Jumpstart Your Ideation Process with Creativity Triggers

Ideate at the platform level
Generate business model ideas
Brainstorm product and service features

Ideating at the platform level

The term “platform level” does not refer to a product family platform (such as a frame for a family of automobiles). It describes the value delivery platform, which is the system into which features are integrated and is the glue that holds those features in place.

For example, several value delivery platforms exist today to help people perform the job of removing food particles from their teeth. The most obvious and common platform consists of a set of fixed bristles on a plastic handle.

Use product platform creativity triggers for conceptualizing altogether new product and service platforms. Ideas for specific product or service features should be added only after management has approved the value delivery platform.

Creativity triggers for product platforms:

Make the platform virtual
Make the platform capable of performing additional jobs
Make the platform identify and self-correct its mistakes

Generating business model ideas

Before investing in a new product or service, management typically wants to know if the platform concept can make money. To ensure that it can, you must support the concept at this stage of the idea generation process by a basic business model.

The basic business model is only focused on product cost and revenue generation opportunities that relate directly to the product and on the contributors to the cost of production.

The basic-business-model creativity triggers will help innovation teams create an inventive cost and revenue equation. To achieve optimal results:

Identify the biggest contributors to variable cost and use the variable-cost-reduction triggers to devise ways of reducing those costs.
Use the revenue generation triggers to devise ways of increasing revenue.
Use the fixed-cost reduction triggers to minimize fixed costs associated with production.

Creativity triggers for reducing variable costs

Pass an expense up to suppliers
Turn a waste into a revenue
Outsource efficiently executed non-core activities

Creativity triggers for revenue generation

Accept a non-cash form of payment
Add a product-related revenue source (e.g. offer optional features)
Collect revenue at a different point in time or a different frequency

Creativity triggers for reducing fixed costs

Use other people’s money to pay for capital investments
Pass a fixed cost on to the community (e.g. regulatory fees, taxes)
Make a fixed cost variable

Brainstorming product and service features

If senior managers conclude that a concept can make money, they will deem it worthy of pursuit and release it to the next stage. At this juncture, you can identify the product features that should be included on the platform.

At this stage of the ideation process, you need to generate ideas at the feature level.

A feature is defined here as something tangible or intangible that performs a function that allows customers to better satisfy a desired outcome. A feature is integrated into a value delivery platform and may take many forms, such as:

A piece of information
An action
A component, material, or part of a physical object

When generating feature ideas, focus on one underserved outcome at a time.

Creativity triggers for product features:

Combine multiple features into a single feature
Combine existing features so they perform a critical function
Use the feedback from one function to assist in performing another function

81 Creativity Triggers To Energize Your Ideation Process

Learn more about the generating ideas for platforms, business models, and features in our white paper. Download today to access all 81 creativity triggers and jumpstart your ideation process.

Get your copy now