How to come up with a new idea. How to come up with a truly bright and profitable business idea
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Let's immediately check how creative you think.
Without thinking and quickly name the poet, body part and fruit. Only then read on.
Most Russians will remember Pushkin or Yesenin, a nose or lips, an apple or an orange. This is due to the common cultural code. If you didn't mention any of the answers, congratulations: you're a creative person. If the answers coincide, there is no need to despair - Creative skills can be developed.
The pitfalls of creativity
To make a discovery, you need to study a lot: understand the subject and not reinvent the wheel. The paradox is that it is knowledge that prevents discoveries.
Education is based on clichés of “how to do” and a list of prohibitions “how to do”. These shackles prevent you from creating. To come up with something new is to look at a known object from an unusual angle, without prohibitions and restrictions.
One day, University of California student George Danzig was late for a lecture. There was an equation on the board. George decided it was homework. He puzzled over it for several days and was very worried that he had submitted the solution late.
A couple of days later, an excited university professor knocked on George's door. It turned out that George accidentally proved theorems that dozens of mathematicians, starting with Einstein, had struggled to solve.
The teacher wrote theorems on the board as examples of unsolvable problems. Other students were sure that there was no answer, and did not even try to find it.
Albert Einstein said: “Everyone knows that this is impossible. But then an ignoramus comes along, who doesn’t know this, and he makes a discovery.”
“Everyone knows that this is impossible. But then an ignoramus comes along, who doesn’t know this, and he makes a discovery.”
In 1951, psychologist Solomon Asch asked Harvard students to have their eyes tested. He showed the cards to a group of seven people and then asked questions about them. The correct answers were obvious.
Of the seven people, only one was a participant in the experiment. Six others worked as decoys. They deliberately chose the wrong answers.
The real participant always answered last. He was sure that the others were wrong. But when it was his turn, he obeyed the opinion of the majority and answered incorrectly.
We choose ready-made answers not because we are weak-willed or stupid. The brain spends a lot of energy to solve a problem, and all the body’s reflexes are aimed at preserving it. Canned answers save resources.
We automatically drive the car, pour coffee, lock the apartment, choose the same brands. If we thought about every action, we would get tired faster. But to get out of a non-standard situation you will have to fight with a lazy brain.
Standard answers will not move you forward. The world is constantly evolving, and we are waiting for new products.
Mark Zuckerberg would not have created Facebook if he was sure that forums were enough for people to communicate.
Making chocolate in the shape of an egg or pouring milk into a bag instead of a bottle means breaking the stereotypes in your head. It is this ability to combine incompatible things that helps to come up with new, more convenient and useful things.
Collective creativity
According to research from Northwestern University in the USA, over the past 50 years the level of discoveries made by groups of scientists has increased by 95%.
The reason is the complication of processes and an increase in the amount of information. While the inventors of the first airplane, brothers Wilbur Wright and Orville Wright, assembled the aircraft together, today Boeing's engine alone requires hundreds of workers. If previously the business consisted of one or two retail stores, today companies own outlets all over the world.
When people express ideas, they should not be criticized, ridiculed or intimidated by authorities
Brainstorming method
In his book Guided Imagination, Alex Osbourne described brainstorming method.
During World War II, Alex Osborne served as an officer on a ship transporting military supplies to Europe. The ships were defenseless against enemy torpedo attacks. On one of the voyages, Alex invited the sailors to express their craziest ideas on how to protect the ship from torpedoes.
One of the sailors joked that all sailors should stand along the side and blow on the torpedo to throw it off course. Thanks to this fantastic idea, underwater fans were installed on the sides of the ship. When a torpedo approached, they created a powerful jet that “blowed” the danger to the side.
We've probably heard about brainstorming, perhaps even used it. But they definitely forgot about the main rule of brainstorming: When people express ideas, they should not be criticized, ridiculed or intimidated by authorities. If the sailors were afraid of the officer, no one would joke - a solution would never be found. Fear prevents you from creating.
Proper brainstorming is carried out in three stages.
Preparation: identify the problem.
Creative: prohibit criticism, collect as much as possible more ideas.
Selection: analyze the results, select 2-3 ideas and apply them.
