax in a hot tub to cool your temper 2. with someone who's not.
g. e. Scuba diving with Nitrox or other non-air mixtures for extended endurance 2. A student in my class once asked if I was a gamer or if I knew anything about game-theory training and the ways gamers design games. Cut at a higher temperature using an oxyacetylene torch 3. a. his theory was fascinating because there's a great deal of similarity between game design and Strong Oxidants.g. e. 48 Spark Your Creativity Instead. Use ionized oxygen.g. e. This lens can be applied especially liberally. a. Replace enriched air with pure oxygen.Strong Oxidants The principle of Strong Oxidants is usually applied as follows: 1. consider oxygen as an initiative or spark that changes the environment. Speed up chemical reactions by ionizing the gas before use Strong Oxidants essentially relates to increasing or decreasing the concentration of oxygen in an environment. a. a.g. Although I know almost nothing about the topic. Ionize air to trap pollutants in an air cleaner 4. e. The 284 . Replace common air with oxygen-enriched air. and does not necessarily have to relate to the element of oxygen. Replace ozonized or ionized oxygen with ozone.
and conferences can also be a strong oxidant. Volunteer to be a big brother or big sister 2. however. Oxygen in a can as a unique gift or party favor How can you spark creativity and innovation in your business? 285 . The jester from ancient times is also an example of a Strong Oxidant. that plan has actually been used to great success several times throughout history. In fact. the game can't be too challenging or players will give up and stop playing. seminars. only for the jester to laugh and say. the jester was the only person who was allowed to argue with the generals in front of the king. They also have to make the game challenging enough to keep the player's attention. Strong oxidant for your physical and mental health: get a dog 3.programmer has to make the game interesting to keep players interested in playing to the next level. "Let's just not show up for a few months and let the soldiers starve to death. The generals could come up with a big master plan of how to attack the enemy. Guest speakers. There has to be an oxidizing "spark" that keeps players intrigued or else the game will fail." (By the way. Sending employees off to a convention can spark creativity and drastically change the work environment. The jester's primary role was that of a comedian. TRIZ Bitz 1. but the jester was also a war consultant to the king.) The jester was an oxidant because he was allowed to come in and mix things up and tell people that their plan was crazy.
Pennie and I were sitting in the sun room looking at our computers when she asked. The realization blew my mind. I'm the bounty hunter who looks for words without impact and makes them disappear." Pennie smiled her knowing smile and began to type for both of us. she asked. "Princess. My job is to keep my clients from 286 . Friends who know us casually think of me as quiet and mousy. "when a person says something like. 'How have you been?' every response that pops into my head strikes me as being utterly irrelevant or makes me look completely self absorbed. you are the smartest person in the world. But social situations require low-impact statements. the kind I guard against every day." Pennie smiled. "the guy with the giant ego. then looked curiously concerned. Closing her computer." That was the Eureka moment. I looked at what she had written and was flabbergasted. was glad she had sent it. "Did you get the e-mail from Janet?" "Yes. Our friend Janet had sent us an e-mail "just to stay in touch." I enjoyed reading it. "It's from all the years of ad writing!" People who've seen me speak from a platform know I'm the king of forceful statements. I have no idea how to respond." I looked at Pennie's face and saw she expected an answer. but when it came to typing a response I was paralyzed. "the guy who never says anything." or ferociously unfriendly. "How's this?" Pennie asked. "Well.emo 7 ngM orni 10." I began slowly. 200 ayM ond tember M Sep for The Monster Under My Bed I learned last week why I'm no good at making small talk. 'How about this day we're having!' or asks one of those filler questions like." "Should I answer it or will you?" "You. "Why is it so hard for you to make small talk?" She knows that chitchatting with people is hell for me. please. With giant eyes I whispered. I think I may have actually gasped a little. persuasive arguments and ribald ripostes.
and I'll tell you how I got these scars. children. The only thing I can tell you for sure is that he is socially very awkward. I think of it almost like a war wound. Williams 287 . I have no idea who he is.making irrelevant statements in their advertising and make sure they never seem self-absorbed. Roy H. I'm less embarrassed by my awkwardness now." How's that for putting a spin on it? Somewhere in this world is the most extraordinary ad writer on earth. "Gather 'round.
