01
Assumption Reversal
Flip core beliefs upside down
What happens if you reverse your fundamental assumptions? Identify the key assumptions underlying your problem, then deliberately flip them and explore the consequences. For example, if you assume 'users want more features,' reverse it to 'users want fewer features'.
02
Random Word Association
Force connections with unrelated concepts
How might a random word inspire new thinking about your problem? Select any arbitrary word (e.g., 'butterfly,' 'mountain,' 'jazz') and force yourself to connect it to your challenge. What properties or associations of this random word might suggest innovative approaches?
03
Provocation Operation
Make deliberately unreasonable statements
What provocative, even absurd statement could stimulate new thinking? Create a deliberately unreasonable proposition starting with 'What if...' or 'PO: [statement]'. For example, 'What if cars had square wheels?' Don't evaluate the statement; instead, use it as a stepping stone to new ideas.
04
Escape Route
Find ways out of conceptual prisons
How might you break free from the dominant thinking pattern? Identify the 'conceptual prison' that's limiting your approach to the problem. What boundaries, categories, or frameworks are you taking for granted? How could you escape these mental constraints?
05
Concept Fan
Expand concepts outward, then inward
How can you expand your thinking outward, then focus back in? Start with your current concept, then move to broader, more abstract alternatives. For each broader concept, generate multiple specific implementations.
06
Fractionation
Break the problem into random parts
What happens when you divide your problem into random pieces? Rather than using logical divisions, break your challenge into arbitrary or random components. Examine each fragment independently, then look for unexpected connections or recombinations.
07
Challenge the Boundary
Question where the problem starts and ends
Where have you drawn the boundaries of your problem, and why? Challenge how you've framed the scope of the issue. What if the problem is much larger or much smaller than you've defined it? What if it's actually a symptom of a different problem entirely?
08
Exaggeration
Amplify aspects to absurd proportions
What happens if you magnify aspects of your problem to extreme degrees? Take key variables or features and exaggerate them enormously — make them 10x, 100x, or 1000x bigger, faster, slower, etc. What insights emerge from these deliberate distortions?
09
Movement Technique
Use intermediate, impossible steps
Can you move from problem to solution via an 'impossible' intermediate step? Instead of trying to go directly from current state to desired state, insert a deliberately fanciful middle step. This creates two separate challenges that might be easier to solve than the original problem.