Brainstorming works when employees participate in the discussion different levels. Not one manager and subordinates, but several department heads and subordinates. Fears of looking stupid in the face of superiors and judgment from superiors prevent you from expressing fresh ideas.
You can't say that the idea is bad. You can’t reject an idea because “it’s funny”, “no one does that” and “how are you going to implement it”. Only constructive criticism is useful.
In 2003, Harlan Nemeth, a psychology professor at the University of California, conducted an experiment.
265 students were divided into three groups and asked to solve the problem of traffic jams in San Francisco.
The first group worked according to the brainstorming system - no criticism at the creative stage. The second group was allowed to argue. The third group did not receive conditions.
The group where participants debated during the discussion came up with 20% more ideas than their opponents. After finishing, each participant was asked if she would like to add a couple more ideas. Members of the first and third proposed 2-3 ideas each. The girls from the debate group each named seven ideas.
It is not colleagues who should evaluate each other’s ideas, but a third, disinterested person - then brainstorming will work
Criticism-dispute helps to see the shortcomings of an idea and find clues for implementing new ideas. Brainstorming does not work if the discussion allows for subjective assessment: you don’t like the idea, but you like the person who expressed it. And vice versa. It is not colleagues who should evaluate each other’s ideas, but a third, disinterested person. The problem is finding it.
“Three chairs” technique
The solution was invented by Walt Disney - he developed “three chairs” technique. The great animator brainstormed like this:
Eat non-standard task. Imagine three chairs. One participant mentally takes the first chair and becomes "dreamer". He comes up with the most fantastic methods for solving a problem.
The second one sits on a chair "realist" and describes how he would bring the “dreamer’s” ideas to life. The participant tries on this role regardless of how he himself feels about the idea. His task is to assess difficulties and opportunities.
The last chair is occupied "critic". He evaluates the "realist's" proposals. Decides which resources can be used in the incarnation. Weeds out ideas that do not fit the conditions and selects the optimal one.
Application of this method takes 15 minutes of working time. The main thing in any collective method– listen to a group member. Every thought is a step towards solving a problem.
Recipe for genius
Creativity is laws, not talents. This is not the ability to see the table chemical elements in a dream. These are specific techniques that help stir up consciousness.
If you feel like you can't think creatively, it means your imagination is asleep. You can wake him up. Methods, schemes and theories on creative development a lot of. It doesn’t matter which method you choose for yourself. Eat general rules, which will help in any creative search.
State it clearly. Right asked question contains most of the answer. Don’t ask yourself: “What should I do?” Imagine the result you want to get and think about how you can achieve it. Knowing what you need to get in the final, it is much easier to look for the answer.
Fight inhibitions. Don't take my word for it. The problem cannot be solved if you tried and failed. Do not use ready-made answers: they are like semi-finished products - they will solve the problem of hunger, but will do it with less health benefits.
Combine incompatible things. Invent something new every day: change the route to work, find the commonality between a raven and a desk, count the number of red coats on the way to the subway. These strange tasks train the brain to quickly go beyond the usual and find suitable solutions.
Respect your colleagues. Listen to the opinions of those working on the task near you. Even if their ideas seem absurd. They can be the impetus for your discoveries and help you move in the right direction.
Implement the idea. Unrealized ideas are worth nothing. Coming up with an interesting move is not as difficult as putting it into practice. If a move is unique, there are no tools or research for it. It is possible to implement it only at your own peril and risk. Creative solutions require courage, but bring the most desirable results.
For more information, visit the Big Plans website.
I noticed that the most common question I received in my email was “how do you come up with new interesting ideas every week?” So I decided to try to answer this question here.
This post will be about my process for finding ideas for my games, but I think it can also be applied to almost any game. creative work.
Use restrictions
Once you know you want to create something, the next step is to decide what exactly to create. However, there are so many possibilities and so many choices to make to do this that it is difficult to pin down a specific idea. Because of this, many people change their decisions over and over again and end up with nothing.One powerful tool to avoid this pitfall is the use of constraints. With restrictions, you artificially eliminate many ideas, and having fewer options means it's easier to choose an idea. So instead of focusing on your idea, try to pick constraints that you find interesting.