spark. the cranes and structure had not been checked out yet.g. a. e. but it couldn't burn.Inert Atmosphere The principle of Inert Atmosphere is typically applied as follows: 1. e.g. We were once moving 300. Increase the volume of powdered detergent by adding inert ingredients. We didn't want to be testing the reliability of the new building with 300. A fire extinguisher is another example of Inert Atmosphere.000-pound pieces of dynamite. When the segments come from Utah. Prevent degradation of a hot metal filament by using an argon atmosphere 2. or inert additives to an object.000-pound rocket segments around a brand new building at the Kennedy Space Center. and chemically reacts with them to make them inert. Add neutral parts. an inert substance. Of course. and oxygen. a. A Halon fire suppression system works because it takes the three components of fire: fuel. we were able to perform many safety operation checks on the facility. Because the substance was inert. The potassium chloride still made the fuel look and feel like a real propellant. This makes the detergent easier to measure with conventional tools. Replace a normal environment with an inert one. 49 288 . being a new building. there are dozens of accessories that have to be added to them before they are ready to fly. so we replaced the Ammonium Perchlorate in the fuel recipe with potassium chloride.
Can you make a hostile environment more "inert" by eliminating the troublemaker? You can do so by approaching them ahead of time and making the situation more inert for the rest of the team so you can actually get something done. Add inert glass micro balloons to resin to turn it into a paste 3. TRIZ Bitz 1. Handle them separately. How can you apply the inert concept to you business? 289 . office space. Speed dating where the stress of introduction has been eliminated 2. Quarantine smokers in an airport What is the cheapest and easiest way to improve a boring or inert room. or building? Paint the walls.
Follow these 6 Simple Steps and you can expect: 1. Death of Industry. 3. 5. Have you noticed that every mall has exactly the same stores as every other mall and that every city has all the same restaurants? 3. Mon ebruar F for Will You Embarrass Yourself? Are you anxious to look foolish in front of others? Will you happily submit yourself to ridicule? Are you willing to do a thing badly until you've learned to do it well? Probably not. stronger kids have natural advantages that cannot be overcome. America was founded by pioneers. unless you're the one in five hundred who has what it takes to succeed." – Robert F. it's that physical dominance is the key to reward. 4. 38 percent of America's children are dropping out of high school and that number is rising. The cars of once-mighty GM and Ford no longer excite us. Drop-Outs." This will allow the dull and unimpressive to easily grade the children's tests.mo gMe rnin 2007 o dayM y 19. Teach that inside the box is good. Minimize school concerts and science fairs and art shows. Cloned Repetition. Have them in the school cafeteria. Create a system of teaching that judges everything as "correct" or "incorrect. How might we dull a glistening nation? 1. Kennedy The lone pioneer plunges ahead and discovers a world while four hundred and ninety-nine settlers whine for maps and roads. 4. If school taught us anything. "Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly. We want cars designed by the children of foreigners. 2. 6. Celebrate sports. 290 . Reward conformity. Street Gangs. Discourage exploration. Make sure the children understand that taller. Treat them as though they're for losers. 2. Build stadiums and hire announcers to shout the names of students who display physical dominance. Currently. Pay the dullest and least impressive to educate the children.
This certainly wasn't my intention. Williams 291 . Princess Pennie said that bright. not the rule. I hope he was wrong. Roy H. America's school system needs a major overhaul.An outsider. motivated school teachers would feel marginalized and attacked. But such teachers are the exception. These teachers know they could earn twice the money in the private sector but they're selling their lives just as surely as any other missionary." Unleash the hounds. Efficient mediocrity. My goal today is to remind you that. "If we don't change direction soon. and 2. and they deserve our respect and admiration. Going in circles But do we really want to become a nation of Wal-Mart shoppers and NASCAR fans? Jeffrey Eisenberg told me that last line would horribly offend you. observing how we educate our children. flawed system. would be forced to conclude that we value: 1. we're likely to arrive where we are headed. I know that every school has two or three dazzling teachers who are committed to doing all they can within the current.
