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Scott Moehring's Never-Fail, Magic Effects Idea Grid
This simple brainstorming tool uses the nine type of magic tricks to generating 99+ ideas on your problem or subject of choice.
Here's the steps:
Here's the steps:
- Download and print one of the PDF files. 11x17 if you can, 8.5x11 otherwise.
- List aspects of your subject down the left. Cost, customers, quality, color, speed, materials, partners, size, quantity, etc.
- Pick any empty spot on the grid. Just point. Or, close your eyes and point. Roll a dice or toss a coin and see where it lands. Throw a dart (safely). Whatever.
- Use your creativity to connect the row's subject to the column's magic effect in at least one way. For example, Speed + Teleport = can your problem be helped by moving anything closer together? Can you skip a shipping step? Can you utilize digital access? What if you spread things out so that all the parts are each closer to a different end point? Can anything move forward when you don't see it (i.e. while you sleep)?
- Repeat, laugh, have fun, find great and useful ideas.
Why it works
Two reasons.
1) Creativity can always be found by combining existing things in new ways. The grid forces that. The magic effects are great for combining with other things because they are action words, and all of them imply a change.
2) Associate Random Concepts technique. When people brainstorm traditionally, they tend to start with their idea in the center, and radiate ideas outward. Pet sitting service > pet activities > pet exercise. So far, so good, but what inevitably happens is that as the ideas get further and further from the center, the brain wants to pull them back "on track". Pet sitting service > pet activities > pet exercise > pet weights > pet barbell > hmm, this branch has gone too far off track, we need to go back to the middle. Sound familiar?
However, toss out a word like "Transform", and then connect it to your center in one step. Transform (change something into something else) for pet sitting service = pets walking their owners > pets walking other people > dog walking exercise service for people who don't have pets! By connecting to something random, way outside the center, you can range much further and well beyond your comfort zone. It would be unlikely that you would ever get to the word "Transform" if you started with "Pet sitting service".
You could also use something like Rory's Story Cubes to generate more random concepts to link to the center.
SIDE NOTE: My son Andrew and I came up with a superhero game using Rory's Story Cubes. Rory liked it so much he made a whole page on his site about it, complete with pdf instructions and a video. Thanks Rory!
1) Creativity can always be found by combining existing things in new ways. The grid forces that. The magic effects are great for combining with other things because they are action words, and all of them imply a change.
2) Associate Random Concepts technique. When people brainstorm traditionally, they tend to start with their idea in the center, and radiate ideas outward. Pet sitting service > pet activities > pet exercise. So far, so good, but what inevitably happens is that as the ideas get further and further from the center, the brain wants to pull them back "on track". Pet sitting service > pet activities > pet exercise > pet weights > pet barbell > hmm, this branch has gone too far off track, we need to go back to the middle. Sound familiar?
However, toss out a word like "Transform", and then connect it to your center in one step. Transform (change something into something else) for pet sitting service = pets walking their owners > pets walking other people > dog walking exercise service for people who don't have pets! By connecting to something random, way outside the center, you can range much further and well beyond your comfort zone. It would be unlikely that you would ever get to the word "Transform" if you started with "Pet sitting service".
You could also use something like Rory's Story Cubes to generate more random concepts to link to the center.
SIDE NOTE: My son Andrew and I came up with a superhero game using Rory's Story Cubes. Rory liked it so much he made a whole page on his site about it, complete with pdf instructions and a video. Thanks Rory!
