Creativity techniques for computer scientists
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Transcript of Creativity techniques for computer scientists
1 Challenge the future
Creativity Techniques for computer scientists
Marco Cattani Embedded Software Group, Delft University of Technology
2 Challenge the future
Classic Brainstorming
• Find small group of persons • Define initial topic/problem • Make sure topic is clear • Avoid criticism and aim at
quantity (facilitator)
• Clarify and combine ideas • Select valuable ideas
• Structured • Schedule who can speak • Write ideas on post-it
• Un-structured • Everyone can speak at
anytime
Generate new, valuable ideas by interacting with others
3 Challenge the future
How to improve our creativity?
• Diverge • Exploration • Diversification
• Converge • Focus • Selection
… it works even with tea!
Before coffee the ideas, after coffee criticism Alex Osborn
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DIVERGE Create new ideas
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Biomimicry
• Find parallelism • Study nature’s solution • Adapt solution Example Ant colony optimization, epidemic protocols
Imitate nature to solve our problems
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Personal analogy
• Personify the subject with human characteristics
• Role playing ( e.g. feelings) • Connect analog and subject
Example Human behaviors in network protocols (gossip, 3-way handshake, routing)
Identify with a process/concept to get a new point of view
7 Challenge the future
Osborn checklist
• Adapt/Modify/Substitute? • Magnify/Eliminate? • Rearrange/Reversal? • Combine/Other use?
Example Image processing techniques for graphs (edge detection)
Develop new solutions from existing ideas
8 Challenge the future
Challenge assumptions
• List the problem assumptions • Chose 1 and challenge it • Solve problem from this new
prospective
Example What is computers have no storage or energy supply? (Cloud, Autharkic Computing)
Removing a core assumption to create an innovative idea/product
9 Challenge the future
Random input
• Select a random noun (concrete or known)
• Use this work as a starting-point for the brainstorm
Example Solution initialization in problem optimization
Link another thinking pattern into the one we are using using random stimuli
10 Challenge the future
Redefinition
• State original, narrower, broader problem
• Why we want to solve it? • What stops us from that?
Example Overcome wireless channel congestion with VLC
Hierarchically redefine our problem to find more general/specific solutions
11 Challenge the future
Medici effect
• Select an unrelated field • Search for solution to analog
problem in that field • Adapt the solutions
Example Leader election, simulated annealing
Exploits how ideas in seemingly unrelated topics/fields intersect
12 Challenge the future
Misunderstanding
• Define some constrains • Describe an existing solution • By misunderstanding, we
create a new solution
Example Mouse with no buttons, from an un-finished apple prototype
Create new solutions when trying to understand an existing one
13 Challenge the future
Reverse Brainstorming
• Identify different ways of causing the problem
• Find ways of prevent this causes to happen
Example Ex hackers that invents new security techniques
Causing the problems is the first way of learn how to solve them
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SIT (systematic inventive thinking)
• Remove components • Make one of more copies • Divide into parts (modular) • Unify tasks into 1 component
Example Multi-channel mac protocols, object oriented programming
Subtraction, multiplication, division, unification
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CONVERGE Select valuable ideas
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COCD-Box
Everyone put a colored post-it on each idea based on its originality and feasibility
• Consider green ideas • Discard blue ideas • Keep yellow ideas for later
Detect innovative, feasible ideas using a classification technique
17 Challenge the future
Force-field analysis
Plot opposing forces (proportional) and draw conclusions
• Overall force? • Increase for? • Mitigate against?
For Against
Understand the forces for and against an idea
18 Challenge the future
100 euro test
Assume you have 100 euro • Allocate money to ideas • After everyone finish, review
your decision • Select richest ideas
Idea $1 $2 Total
On which idea will you spend your money?
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Negative selection
Review the problem definition • Sort into no and maybe • Repeat if necessary
Idea No Maybe
To shorten a long list of ideas by finding what is wrong with each idea
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NUF test
Grade each idea from 1 to 10 on three parts
• New: never tried before • Useful: solves the
problem • Feasible: can be
implemented in practice
Check if an idea is likely to be effective and work in practice
Criteria Score Comm.
New
Useful
Feasible
TOTAL
21 Challenge the future
PINC filter
Discuss each idea and add notes to each section
• Positives: add values • Intriguing: could be of value • Negatives: remove values • Concerning: could remove
value
Idea
Positives Negatives
Intriguing Concerning
Evaluate deeply a short list of ideas
22 Challenge the future
Conclusions
• Creativity can be improved with some training and few tricks
• When you try to solve a problem, you are not programming. Break the rules and don’t stay inside the lines
• Innovation is not creativity. Once you generated lots of ideas, it is time to select and elaborate the most promising ones
Few more words about the creativity process: