Design Project

I’m currently taking a class called ME 101: Visual Thinking. It’s all about generating ideas to solve problems and then implementing them, all with constraints (time, size, budget, etc).

We were recently assigned the second Design Project, which is supposed to be fairly challenging. The task is simple, design a machine that does a pull-up. It can be no more than two feet by two feet by two feet, and it has to reach a bar that is three feet high, and pull itself off the ground just a little. I’ve already designed and built my machine, and it works.

These exercises is useful for a few reasons. First is that it gets you thinking about how to accomplish tasks. You have to deconstruct the overall task and decide how you want to do each individual task. Then you have to start drawing designs, coming up with concrete ways to solve each problem. You have to learn to adequately get your thoughts onto paper, you have to learn how to draw so that you can understand it later, and you have to be able to communicate your ideas to your partners.

Then you start building, which is the fun and frustrating part of the class. You need to be able to figure out how to turn a sketch into a machine. You need to be able to troubleshoot, to foresee problems, and to solve problems mechanically. You learn how to actually build, how to control forces, how to handle friction, how materials behave, what you can actually accomplish with the materials you have, and so much more.

You also need to learn how to budget your time between coming up with concepts, refining designs, building, and troubleshooting.

All of these things are important skills to have, which is what makes this class so valuable. The number one most difficult aspect of the design process, according to most members of the class, is communicating ideas to others effectively. I wouldn’t be too surprised if most people have this problem. Effective communication is absolutely necessary in any but the most solitary of environments, and having to explain every single constituent part of a complex machine and how they all go together can give you a good lesson in it fairly quickly.

My advice if you want to get better at communicating ideas, as well as all of these things is a weekend project. I recommend a pneumatic cannon. They’re fairly easy, and they can shoot things very far. A lot of fun, and little kids really enjoy seeing them in action (they’ll also be impressed that you built it). But anything will do, even just a little birdhouse. Besides, having turned a pile of materials into some useful machine is a fantastic feeling, building is a lot of fun. So go build something, it’s fun and educational! What more can you ask for?

50 Phrases That Kill Creativity

A few days ago in my “Visual Thinking” class we were talking about thinking, and thinking about thinking, and how to produce good ideas. The instructor handed out a list called “Fifty Phrases That Kill Creativity”. The list, and the message along with it, follows.

This is an interesting list I picked up someplace and modified for use in some presentations I do on creativity. These are typical phrases you’ll hear in committee, staff and other supposed “brainstorming” sessions that end up going awry. These phrases eventually stifle any creative thinking in a group, because they destroy the part of brainstorming that allows good ideas to sprout from the offbeat or “bad” idea. People end up thinking alike, and/or stop contributing to the group because they can’t be free to come up with idea that don’t get shot down. I encourage people to take this list with them into meetings, so they can be the creativity cops, so to speak.

Our place is different

We tried that before.

It costs too much.

That's not my job.

They're too busy to do that.

We don't have the time.

Not enough help.

It's too radical a change.

The staff will never buy it.

It's against company policy.

The union will scream.

That will run up our overhead.

We don't have the authority.

Let's get back to reality

That's not our problem.

I don't like the idea.

I'm not saying you're wrong but...

You're two years ahead of your time.

Now's not the right time.

It isn't in the budget.

Can't teach an old dog new tricks.

Good thought, but impractical.

Let's give it more thought.

We'll be the laughingstock of the industry.

Not that again.

Where'd you dig that one up?

We did alright without it before.

It's never been tried.

Let's put that one on the back burner for now.

Let's form a committee.

It won't work in our place.

The executive committee will never go for it.

I don't see the connection.

Let's all sleep on it.

It can't be done.

It's too much trouble to change.

It won't pay for itself.

It's impossible.

I know a person who tried it and got fired.

We've always done it this way.

We'd lose money in the long run.

Don't rock the boat.

That's what we can expect from the staff.

Has anyone else ever tried it?

Let's look into it further.

We'll have to answer to the stockholders.

Quit dreaming.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

That's too much ivory tower.

It's too much work.

-Dave Dufour, Act II Associates, Inc.

All of these phrases keep the status quo intact, and make sure that nothing truly unique can ever result from any kind of brainstorming session. So if you hear someone say one, gently remind them that you’re supposed to be thinking of something new, and shooting down ideas will never help that happen.

Happy innovating!