For instance. straight upward toward space! 50 292 . is defined as changing from uniform to composite materials. hold the string tight. composite epoxy resin/carbon fiber golf club shafts are lighter. take a ball and string. the string will get tight and the ball remains at a fixed distance from your hand due to centrifugal force.000 miles per hour would do the same thing. Composite Materials. The earth is spinning around at a thousand miles an hour. and more flexible than metal shafts. The analogy is this. but has never been practical until now. If you had a really long string (50. stronger.000 miles) and a ball at the end of it and tied it to the ground. If you tie the string to the ball and swing the ball around. the same centrifugal force of the earth spinning around at a speed of 1.Composite Materials The final lens. • Reinforced concrete • Honeycomb structures • Airplanes and composites • A cardboard box • Wood – the world's best overall composite Have you heard of the Space Elevator project for placing satellites in orbit without the need for rockets? The space elevator "concept" has been around for a long time.
the scientists have named the discovery Bucky Balls. Stack multiple solar panels of different absorbance frequencies to create a more efficient composite design 3.Then satellites could crawl up the string and let go of themselves in orbit. Bucky Balls were discovered in 1985 by Robert Curl. Bucky Balls are the lightest and strongest material man has ever known. Because this "new" form of carbon astonishingly resembles Buck's geodesic dome. TRIZ Bitz 1. Throughout the history of modern science. This form is not new. and are named after Richard Buckminster Fuller. Now there is a third. Just Google Space Elevator. Use Photoshop to combine several images into a composite 2. We have come full circle back to Buckminster Fuller. it has always existed in nature but science has just missed it until now. the Space Elevator concept can become a reality. along with a billion other new products. The problem is there's never been a "string" material that is light enough and strong enough to not fall back to earth due to gravity – until now. The material is so strong and so light. GasBuddy is a Google composite mash up of Google maps and the lowest pump prices 293 . Harold Kroto. you'll be amazed. carbon has only come in 2 forms: graphite and diamond. and Richard Smalley at the University of Sussex and Rice University.
in fact. leaving them blissfully unaware of the uniqueness of their thoughts. and Ideal Final Result." Lenny. as well as The Tactics. Many of these great men were not recognized for their incredible accomplishments or the significance of their achievements during their own lifetimes. Sensible Design. Hank." Although these innovators could not have been conscious of their common link. Hank. Like many of the great thinkers of our time.Conclusion Lenny. I strive to give my readers and students this tool set so they can consciously harness the incredible power that drove Lenny. Try It. We've uncovered the "basics" of these four men's creative thought processes and examined how these principles align with the "tactics" of TRIZ. Buck. Universal Network. As these great thinkers have proved. and Walt did not describe their methods for creativity and innovation as "The Basics. are deliberate messages and deliberate tools to generate ideas quickly and spark creativity and innovation. Clear as Mud. I believe their thought processes are evidence of their mutual greatness. View Point. 294 . their creativity flew from them unconsciously. scope. the 40 Universal Answers of TRIZ. Buck. creativity and innovation can be taught. most of these men were perceived by their peers as misfits and rejects who didn't have a clear grasp on reality. Perhaps Sigmund Freud explained society's underestimation of their genius best in his description of Lenny as "a man who awoke too early in the darkness while the others were still asleep. and direction of the world we live in today. The Basics: Peel the Onion. and Walt were revolutionaries of their time who changed the shape.
295 . and Walt's creative genius and come up with some crazy. We encourage people to escape into their right brain and strive to teach these right-brain concepts in a way that everyone can comprehend." I hope that you can walk away from this book with some truly great and unique ideas that will change the way you do business – and the way that you approach life. We celebrate the wisdom of absurdity and audacity and understand the importance of thinking outside the box. wonderful. and mavericks of the world. renegades. I hope that you share your newfound knowledge and help others escape from the cage of their left brain and the restrictiveness of what "can't be done. new ideas of their own.Hank. we celebrate the weirdos. Buck. At the Wizard Academy. It is my greatest hope that you use the tools of the Basics and the Tactics to one day change your own world.