Here are the constraints I've used so far to make 12 games:
- Each game should be made in approximately 7 days
- Every game uses retro graphics that I create myself
- Each game will follow a theme that I will determine in advance (eg: platform game)
People might think that having these restrictions makes my job harder, but in fact it's the opposite.
Get started now
At this point you should have a vague idea of what you want to do, but nothing specific. Should you therefore start brainstorming to find a great idea? Well, there's one problem: you may never find the perfect idea.Instead of brainstorming, start implementing your bare idea right now. Do something really simple or get inspired by something similar. Anyway, since you don't know exactly what you're creating, it will probably end up with something unimportant. And that's okay, you'll worry about making your idea interesting later.
For my platform game, I quickly started coding the most basic elements of the game:
There were no original ideas. The game was pretty bad, but I had something to play with.
Iterate
Now that you have a completed bare prototype, it's time to improve it. This part may be the most difficult and time consuming to create, but it is also the most interesting.Here's how it works: have a small idea, implement it, test it, improve it, and repeat. Some ideas will turn out to be bad, some will need large quantities fine adjustments, while others will turn out great. Just keep iterating with new ideas until you have something you like.
I'll try to show you this process using one idea I had for my platform game:
- Adding coins to games adds interest, so I coded the coins
- Looked nice but was wrong because the coins weren't used anywhere
- To fix this I changed the rules of the game: to complete the level you must collect all the coins
- Much better, but now I had to redo some of the levels to accommodate this change
Just a small idea like “adding coins” ended up completely changing my entire game. If you want, you can play my platformer.
Conclusion
Summary: Use constraints, start now and iterate.With such a system, finding ideas is actually not that difficult. It still requires work and imagination, but eventually you will have ideas and, more importantly, you will have something you like.
Admit it, sometimes you are extremely jealous of those who came up with some cool idea that the whole world has learned about. We read Harry Potter and think: “Oh, why didn’t I come up with this story about a boy wizard from Hogwarts!” Or we watch a video that won at the Cannes Lions festival and think: “What a genius and simple idea. Why didn’t it occur to me?” Ideas are in the air, we all know that. But how to get out of this very air an idea that will “shoot”?
Creativity expert Michael Micalko talks about how to become truly creative in his book Rice Storm and 21 More Ways to Think Outside the Box.
The right to choose
Creative people are joyful and confident. They look at what is and what could be, rather than at what is not. Instead of eliminating possibilities, creators allow for all possibilities, both real and imagined.
Can you imagine Leonardo da Vinci being too embarrassed to claim much due to lack of education? Albert Einstein, afraid of looking stupid because the patent office clerk could not present a theory of the universe? Michelangelo refusing to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel because he had never painted a fresco before?
Or Vincent van Gogh, complaining about the inability to sell his paintings as evidence of his lack of talent? - .
We choose what makes us significant or insignificant. We decide to be creative or indifferent. No matter how indifferent to our decisions may be the world, we must make these decisions ourselves.
Ultimately, our own creativity is determined by what we choose to do or not do. And when we decide and choose, our destiny is determined.
Quota of ideas and Thomas Edison
Set a quota of so many new ideas per day related to your work, for example, five ideas per day for one week. You will see that the hardest thing is to come up with the first five, then they will come to mind on their own. The more ideas you put forward, the greater your chances of winning. Try to meet your quota, even if the ideas that come to your mind at first glance seem ridiculous or far-fetched.
Thomas Edison and his famous light bulb, -
Thomas Edison patented 1,093 inventions. He firmly believed in exercising his own mind and the minds of his employees, and believed that without an established quota of ideas he would not have achieved so much. His personal quota was one small invention every ten days and one large invention every six months.
Journal of Ideas
An idea journal is a great thing, you just need to know how it works. Usually the plan is to “just write down ideas”, but this is not very effective. The most the main task is to constantly refer to the journal and look for connections between the ideas written down and the problems of the day. Here's how it works.
Imagine you're chewing gum to calm your nerves, and then you get a great idea: why not create a rubber band to measure your stress levels? You write this thought down in a journal and return to the entry you made from time to time. A few months later you read somewhere that the pH value is very important for human health. And then it dawns on you.
