There are six questions, that famous innovators have consistently asked and answered to generate ideas that can lead to new innovations:
- What could I look at in a new way? (Steve Jobs looked at the computer in a new way, leading to the Mac and the personal computer revolution.)
- What could I use in a new way? (Paleolithic humans turned fire from a scourge into a means of cooking, heat, light, and protection.)
- What could I recontextualize in space or time? (The Sumerians moved language from spoken to written form, expanding its power and reach.)
- What could I connect in a new way? (Thomas Edison connected the light bulb to the electrical grid, leading to electrified cities.)
- What could I change, in terms of design or performance? (Nearly 3 million years ago, the world’s first “innovator” transformed a simple rock into a stone hand-axe.)
- What could I create that is truly new? (In 1776, American colonists created the first “intentional” nation, based on specific abstract principles.)
Co.EXIST-Author Sarah Krasley wrote about it at
Thanks for this, Dieter. Really helpful way of looking at things. I’m in Detroit for most of February working on this project: http://hrvd.me/Detroit143 (see also http://hrvd.me/2Detroit143 for our approach to sustainability), and these six questions are provoking lots of interesting stuff for us.