This book won't do you a bit of good if you just fall back into "the-way-we've-always-done-it mode. You have to take what you learned and apply the knowledge to your business and life. is called da Vinci and 40 Answers. Your company and story may be showcased in: • The book – da Vinci and the 40 Answers." So go out there and apply the tools and concepts I have talked about – and when you do." but then not do a single thing differently? I sure hope not. I get it. Free Marketing and PR for your Company My next book. Success Stories • My corporate workshops • My keynote presentations Submitting your success story is a great way to get some additional exposure for your company in the most positive light imaginable. Success Stories. currently in the works. applied some of the lessons in this book. I am collecting stories from readers who took the initiative. "Yeah. I want to hear about your experience. You'll be recognized as a 296 . Send me your story and you'll get some really great marketing and PR for your company for free. and made a difference.Afterward Remember James Michener's advice to his students to take ceramics and eurhythmic dancing? How many got off their butts and actually did it? Are you going to put this book away and say. You will be showcased as a leading-edge thinker and doer in your industry.
if you want to just contact me to say hello. visit the da Vinci and the 40 answers Web site at: www.davinciandthe40answers. So go ahead and just send me a short description of your story. Or.com Let's roll! 297 .leader in creativity and innovation.
exciting.500 basic problems. scientist. and writer. Ideal Final Result – Describes the solution to a problem. unknown individual might be able to do effectively on behalf of all humanity. independent of the mechanism or constraints of the original problem. Buckminster Fuller – (July 12. the ultimate idealistic solution of a problem when the desired result is achieved by itself." Duality – the concept of equal but opposite. 1983) best known for the creation of the geodesic dome. Brainstorming Rules – a list of 10 rules that should be utilized in brainstorming sessions to achieve the optimal result. without jargon. 1998) a Russian engineer. Fuller was a philosopher who once embarked on "an experiment to discover what the little. journalist. a model-based technology for generating innovative ideas and solutions. a dual state or quality. or otherwise unexpected things to be stored in your brain.Glossary 40 Universal Answers – also known as the 40 Principles of TRIZ. penniless. 1895 to July 1. 1926 to September 24. Broca's Area – the part of the brain that serves as the gatekeeper for keeping boring experiences out of your memory. composed or consisting of twofold or double character or nature Genrikh Altshuller – (October 15. the answers to the 1. Broca's area only allows unusual. 298 . famed for his creation of TRIZ.
based on the 40 Universal Answers or Principles of TRIZ. and painter. Leonardo da Vinci – (April 15. 1519) a polymath: architect. The Tactics – real-life solutions to universal problems. Clear as Mud. Right Brain – the hemisphere of the brain that uses pattern recognition and horizontal thought. The right brain is tied to intuition. inventor. View Point.Left Brain – the hemisphere of the brain that uses analytical thought. futurist. sculptor. deductive. geometer. anatomist. engineer. The basics are: Peel the Onion. but all other problems that are connected to the issue. The left brain is the predominant mode of thought for most individuals. attempts to prove a theory by demonstrating that the theory cannot be disproved. and sequential logic. and Ideal Final Result. Scientific Method – a problem-solving process. uses vertical. a government grant program designed to encourage collaboration between the public and private sectors and stimulate technological innovation opportunities for small business owners. Sensible Design. 299 . Leonardo conceived visions of technology and innovation that were vastly ahead of his time. SBIR – Small Business Innovation Research. 1452 to May 2. The Basics – the principles of thought used as the foundation for establishing a creative mindset. rational. Universal Network. Try It. uses systemic logic to solve not only one specific problem.
a model-based technology for generating innovative ideas and solutions. Roy's Memo can also be found at www.TRIZ – (pronounced trees) created by Genrikh Altshuller. however. 1901 to December 15. 300 . Originally designed to solve engineering and design issues.mondaymorningmemo. Words of the Wizard – insights from Wizard Academy founder and one of the top business thinkers of today. Walt Disney – (December 5. TRIZ is the Russian acronym for The Theory of Inventing Problem Solving. the principles of TRIZ are now being successfully applied to both social issues and business dilemmas. com. famed for his creativity and ability to communicate the "big picture. founded in 2000. Williams. Roy H." Wizard Academy – a 21st Century Business School. 1966) one of the most influential and innovative figures in the 20th century entertainment industry.
