THE METHOD OF

TRISOCIATION
💡💡💡

Tojin T. Eapen, PhD.

Principal Consultant – Innomantra
& Senior Fellow – Europe ESF Centre,
The Conference Board

📧 Eapen@Innomantra.com
🌐 linkedin.com/in/tteapen/
TOJIN T. EAPEN, PHD

• Principal Consultant at Innomantra & Head –

Global Innovation Centre (GIC)
• Senior Fellow – Europe ESF Centre, The
Conference Board
• Previously faculty member at the University of
Missouri-Columbia
• 17 years of global professional, consulting, and
research experience in innovation management
• Consulted and trained at over 30 companies.
• Ph.D. from UNC-Chapel Hill

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 TRISOCIATION💡💡💡

• Background
• The Trisociation Advantage
• Trisociation with Gen-AI
• Degrees of Freedom
• Discussion

BIOINSPIRED SYSTEM DESIGN | EAPEN T. T. EAPEN

THE METHOD OF TRISOCIATION

• Creative ideation method that involves

generating new ideas by associating three
distinct concepts or elements
• Introduced by Papanek in Design for the
Real World

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THE METHOD OF TRISOCIATION

• Extension of the method of Bisociation.

• Challenging cognitive exercise.
• It pushes individuals to stretch their
cognitive boundaries and explore novel
combinations of ideas.

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THE METHOD OF TRISOCIATION

• Generative AI for Trisociation

• Eapen, Tojin, Augmenting Creativity
using Generative AI: The Method of
Trisociation (June 17, 2023). Available at
:https://ssrn.com/abstract=4603145

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 TRISOCIATION💡💡💡

• Background
• The Trisociation Advantage
• Trisociation with Gen-AI
• Degrees of Freedom
• Discussion

T. T. EAPEN
BIOINSPIRED SYSTEM DESIGN | EAPEN 7
THE TRISOCIATION
ADVANTAGE
• Large number of jump-off points relative
to bisociation.
• Novelty and feasibility are achievable.
• Hard for ideators.
• Supported by Geneative AI tools such as
LLMs and text-to-image models.

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 TRISOCIATION💡💡💡

• Background
• The Trisociation Advantage
• Trisociation with Gen-AI
• Degrees of Freedom
• Discussion

T. T. EAPEN
BIOINSPIRED SYSTEM DESIGN | EAPEN 9
HOW GENERATIVE AI CAN AUGMENT
HUMAN CREATIVITY

• by Tojin T. Eapen, Daniel J. Finkenstadt,

Josh Folk, and Lokesh Venkataswamy
• HBR Magazine July/August 2023.
• Estimated 10+ Million views.
• Published in HBR global editions in
Korea, Japan, Germany, Italy, Turkey,
China.

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EXERCISE: TRISOCIATION

VIRTUAL REALITY

SUSTAINABLE PERSONALIZED
AGRICULTURE NUTRITION

T. T. EAPEN 11
CHALLENGE EXPERTISE BIAS:
TRISOCIATION
• Challenging for humans to associate three
unrelated concepts.
• LLMs seem to be good at trisociation
relative to humans given appropriate
inputs.

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 TRISOCIATION💡💡💡

• Background
• The Trisociation Advantage
• Trisociation with Gen-AI
• Degrees of Freedom
• Discussion

BIOINSPIRED SYSTEM DESIGN | EAPEN T. T. EAPEN

RANDOM CONCEPTS

• Select three random concepts from the list

• Dog, Guitar, Ocean, Rainbow, Telescope,
Bicycle, Backpack, Candle, Robot, Library,
Mountain, Umbrella, Coffee, Camera,
Piano, Butterfly, Island, Window, Moon,
Flower, Clock, Pizza, Star, Car, Soccer,
Book, Tree, Laptop, Beach, Bridge, Hat,
Elephant, Suitcase, Chair, Apple, Key,
Rainbow, Waterfall, Sandcastle, Map.

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BUSINESS IDEA: 3DOF

• Generate a business idea inspired by the

combination of the following three
concepts: umbrella, car, and tree.
• AI Idea: How about a business that offers
eco-friendly and innovative car sunshades
and windshield covers inspired by the
concept of trees and umbrellas?

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BUSINESS IDEA: 3DOF

• Generate a business idea inspired by the

association of the following three
concepts: candle, camera, and clock.
• AI Idea: Timeless Moments Candle Studio
offers personalized candles embedded with
cameras, countdown clocks, and a mobile
app, enabling customers to capture and
cherish special

T. T. EAPEN 16
TRISOCIATION WITH TWO
DEGREES OF FREEDOM
• Start with a fixed concept, such as an
existing product.
• Draw two random concepts from the
concept pool.
• Generate a concept by trisociating the
three concepts.

T. T. EAPEN 17
BUSINESS IDEA: 2DOF

• Generate a business idea inspired by the

combination of the following three
concepts: air conditioning, umbrella, car.
• AI Idea: Hot car interiors on sunny days
are uncomfortable and require energy-
consuming air conditioning, but
CoolShade Auto Ventilation offers an eco-
friendly solution by combining air
conditioning and umbrellas to maintain
comfort and reduce environmental impact.

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TRISOCIATION WITH ONE
DEGREES OF FREEDOM
• Start with two concepts, such as a product
and industry.
• Draw one random concept from the
concept pool.
• Generate a concept by trisociating the
three concepts.

T. T. EAPEN 19
BUSINESS IDEA: 1DOF

• Generate a business idea inspired by the

association of the following three
concepts: sports, shoe, umbrella.
• AI: The business idea is to create
rainproof athletic footwear with integrated
umbrella-like features, providing sports
enthusiasts with comfortable and stylish
shoes that keep their feet dry in inclement
weather, catering to a diverse market of
athletes and outdoor enthusiasts.

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TURBOCHARGING IDEAS WITH GENERATIVE AI T. T. EAPEN 21
T. T. EAPEN 22
VIDEO: GRIFFINIC PRODUCT DESIGN

• https://youtu.be/at32zyckwxQ

T. T. EAPEN 23
 TRISOCIATION💡💡💡

• Background
• The Trisociation Advantage
• Trisociation with Gen-AI
• Degrees of Freedom
• Discussion

BIOINSPIRED SYSTEM DESIGN | EAPEN T. T. EAPEN

HAPPY TRISOCIATING!

Tojin T. Eapen, PhD.

Principal Consultant – Innomantra
& Senior Fellow – Europe ESF Centre,
The Conference Board

📧 Eapen@Innomantra.com
🌐 linkedin.com/in/tteapen/