#ThinkfullyHabit: Strip it back
Stuck? Ask yourself ‘Where in the world has my challenge been faced before?’
That’s exactly what Helen Barnett Diserens, the creator of the roll-on deodorant did. Previously, deodorant was only available in a paste form and it was messy to apply. Rather than looking at close-to-home solutions within the cosmetic industry, she was instead inspired by the way that ink flowed from a ballpoint pen and she saw how the process could be applied to any liquid with similar properties.* The roll on deodorant has gone on to become one of the most popular hygiene products in history.
“Clear away the details and ask yourself: What is the essence of the problem? Then describe it in such a way that potential solvers from analogous markets can connect their knowledge to it.”
WHY?
The trick is to get as close as you can to essence of the problem. In the case of the deodorant problem, the question would be, ‘where else is a small amount of liquid applied onto a surface in a controlled way?'
If the problem or challenge is too industry specific it narrows and limits the potential solutions. Instead, it helps to frame the problem by stripping it right back to its essence; helping to see new connections more easily.
Innovation researchers, Marion Poetz, Nikolaus Franke and Martin Schreier have found that there’s huge value in bringing people together who work in totally different fields, but ones which share deep level similarities. In fact they have found that the greater the distance between the problem and the other fields of inspiration, the greater the novelty of the solutions. It suggests that people in other industries are particularly able to help because they are not constrained by the same limitations as the people inside the industry.
So, what fields should you be looking at with more intrigue...Manufacturing? Nature? Consumer products? Healthcare? They can all be legitimate and valid if, when you strip back the detail and get to the essence, there's shared similarities.