The Bell Laboratories (funded by AT&T when they were a government-sanctioned monopoly) was the place where vacuum tubes were improved and ultimately replaced by another Bell Labs invention, the transistor. Ideo also keeps materials on hand-blocks, foam core, tubing-to build crude models of a concept.Bell Labs was awesome, and Jon Gertner’s new book The Idea Factory sets out to prove this simple fact. Participants bring examples of competitors' products, objects that relate to the problem, or elegant solutions from other fields as springboards for ideas. The best facilitators nurture the conversation in its early stages, step out of the way as the ideas start to flow, and then jump in again when energy starts to peter out.Īt Ideo, brainstorming sessions are often occasions for show-and-tell. Most brainstorming sessions follow a power curve: they start out slowly, build to a crescendo, and then start to plateau. Other rules include, "Go for quantity," "Be visual," and "Encourage wild ideas." "If I'm the facilitator and somebody starts a critique or people start talking, I can enforce the rules without making it feel personal," Kelley says. Ideo's primary brainstorming rules are simple: "Defer judgment" and "One conversation at a time." The firm believes in its rules so strongly that they're stenciled in eight-inch letters on conference-room walls. The best topic statements focus outward on a specific customer need or service enhancement rather than inward on some organizational goal. Start with a well-honed statement of the problem at hand.
Here's a short list of tips from the pros:
At Ideo, idea-generation exercises are "practically a religion," product development manager Tom Kelley says. The company has institutionalized a process whereby ideas are coaxed to the surface through regular, structured brainstorming sessions. But Ideo staffers don't just sit around waiting for good ideas to pop into their heads. Silicon Valley-based Ideo has sparked some of the most innovative products of the past decade - the Apple mouse, the Polaroid I-Zone Pocket Camera, and the Palm V, among others. Don't fall for the first good-lookin' idea that comes along.Creating the right environment for brainstorming.
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