What if you come up with something like this? chewing gum, which will serve as a kind of indicator and, based on the use of pH, show whether a person is healthy or not? Let's say you chew this gum for three minutes. If the gum turns red, you are healthy; if it turns green, you need to go home and go to bed.
Play with words
You can start by... changing the words. For example, the production manager at OV'Action from France was faced with the following challenge: how to develop a new, unique food product? He replaced the word “unique” with “amazing”, the word “develop” with “transform” and formulated the problem in a new way: how to transform a food product into something amazing?
He began to think about what might surprise him. He would be impressed if some familiar object took on unusual shape, for example, an airplane in the shape of a cow, pyramidal tomatoes or square potatoes.
The Japanese came up with square watermelons - .
In the end, the solution came: square eggs. And he “developed” boiled square eggs with a yolk inside, with a shelf life of 21 days, suitable for heating in microwave oven(how they compare favorably with ordinary eggs, which “explode”). Needless to say, OV'Action was confident that Americans would immediately rush to snap up this amazing new food as soon as it went on sale.
Leonardo da Vinci's method
Leonardo da Vinci's way of developing ideas was to close his eyes, completely relax, and scribble random lines and scribbles on a piece of paper. Then he opened his eyes and looked for images and nuances, objects and phenomena in the drawing. Many of his inventions were born from such sketches.
Here is an action plan on how you can use Leonardo da Vinci's method in your work:
Write the problem down on a piece of paper and think about it for a few minutes.
Relax. Give your intuition the opportunity to create images that reflect the current situation. You don't need to know what the drawing will look like before you draw it.
Give shape to your task by defining its boundaries. They can be of any size and take the shape you want.
Practice drawing unconsciously. Let the lines and scribbles dictate how you draw and arrange them.
If the result does not satisfy you, take another sheet of paper and make another drawing, and then another - as many as needed.
Explore your drawing. Write down the first word that comes to mind regarding each image, each squiggle, line, or structure.
Link all the words together by writing a short note. Now see how what you wrote relates to your task. Have new ideas emerged?
Be attentive to the questions that arise in your mind. For example: “What is this?”, “Where did this come from?” If you feel the need to find answers to specific questions, then you are on the right way leading to a solution to the problem.
And finally, remember that great ideas are often in the air and occur to several people at once. He will tell you how to catch ideas out of thin air and make money on them.
Found profitable business, which will surpass the glory of Google or Facebook - this is the dream of almost everyone young man XXI century. Even successful businessmen They strive to launch more and more new projects, but as soon as it comes to creating this most ingenious new business, their enthusiasm is crushed by cruel reality. A huge number of questions arise from “How to find an investor who will invest money in an idea?” to “How to promote a business?”
We have collected 15 working methods for you that will help.
1. SIMPLIFY THE COMPLEX
For some reason, many manufacturers believe that the more functions a product has, the wider the target audience will be. Accordingly, the more money you can earn from it. But often too much functionality scares off a potential buyer. Just imagine, you go to the store to choose an ordinary kitchen knife for cutting bread, and you are persistently offered to buy a Swiss folding knife for 42 items.
Sometimes it is enough to simplify the product and make it more specialized in order to get a sought-after item. Just think about which products you use frequently could be simplified. Which features do you want to remove and which do you want to keep? And after that, you can safely release a new product that will definitely get your client.
2. CREATE MORE IDEAS
The more ideas you have, the more likely it is that one or more of them will turn out to be truly interesting and workable. Perhaps one of them will make you a real millionaire and provide the life you have always dreamed of.
“The best method for generating a good business idea is to choose the strongest one.”
Evgeniy Deineko
Create as much as possible! But you shouldn’t jump right in and try to implement them all. Set aside dedicated time to generate ideas. For example, one month. During this time, try to sketch maximum amount ideas.
And after that, another month to critically analyze these ideas and choose among them the one that seems the most promising.
3. BE CREATIVE
Creativity allows the mind to liberate itself and create new unusual and non-standard things. Music, drawing, dancing or any other activity creative activity allows you to let go of your imagination. And you will be surprised how many wonderful ideas your mind can create after such creative sessions.