30. 267 301 . 98 Buck 24.Index Symbols 2nd Space Operations Squadron 39 40 Universal Answers 9 A Acura TSX 69 adoption 85. 88 AIDS 99. 134 Charlie \ìTremendous\î Jones 47 Cheap Disposables 249 Chip and Dan Heath 97 Chuck Yeager 41 Clear as Mud 74. 112 Another Dimension 212 Ansari X Prize 114. 133 Buckminster Fuller 9. 101. 76 Becker 42. 164. 116 Asymmetry 163. 67. 28 Burt Rutan 114 C California Milk Processor Board 153 Challenger 39. 44. 230 Brocaís area 78. 100 Air Force 39. 165 B beagle 19. 86. 25. 86 Beforehand Compensation 193. 242 Breakfast with the Birds 229. 28. 119 Alan Lightman 47 Albert Einstein 29. 195 Blessing in Disguise 228 Blue Ice Vodka 70 Boeing 241. 194. 133 CN Tower 213 Color/Clarity Changes 265.
224 conventional wisdom 34. 75. 129. 27. 46. 30 geodesic dome 29 Global Positioning System 38 Goodby. 29. 169. 186 Copying 246 corpus callosum 14 creativity 8. 156. 283. 109. 116. 201. 42. 31. 25. 294 Curvature 203. 77.Columbia 101. Dane 113. 35. 25. 103. 11. 62. Betty Edwards 103 Dr. 244 Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain 103 Dr. 46. 30. 131. 165. 39. 81. 41. 114 Dr. 237 Flexible Shells and Thin Films 257 frameline magnetism 152 G Genrikh Altshuller 9. 134 commanderís intent 98 Composite Materials 292 Continuity of Useful Action 223. 76. 9. Silverstein & Partners 153 302 . 26. 94. 113. Edward Jenner 50 Dynamics 206 E Einstein 38. 88. 110. 112 Elizabeth Smart 89 EPCOT 30 Equipotentiality 196 erectile dysfunction 49 F Feedback 234. 34. 204 D Dave Campbell 94 David McInnis 119 Dean Rotbart 156 deductive reasoning 12 Department of Defense 90 Discarding and Recovering 273 Disney World 212 DNA 90. 10. 47. 285.
Kennedy 99 John Forbes Nash 111 K Ken Jennings 55 Kennedy Space Center 288 Kerry Mullis 201 Kurt Vonnegut 20 L left brain 13. 268 Leonardo da Vinci 9. 146. 191. 297 Intermediary 240 J Jared campaign 100 John F. 18. 157. 11. 143. 46. 81 marketing 8. 133 Homogeneity 271 Humphrey Davy 111 hypothesis 12. 27. 19. 169. 119 IMAX 212 Inert Atmosphere 288 innovation 8. 235. 174. 25. 204. 119. 110. 63. 165. 95. 171. 253. 77. 236. 113. 30. 181.Got Milk? campaign 153 Guinness 277 H Hank 24. 54. 133. 103 I Ideal Final Result 117. 153. 160 M Mac 63 Made to Stick 97. 99 magnetic poles 74. 76 Lenny 24. 62. 30 Local Quality 156. 26. 25. 116. 165. 151. 34. 285. 10. 210. 158. 55. 165. 9. 65. 133 lenses 10. 111. 237. 96. 25. 30. 296 303 . 69. 159. 118. 145 IFR 117. 20. 197. 26. 31. 164. 26. 94. 134. 14. 294. 30. 47.
28 Pat Riley 193 Peel the Onion 32. 187 304 . 134 NBA 99 Neil Armstrong 41 Nested Doll 175. 176 Netflix 176 Niels Bohr 13 Nobel Prize 13. 116. 133 Periodic Action 221 Phase Transition 277 Phil Baker 180 Phone-Card-Phone 109 Pneumatics and Hydraulics 255. 111.Mechanical Interaction Substitution 251 Mechanical Vibration 217. 256 Polymerase Chain Reaction 201 Porous Materials 262. 263 Post-it Notes 267 Preliminary Action 190 Preliminary Counteraction 186. 113. 201 Nutty Guys 175 O O-rings 39. 219 Menlo Park 111 Merging 167. 101. 170 Microsoft Windows 175 Mike Sherwood 120 Mileva Maric 112 Mitch Culbreath 265 Mona Lisa 26 Multifunctionality 173 multisensoric packaging 61 mutually exclusive 13 N NASA 66. 102. 169. 163 P Parameter Change 275 Parker Hannifin 241 Partial or Excessive Action 208 patents 10. 27. 112.
