ENDS 101 Lecture 6

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Strive for Novelty

Go for wild and crazy!

Apple is good at finding problems you never knew existed and then pointing out their solution to that problem.

Along these lines, start learning how to program (been there, done that)

Convergent Process

Problem starters really help with divergent thinking.

"A problem well-stated is half-solved"

"in what ways (multiple) might (possibilities) we (team-effort) INSERT SUBJECT HERE"

Subject should have some focus, yet be general enough so we don't limit our creativity

Take time after divergent thinking to transfer over to convergent thinking.

Convergent Guidelines

1. Be deliberate:
   • listen to every idea and understand it; elaborate
   • give ample time for both divergent and convergent thinking
   • think about limitations: deadlines and budget
2. Be affirmative:
   • Now's the time to judge, but look for what's good about each idea.
   • Don't scratch out any ideas.
3. Seek out novelty:
   • What's really novel and what are potential solutions
   • E.g. harnessing the energy in children (play) to pump water
4. Check with the objective
   • We have to create solutions to our problem
   • "Spectrum of innovation" wildness and disruptiveness