4. READ FORUMS AND SPECIALIZED ONLINE COMMUNITIES
This is the perfect place to find new ideas that people actually want. At the same time, forums can be very diverse: from specialized public forums for startups to small forums for designers or housewives. In almost any forum you can find a section where you can get ideas.
Just define your target audience for whom you want to work - artists, firefighters, students - absolutely anyone. You can do the math to choose or just pick at random - anything goes here.
Next, identify your audience's needs. On these very forums, topics are often created where forum users discuss problems and questions. You just need to go through them thoroughly - and five or two ideas will appear on their own.
5. SHARE IDEAS
“If you have an apple and a friend has an apple, you exchanged and got one apple each. If you have an idea and a friend has an idea, you exchange and you end up with two ideas each. Exchange ideas – it benefits everyone.”
Evgeniy Deineko
Of course, if you created a new one interesting idea, then there is always the fear that it will be stolen, that someone will use it to enrich themselves, and you will be left with nothing. But in reality this happens very rarely. Sharing ideas allows you to hear another person's opinion on it - which can often be very useful. People who hear about something for the first time often provide valuable comments that the originator of the idea may not have even thought of. In turn, this allows you to improve the product and make it more useful.
Share your ideas - it's simple!
6. WALK UNFAMILIAR ROUTES
If the brain gets a lot new information, he analyzes it in the usual way. And often creating something new just requires a fresh look at familiar things. Walking along a new route can get you thinking, which may spark new ideas. Plus, it's good way unload your brain from everyday activities and just relax - combine business with pleasure.
7. WRITE IDEAS IN A NOTEBOOK
The human brain forgets up to 85% of information 24 hours after receiving it. This means that 85% of the ideas created may remain in the past, without a chance of implementation.
Once you have an idea, don’t put it off – at least write it down in a special notebook. But the written down idea will not go anywhere, and you can return to it at any convenient time.
IN modern history business is a perfect example. All TOP companies of Richard Branson were required to carry with them notebook for your ideas. Later, 10 of the 11 TOPs became millionaires and multimillionaires. Writing down your ideas is helpful.
8. LOOK FOR ALL POSSIBLE WAYS TO SOLUTION THE PROBLEM
You created good idea, but there is already a solution on the market? Don't despair and switch to something else. Try creating a different solution to the problem.
It is possible that your solution will be simpler, cheaper, more understandable - there are many options why it could become more popular and widespread than the existing one.
9. EXPLORE NEW AREAS OF ACTIVITY
You shouldn’t stop at just one area of activity. Even if you successfully run a business, for example, selling children's clothing, what is stopping you from mastering a related business? And the combination of two dissimilar areas can generally create a new direction for business, in which you will become the first and only representative.
10. FOLLOW NEW PRODUCTS
Any new product is an unplowed field for new ideas. Follow news in science, business, management - in all areas of knowledge that interest you. After all, among the new products there may be a product or service that will explode the market and become super popular.
Whoever owns the information owns the world. And it is this knowledge that will allow you to be one of the first who can occupy a new niche in a new industry.
11. READ BOOKS
There's nothing to say here. Reading has always been one of the best and simple ways charge you with new thoughts and ideas. It doesn’t matter what kind of book - science fiction, business, detective or drama - while reading, the brain works at its maximum, so ideas are born simply and in abundance. It's important to write down these ideas right away because they are quickly forgotten.
12. CURIOSITY IS YOUR WEAPON
Be interested in the world around you! Often, some small information about everyday things can lead to a powerful idea. Ask questions, be curious, learn new things - and ideas will follow.
13. STRIVE FOR IDEAL
There are hundreds of objects around every person. And 95% of them can be made better, simpler, more convenient. There are very few objects that can be called perfect. But every imperfect object can be improved, brought to that same perfection.
Many people would happily purchase a familiar product that was more convenient, simpler, or aesthetically pleasing. You just need to choose one imperfect product and make it truly perfect.
14. WALK IN THE FRESH AIR
Fresh air and active pastime are essential components of active brain function. A 15-minute walk can recharge your energy for the whole day. In addition, saturating brain cells with oxygen helps you think faster and more clearly.
