Compendium of Idea Generation Methods
You’re now a few clicks away from one of the largest collections of Idea Generation Methods found on the Internet. Perhaps, even the world.
It is organized by:
- Worldview – broad perspective on where ideas come from,
- Categories – groups of related methods to generate ideas, and finally
- Methods – idea generation methods and tools.
Categories
This is a listing of each category organized by worldview. Within each category, you will find a listing of methods.
Worldview 1
The World Is A Machine – generate large numbers of ideas and potential solutions to discover the best ideas and solutions.
- Inventory Making – generating lists of options and potential solutions.
- Combining – putting together different components to make something new.
- Deconstruction – breaking things down to re-evaluate the parts.
- Building – building on existing ideas to enhance or trigger new ideas.
- Springboards – using external stimulus to trigger new thinking and ideas.
- Ideas Across Frontiers – how has this been solved in other fields or contexts?
- Constraint Removal – identifying to remove existing constraints.
- Laddering – shifting between broad to specific to find new possible ideas.
- Anchoring and Spacial Marking – using location and context to stimulate solutions.
- Working Backwards – imagining the problem solved and working backward to map out how the result was achieved.
Worldview 1 Plus
Perspective: The World is a Network of Relationships
- Conversational – two or more people discussing potential solutions, and
- Collaborative – two or more people working together to generate potential solutions.
Worldview 2
Perspective: The World is a System
Worldview 3
Perspective: The World is a Field of Energy