15. 151.R Radio-Frequency Identification 227 Rainforest Safari 230 Randice-Lisa Altshul 109 Reebok Pump 110. 35 Solar Sailor 114 Solid Rocket Boosters 32. 226 Skype 176 Sly as a Fox 146 Small Business Innovation Research 134 smallpox 50. 14. 249 SpaceShipOne 115 Steve Jobs 63 Strong Oxidants 284 swamp coolers 263 Sydney Bay Bridge 170 Sydney Harbor 113 T Taking Out 150. 76.org 46 Segmentation 144 Self-Service 243. 68. 10 R&R Partners 153 S Sally Ride 41 SBIR 134 scientific method 12 score. 244. 104 Robert Frank 152 Robert Fulton 111 Robin Culbreath 266 Rolls Royce 69 Roy H. 51 solar radiometer 34. 13. 256 RFID tag 227 Richard Feynman 41 right brain 9. 133 Sidenafil 49 Sigmund Freud 25. 245 Sensible Design 60. 153 Temple Grandin 145 305 . 20. Williams 8. 71. 65. 22. 74 Skipping 225. 19.
268 Vince Poscente 225 Vitruvian Man 26 Voyager 114 W Walt 9. 201 Words of the Wizard 10 306 . 160. 274. 182. 213. 268. 119. 22. 258. 179. 256 Universal Studios 94. 222. 201 Thermal Expansion 282. 156. 244. 27 The Other Way Round 200. 227. 143. 10. 96 V Viagra 49 View Point 85. 211. 141. 176. 205. 242. 192. 27. 30. 142. 231. 269. 25. 134. 172. 250. 283. 133 Walt Disney 9. 169. 285. 132. 256. 38. 197.The Age of Speed 225 The Last Supper 26 The One Page Proposal 193 Theory of Inventive Problem Solving 10. 153. 29 Weight Compensation 179 Wendy Silver 110 Wizard Academy 8. 226. 283 Thomas Edison 111 Thought Particles 265 time travel 37. 226. 264. 195. 289. 248. 30. 39 Toss and Chop 110 TRIZ 10. 130. 95. 165. 24. 187. 147. 276. 207. 133. 25. 278. 272. 254. 133 Tylenol 101. 259. 25. 165. 174. 220. 202. 293 Try It 54. 133. 150. 224. 29. 269 U Universal Network 109. 237. 253 TRIZ Bitz 143.
. journalists and CEOs. educators.. everything I learned after that would have made a lot more sense and been a lot more useful. and thought provoking. inventors. ad writers.." —Dr. Founded in 1999." —Jan Nations and Sterling Tarrant senior managers. Neurologist and Theoretical Physicist ". "Alice in Wonderland on steroids! I wish Roy Williams had been my very first college professor.Valuable. If he had been. the Academy has exploded into a worldwide phenomenon with an impressive fraternity of alumni who are rapidly forming an important worldwide network of business relationships. Astounding stuff. Focus on the Family 307 .What is Wizard Academy? Composed of a fascinating series of workshops led by some of the most accomplished instructors in America. We're recommending it to everyone we see. insightful. Wizard Academy is a progressive new kind of business and communications school whose stated objective is to improve the creative thinking and communication skills of sales professionals. helpful.. business owners. ministers. internet professionals. authors. Larry McCleary.
Procter & Gamble "A life-altering 72 hours.. Kevin Ryan Pres." —Dr.. The Executive Writer "Even with all I knew." —Mark Huffman.WizardAcademy..com or call the academy at (800) 425-4769 308 .[that] will change your approach to managing and marketing your business forever." —Jim Rubart To learn more about Wizard Academy. I was not fully prepared for the experience I had at the Academy… Who else but a wizard can make sense of so many divergent ideas? I highly recommend it. For anyone who must think critically or write creatively on the job."Be prepared to take a wild. the Wizard Academy is a must. three-ring-circus journey into the creative recesses of the brain. visit www. Advertising Production Manager.