This is especially true for people with a sedentary lifestyle. Go outside and you will see how you feel better. And to stimulate your brain, take a notepad with you and make a couple of interesting notes.
15. LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES
A successful product solves one or more problems for the buyer. Collect your problems and see how they can be solved in the simplest and most convenient way possible. Perhaps you can find a universal method that will help not only you, but also hundreds of other people who are faced with similar difficulties?
If yes, then you are already on your way to creating a great product that will be in demand among customers.
As you can see, coming up with an idea is quite easy! But this process can be brought to the point of automation - when the most insignificant thought will create dozens of ideas on which you can really make money. Teach your brain to generate business ideas and learn a number of effective techniques for creating a new business and improving an existing one in the course « » . Register now:
invent
invent verb, nsv., used often
Morphology: I I'm making it up, You you're making it up, he she it invents, We let's invent, You you're making it up, They come up with, invent, invent, came up with, was inventing, came up with, came up with, inventing, fictitious, inventing, inventing;
St.
come up with;
noun
,
With.
inventing
1. If you you come up with something, for example, an explanation, a solution, etc., which means that, going through all sorts of options for something in your head, you are trying to find the one that you like best, completely satisfies you, helps you get out of some situation. You constantly come up with some excuses to avoid doing something. |
Great plan! I wonder who came up with it? | No, this won’t help, you need to come up with something else.
2. If you you come up with new method, mechanism, etc., which means you invent it, create it.
Every year, laboratory staff come up with several new models of small arms. |
St.Mom, who invented the telephone? | Scientists have come up with new way treatment of tumor diseases.
3. If you you come up with a story, poem, etc., which means you compose them.
I love making up fairy tales. |
St.The writer came up with an interesting plot.
4. If they tell you that you you come up with something, it means that your interlocutor believes that what you are talking about, thinking about, does not correspond to reality, exists only in your imagination.
You are always inventing some kind of tragedy. |
St.There are no wolves here. Don't make things up! | She thought that I was in love with her.
Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language by Dmitriev. D. V. Dmitriev. 2003.
See what “invent” is in other dictionaries:
See compose... Dictionary of Russian synonyms and similar expressions. under. ed. N. Abramova, M.: Russian Dictionaries, 1999. invent, invent, compose; to invent, to conceive, to fantasize, to conceive, to conceive, to conceive, to put together,... ... Synonym dictionary
TO INVENT, come up with something, come up with, invent, search with the mind, find, discover, reflect, reach with one’s mind, imagination. Make up a fairy tale, make it up. A clever idea: drink tea! He comes up with ideas, has nothing to do, gets up to speed, gets weird... ... Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary
I'M INVENTING, I'm inventing, I'm inventing. imperfect to come up with. Ushakov's explanatory dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary
IMAGINE, oh, oh; anna; owls Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary
invent- invent - Topics telecommunications, basic concepts Synonyms invent EN devise ... Technical Translator's Guide
invent- ▲ think about (what) creation (what), logical, construction analysis invent creating logical constructions. invented. dream up. fictional. essay (do #). writer. compose (# fairy tales). compose. invention… … Ideographic Dictionary of the Russian Language
invent- COME UP1, ness. (owl. come up with) what. Solve (solve) a question, a problem, by finding unusual ways to solve them; Syn.: to invent, invent, invent, compose, fantasize. I don't… … Big Dictionary Russian verbs
Nesov. trans. 1. Come to any decision as a result of reflection, reflection, etc. Ott. To create something in thoughts, imagination; compose. Ott. decomposition Invent. 2. Inventing something that didn’t happen is a no. Ephraim's explanatory dictionary. T.F.... ... Modern explanatory dictionary of the Russian language by Efremova
invent- come to wash, oh, oh... Russian spelling dictionary
invent- (I), I’ll come/wash, you, you… orthographic dictionary Russian language
Books
- A book of brilliant ideas. And how to invent them, McLeod Greg, McLeod Miles. About the book An interactive book from BAFTA award winners - the McLeod brothers team. With lots of exercises - from drawing whimsical creatures and coming up with names for new inventions to...
