Strategies to Generate New Product Ideas

12 ways to generate crazy valuable ideas: 1. Time Travel Imagine tackling your problem from different time periods. The further back or forward you go, the more your assumptions get challenged. • Example: How would you design a communication system in 10,000 BC vs. 10,000 AD? 2. Iconic Figures Channel the mindset of remarkable individuals. Their unique perspectives can unlock new approaches. • Example: How would Steve Jobs redesign the public education system? 3. Medici Effect Look for intersections between seemingly unrelated fields. That's where the most interesting ideas often emerge. • Example: What can a chef learn from a software engineer about process optimization? 4. Variable Brainstorming Identify the key variables in your goal, then systematically explore their permutations. • Example: For a website, consider traffic sources: organic, paid, social, referral, direct. 5. Reverse Thinking Do the opposite of what's expected. It's surprising how often this leads to valuable insights. • Example: Instead of adding features to a product, what if you removed them? 6. Unlimited Resources Temporarily ignore constraints. It's amazing what you can come up with when limitations vanish. • Example: If money were no object, how would you solve homelessness? 7. Exaggeration Amplify or shrink your problem to absurd proportions. New perspectives often emerge. • Example: How would you run a company with 1 million employees? 8. Rolestorming Step into someone else's shoes. Different roles bring different priorities and insights. • Example: How would a 5-year-old redesign a smartphone? 9. Framestorming Reframe the problem entirely. The right question is often more valuable than the right answer. • Example: Instead of "How do we increase sales?", ask "How do we make our product indispensable?" 10. Attribute Change Alter fundamental attributes of yourself or your target audience. It forces you to challenge deep-seated assumptions. • Example: How would your product change if your users were all centenarians? 11. The Third Door Approach Look for unconventional, overlooked solutions. There's often a less obvious but more effective path. • Example: Instead of competing for job listings, create a unique role that a company didn't know they needed. 12. 10X Thinking Push for exponential rather than incremental improvements. It forces you to rethink your entire approach. • Example: How could you make your software 10 times faster, not just 10% faster? What would you add? ——————————— P.S. Click the link below when you read this to sign-up to my newsletter Faster Than Normal. It's read by 70,000 people including Fortune 500 execs, founders, operators, creatives, and investors from Silicon Valley to Wall Street. https://lnkd.in/gEbFuTFf

Warning: Your team may never brainstorm the same way again after this. Master the SCAMPER technique if you want next-level brainstorming. The SCAMPER method is a simple, yet powerful tool for fostering creative thinking within your team. It stands for: ➟ Substitute ➟ Combine ➟ Adapt ➟ Modify ➟ Put to use ➟ Eliminate ➟ Reverse By asking different types of questions about a challenge, you push your team to think beyond the obvious. In my experience, this exercise can turn a stagnant brainstorming session into a high-energy, idea-generating workshop. It helps break through the common barriers that hold innovation back, such as the "𝘸𝘦'𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘺" mentality. Here’s how SCAMPER works (using a bakery example):  𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲: ↳ Can we swap out an element for something new? ↳ e.g., Can we change the flavor and shape of the cupcake? 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗲: ↳ What if we merge two ideas? ↳ e.g., Can we combine the cupcake with an appetizer or a drink? 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁: ↳ Can this be adjusted for a different use? ↳ e.g., Can we cross-promote cupcakes with nearby stores for more visibility? 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗳𝘆: ↳ What happens if we change the size or shape? ↳ e.g., Can we create extra tall or bite-sized cupcakes to attract different customers?  ↳ 𝗣𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗨𝘀𝗲: ↳ Is there a new way to utilize this? ↳ e.g., Can we make cupcakes that are dog-friendly for visitors of the nearby dog parks? 𝗘𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲: ↳ What can we remove to simplify the process? ↳ e.g., Can we make healthier cupcakes by removing excess icing or flour? 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲: ↳ What if we did this backward? ↳ e.g., Can we design cupcakes with the frosting inside instead of on top? Challenge your team to use SCAMPER on their next problem. The results may surprise you! __________ ♻️ Repost to benefit those in your network. 🔔 Follow me, Nadeem, for more content like this.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺—𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗼. Turn ChatGPT into your 𝘃𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺: Tackle tough problems by simulating a room full of experts—CEO, CFO, Innovator, Customer, and more. Think like a team. Decide like a strategist. Solve like a pro. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 Role Lens Insights is a powerful way to swarm problems, expose blind spots, stress-test ideas, and generate better solutions. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 • Turns solo thinking into 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶-𝗱𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 • Builds 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘆 for different stakeholders • Surfaces 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘀 • Helps you 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀-𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 and 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 decisions fast • Amplifies your 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗜𝘁 1. 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 Clearly state the problem, decision, or idea you want to explore. 2. 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 Select 3–5 expert lenses relevant to your challenge (e.g., CEO, CFO, Innovation Expert, Customer, etc.). 3. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁 𝗘𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲 Ask ChatGPT to respond from each role's perspective (e.g., “As the CFO, what risks do you see?”). 4. 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲 Have the roles "discuss" the idea as if in a team meeting. This dialogue reveals tensions, assumptions, and synergies. 5. 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 Identify key themes, trade-offs, blind spots, and opportunities across perspectives. 6. 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘇𝗲 & 𝗔𝗰𝘁 Integrate the learnings into a better, more rounded solution. You can also apply thinking tools like 𝗦𝗶𝘅 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗮𝘁𝘀 or the 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝘃𝗮𝘀 to guide deeper analysis. 7. 𝗜𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱 Adjust roles, reframe the problem, or simulate new strategies to explore further. 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲: 𝗘𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗜 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮 You prompt ChatGPT to form a virtual team with 5 roles: • 𝗖𝗘𝗢: Focuses on vision and market opportunity. • 𝗖𝗙𝗢: Analyzes financial risk, ROI, and funding needs. • 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁: Evaluates uniqueness and feasibility. • 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱: Assesses customer fit and positioning. • 𝗔𝗜 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁: Explains the technical approach and scalability. Together, they discuss an AI-driven platform that predicts customer needs in real-time. Through their dialogue, you surface: • 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀: Personalized, proactive CX is a differentiator. • 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘀: Cost of real-time data processing, competitive landscape. • 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀: Build a lean MVP, target e-commerce, and validate with early adopters. You then 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗦𝗶𝘅 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗮𝘁𝘀 to explore the idea emotionally, logically, creatively, and cautiously—sharpening the strategy even further. What challenge will you swarm today?