The Idea Agent wears several hats throughout the creative process, moving fluidly between the following roles:

• Generalist and Specialist - They must have basic knowledge of the topic being discussed, but specialized knowledge in creative techniques.

• Coordinator - They must be able to liaise with both the project owner and the team posing solutions, as well as possess strong organizational skills.

• Impartial Observer - They must remain unbias in their facilitation of ideas, acting as a guide and avoiding the temptation to dictate any one path to the finish.

The tools are organized to fit within the 4 phases of the process:

• Identifying the Need

• Generating Ideas

• Screening and Development

• Enriching and Conceptualizing

This book serves as the primary organizational influence of this Padlet. It contains a variety of tools for organizing and running a creative "sprint" within your company or small business.

It can be purchased here: https://a.co/d/due2poG

This book is an excellent source of brainstorming, problem-finding, and problem-solving techniques. Many of the techniques shown here have been extracted from this text and re-organized to fit within the creative process laid out in The Idea Agent.

It can be purchased here: https://a.co/d/2YSrcZd

Each tool has a summary of how to use it, as well as an example of its application. To see the full example, click on the image and it will expand to fill your screen. To read more on a particular tool or topic, refer to the page numbers listed for each resource.

The tools in this column all focus on defining the problem. What is it you are really trying to solve? Use these tools to find out!

The tools in this column can be used in a group environment -OR- individually if you are working on a personal challenge.

The tools in this column will help the group come together to narrow down possible solutions to only those worth enriching.

The tools in this column are all options for accomplishing the same general idea - fleshing out the best solutions.

Steps:

1. Write down your challenge

2. List out the assumptions you have about the challenge

3. Write out the reversal of each assumption

4. Solve the reversals of the assumptions

Read more: Thinkertoys, page 43

Steps:

1. Write down your challenge

2. List as many attributes as you can about it.

3. Come up with ways to improve each of the attributes individually.

Read more: Thinkertoys, page 53

Steps:

1. Summarize your challenge using only 2 words.

2. Take each word, one at a time, and split it into two more words.

3. Take each of those new words and split them as well. Repeat until you are satisfied.

4. Look at all of the new attributes and consider any ideas they might inspire.

5. Try recombining some of the attributes in new ways.

Read more: Thinkertoys, page 60

Steps:

1. Using only a keyword or phrase, write the foundation of your challenge in the middle of your "canvas" (paper, whiteboard, etc).

2. Branching from that point, write out potential causes or influences on that challenge.

3. Continue branching from each potential influence, digging deeper and deeper into the challenge.

4. Note how clusters begin to form around sets of related issues.

5. Use the resulting map to gain a clearer picture of the problem.

Read more: Thinkertoys, page 66

• S - Substitute something.

• C - Combine it with something else.

• A - Adapt something to it.

• M - Modify or Magnify it.

• P - Put it to some other use.

• E - Eliminate something.

• R - Reverse or Rearrange it.

Read more: Thinkertoys, page 72

Steps:

1. Write down your challenge.

2. Define the best-case scenario and the worst-case scenario.

3. For each scenario, list the conditions that would result in that scenario occurring.

4. Finally, for each condition listed, identify the positive and/or negative forces that are pushing you toward that condition.

Read more: Thinkertoys, page 111

Steps:

1. Write down your challenge.

2. In columns, write down the parameters of the challenge. What elements are required to make it what it is?

3. Beneath each parameter, list out the various options/alternatives.

4. Select different combinations from each column to come up with entirely new versions of the challenge.

Read more: Thinkertoys, page 117

Steps:

1. Draw a four-quadrant grid.

2. Label the top and bottom rows "High Involvement" and "Low Involvement" respectively. You could also use "Expensive" and "Inexpensive" instead.

3. Label the left and right columns "Think" and "Feel" respectively. You could also use "Logical" and "Emotional" instead.

4. Graph where your competitors and their products might fall within the grid.

5. Use this graph to identify where your product should fit.

Note: This tool is highly adaptable. You can replace the rows and columns with anything you might find valuable in helping to define your challenge. In my example, I use it to graph the types of games that my husband and I enjoy to help us determine which type of game we would like to create.

Read more: Thinkertoys, page 126

The Problem:

• Why is it necessary to solve the problem?

• What is the unknown?

• What isn't the problem?

• What are the boundaries of the problem?

• What are the constants?

The Plan:

• Can you picture a solution?

• How have you already tried to solve the problem?

• When should it be done?

• What is the unique set of qualities that make this problem what it is?

• How will you know when you are successful?

  
  

Read more: Thinkertoys, page 139

Steps:

1. Write down "What is our business?" at the top of your canvas.

2. Write out the following, leaving space beneath each to fill in your responses:

   • Products / Services

   • Markets

   • Functions

   • Technologies

3. Beneath each heading, write out keywords that define your specific business.

4. Combine and recombine from within these lists to come up with new concepts.

Read more: Thinkertoys, page 144

Steps:

1. Write down your challenge.

2. Select a random word. You can blindly point to a word on a page, ask a child for a word, or perhaps ask an AI chatbot to give you one.

