Systematic Inventive Thinking

Saym Basheer

http://bit.ly/sitwithsaym
Background & History of SIT
Jacob Goldenberg Drew Boyd
Innovation ?
 Innovation ?

Are YOU an innovator ?

Let’s find out ...

what do you observe in these images / products ?
what innovation looks like
what innovation looks like
Innovation Principles
 Closed World (principle)

The Closed World condition dictates that when we

come to invent something new, we make use only of

elements existing in the product.

OR
its immediate environment.

Creativity thrives under constraints

Closed World (principle)
Impediments to Innovation
 Structural Fixedness

Structural Fixedness is the tendency to view

objects as a whole; as a gestalt.

This often makes it difficult to imagine how

the product could be reorganized to look
differently.
monolithic v.s. modular
 Functional Fixedness

Functional fixedness is a
cognitive bias that limits a person
to using an object only in the way
it is traditionally used.

Karl Duncker’s Candle Experiment

Fixedness o.O
Fixedness O.O
Brainstorming != Innovation
Still Brainstorming !
Focus group :(
Innovation Framework
Function Follows Form
Innovation Tools
 Subtraction

The idea in Subtraction is to remove (subtract) a

seemingly essential component from a product and
find usages for the newly created product.
Subtraction
 Subtraction

Walkman
Instant Soup/Noodles
DeCaffeinated Coffee
Kid’s chair suspended from table (no legs)
iPod Nano
iTouch
 New Restaurant Activity Let’s practice

1. List the product’s components. 6. Identify possible challenges and come up with initial
thoughts on ways to overcome them.

2. Choose an essential component 7. Adjust the new product accordingly.

★ Hold your judgements !

3. Subtract it together with its function (as is). 8. Describe the result in detail.

4. Visualize the resulting form i.e. Virtual Product – use 9. Subtract the same component and replace its function
words or a sketch. by using an element from the Closed World.

5. Identify benefits, advantages and values for potential Iterate steps 5--8. Iterate steps 2--10 with a different
customers. essential component.

Note: remember to follow the path of most resistance.

 Task Unification

The idea in Task Unification is to assign a new task to

an existing resource. Using Task Unification is a
great way to overcome functional fixedness.

Cultures that are poor in resources are likely to adopt

the Task Unification mind-set.
 Task Unification

Air Cooled VW Beetle

ReCaptcha
 Task Unification

antenna example
oil refinery example
 Multiplication

The idea in Multiplication is to create one or more copies of a product’s

component. Change the copy in some way to create new possibilities and
add it to the original.

The two keywords for this tool are:

★ More: add more copies of something that exists in the product

★ Different: change those copies according to some parameter.

Multiplication
 Division

The idea in Division is to divide the product and/or one or more of its
components and then rearrange them to form a new product.

Division can help us overcome Structural Fixedness, since it forces us to

consider different structures, either on the level of the product as a whole or on
the level of an individual component.
 Division

Detachable fuel rockets.

Airconditioning Split unit.
Epoxy glue.
Bitesize chocolates.
 Attribute Dependency
The basic principle underlying this tool is creating and dissolving
dependencies between variables of a product.

In Attribute Dependency we work with variables rather than components (as

we did when working with the other tools).

A variable is, obviously, something that varies; something that has the potential
to change values. They are easy to identify as parameters that can change
within a component or product.
 Attribute Dependency

Color changing toothbrush with usage.

Color changing beer cans with temperature.
Rain sensing car wipers.
 Resources

Systematic Inventive Website www.sitsite.com

Book. Inside the Box.www.insidetheboxinnovation.com/
View presentation at bit.ly/sitwithsaym

Saym Basheer
saym@xerionsoft.com
@xerionsoft