3. List out attributes of your random word. What can you do with it? What does it look like? Be extensive.

4. Force connections between the listed attributes and your challenge.

5. Write down all ideas generated from the exercise.

Read more: Thinkertoys, page 157

Steps:

1. Write down your challenge.

2. Divide the challenge into its various attributes and write each one on an index card.

3. On the back of each index card, draw an image that represents that attribute.

4. With the cards laid out on a table, graphic side facing up, rearrange the cards into various combinations.

• Use these combinations to inspire new ideas and relationships.

Read more: Thinkertoys, page 184

• Talk to someone outside of your field.

• Ask someone within your field but from a different background.

• Ask friends or acquaintances that you consider to be creative or who inspire you.

• Talk about the issue with strangers on the bus or while getting your hair cut.

Read more: Thinkertoys, page 190

Steps:

1. Display the ideas in a simple way, either using Post-It Notes, writing them on the whiteboard, or spreading them out on a table.

2. Give time for team members to review the ideas.

3. Give team members a set of dot stickers and assign criteria to each of the colored dots. For example, blue might mean "Cost effective" and red might mean "Achievable within timeline."

4. Allow the team time to place dots next to the ideas based on their intuition.

5. Review the placement of the dots and identify the favored solutions.

Read more: The Idea Agent, page 156

Steps:

1. Establish the two parameters that are most important. For example, Cost and Speed or Innovativeness and Marketability.

2. Draw X- and Y-Axis lines (ie, a crossed vertical and horizontal line) and label the rows and columns according to the identified parameters.

3. Place the ideas into each quadrant according to how they align with the parameters identified on the rows and columns.

4. Unless there are already plenty of ideas in the "optimal" category, try to enrich other ideas to move them into this category.

5. Only move forward with those ideas that landed in the optimal quadrant.

Read more: The Idea Agent, page 157

Steps:

1. Identify the 4-6 parameters on which each idea will be judged.

2. Graph those parameters around a "spiderweb" with each spoke aligning to one of the identified parameters, and each ring representing a ranking from 0 (center) to 5 (outermost ring).

3. Starting with one idea, place a dot where it ranks in each of the categories. Connect the dots using a single color marker or pen.

4. Repeat step 3 for each of the ideas selected.

Read more: The Idea Agent, page 160

Steps:

1. Identify the criteria you will using and write those down in the left column.

2. If you are weighting the point values for each criterion, write those weights in the very next column over.

3. Across the top, write the ideas that you will be assessing and beneath each one, create two columns: one for the assigned point ranking and one for the weighted value of that ranking.

4. Rank each of the ideas according to each criterion, and calculate the weighted total.

5. At the bottom of each idea column, total the weighted values.

Read more: The Idea Agent, page 162

Steps:

1. Have participants sit in a circle. Discuss the problem with the group and post it somewhere visible.

2. Distribute index cards to each participant.

3. Have participants write their ideas, one per card, and pass their cards to the right as they complete them.

4. As participants receive cards, they should read them and use them to inspire their next idea.

5. Continue for 20-30 minutes, or until the idea quota is met.

6. Place the cards on the wall in categories, with a header card for each category.

7. (Optional) Have participants place sticky dots to vote for ideas they like.

   
   

Variations:

• Idea Pool - Instead of passing the cards to the right, have all cards added to a "pool" in the center and let participants pull inspiration cards out at will and add back to the pool.

• Airplanes - Have participants write their idea on a piece of paper, fold it into an airplane, and then send it flying to another participant. The recipient then opens it, modifies or adds to the idea, and then sends it on to someone else.

• Wall of Ideas - Have participants write their ideas on sticky notes. As ideas are completed, collect them and place them on the wall in no particular order. Have group members organize them at the end.

Read More: Thinkertoys, page 323

Steps:

1. Post the problem somewhere visible.

2. Have participants write ideas on index cards and add them to the pool.

3. Collect all of the cards, shuffle them, and then redistribute three of them to each participant.

4. Return the remaining cards to the pool face-up and invite participants to swap any of the cards they don't like.

5. Once swapping is complete, invite them to swap with one another. They must exchange at least one card.

6. Have the participants form into groups with as many individuals per group as they like; however, all groups must select only three cards to keep.

7. Finally, have the group members creatively present their three selected ideas.

   
   

Read More: Thinkertoys, page 327

Steps:

1. Have participants write their ideas down silently.

2. Ask two of the participants to each read one of their ideas out loud.

3. The group then tries to make both ideas work together as part of a single solution.

4. Once the ideas have been integrated, add a third group member's idea to the solution.

5. Repeat until all ideas (or as many as possible) have been integrated into the solution.

Read More: Thinkertoys, page 328

The tools in this column are best utilized in a group environment, as they capitalize on the cross-pollination of ideas!