Unit III – Creativity in Design

Creativity and problem solving-vertical and lateral thinking-invention-psychological

view, mental blocks Creativity methods- brainstorming, synectics, force fitting
methods, mind map, concept map-Theory of innovative problem solving (TRIZ) -
conceptual decomposition creating design concepts.
Synectics: An Inventive Method Based on Analogy:
• Synectics (from the Greek word synektiktein, meaning joining together of different
things into unifi ed connection) is a methodology for creativity based on reasoning by
analogy that was fi rst described in the book by Gordon.
• It assumes that the psychological components of the creative processes are more
important in generating new and inventive ideas than the intellectual processes.
• Synectics is a formalized process led by a highly trained facilitator that proceeds in
stages.
Stage 1: understand the problem - making the strange familiar
Stage 2: Searches for creative solutions drawing heavily on the four types of analogies
• Conclusion: Synectics can be a powerful method for producing creative solutions. Its
requirement for specialized training and a trained team facilitator, and the fact that the
method requires a large investment of team time, does not make it very useful for
student projects.
Synectics recognizes four types of analogy: (1) direct analogy, (2) fantasy
analogy, (3) personal analogy, and (4) symbolic analogy

Direct analogy :
• A direct analogy may take the form of a similarity in physical behavior (motion of
electron / Earth rotation), similarity in geometrical configuration, or in function.
• Bio-inspired design is a specific type of analogy under increased research in the past
decade. Bio-inspired design is based on the similarity between biological systems and
engineering systems.
Fantasy analogy :
• The designer disregards all problem limitations and laws of nature, physics, or reason.
Instead, the designer imagines or wishes for the perfect solution to a problem.
• Ex: The design team used some aspect of the fantasy analogy to solve the lost car
problem.
Personal analogy :
• The designer imagines that he or she is the device being designed, associating
his or her body with the device or the process under consideration.
• For example, in designing a high-quality industrial vacuum cleaner, we could
imagine ourselves as the cleaner
Symbolic analogy :
• This is perhaps the least intuitive of the approaches. Using symbolic analogy
the designer replaces the specifi cs of the problem with symbols and then uses
manipulation of the symbols to discover solutions to the original problem
• There is a method for the structural synthesis of mechanisms that requires
drawing a graph representing the joints and linkages of the mechanism and
then converting the graph into a set of equations for solution.
Functional decomposition and synthesis:
• A common strategy for solving any complex task or describing any complex
system is to decompose it into smaller units that are easier to manage.
• The breaking up of the product itself, not the process of design
• For example, an automobile decomposition is major subsystems of engine, drive
train, suspension system, steering system, and body.
Steps to create a physical decomposition:
Functional representation:
Functional representation:
Functional representation: (Ex: Pencil)
Functional representation: (Ex: Mechanical Pencil)
In keeping with the example of a pencil, consider the differences between a mechanical pencil and the standard pencil without
moving parts. One of the most significant differences is that the pencil lead in a mechanical pencil is treated as a completely
separate material. It is stored separately in the form of separate pieces and has to be loaded into the barrel of the pencil,
positioned, and supported for writing.
Morphological Method for Design:

The general morphological approach to design is

summarized in the following three steps.

 Divide the overall design problem into simpler

sub problems.
 Generate solution concepts for each sub problem.
 Systematically combine sub problem solutions
into different complete solutions and evaluate all
combinations.

The morphological approach to mechanical design

begins with the functional decomposition of the
design problem into a detailed function structure. We
will use the redesign of a disposable syringe as an
illustrative example.
Morphological Method for Design:
TRIZ: Theory of Inventive Problem Solving
Genrich Altshuller, a Russian inventor, developed TRIZ in the late 1940s and 1950s. After World War II, Altshuller worked
on design problems in the Soviet Navy. Altshuller was convinced that he could improve the creativity of design engineers.
He began by looking into Synectics but was not impressed with the method. So in 1946 Altshuller started his work to create
a new science of invention

TRIZ offers four different strategies for generating an innovative solution to a design problem. They are:
1. Increase the ideality of a product or system.
2. Identify the product’s place in its evolution to ideality and force the next step.
3. Identify key physical or technological contradictions in the product and revise the design to overcome them using
inventive principles.
4. Model a product or system using substance-field (Su-Field) analysis and apply candidate modifications.
TRIZ: Invention – Evaluation to increased Ideality:
Improving system ideality is one of the TRIZ inventive design strategies. Briefly, the six specific design suggestions to
examine for improving the ideality of a system are as follows:
1. Exclude auxiliary functions (by combining them or eliminating the need for them).
2. Exclude elements in the existing system.
3. Identify self-service functions (i.e, exploit function sharing by identifying an existing element of a system that can be
altered to satisfy another necessary function).
4. Replace elements or parts of the total system.
5. Change the system’s basic principle of operation.
6. Utilize resources in system and surroundings (e.g., worms to eat nuclear waste). The TRIZ strategy of improving ideality
is more complex than simply following the six guidelines
The redesign patterns identified in TRIZ are:
• Development toward increased dynamism and controllability
• Develop first into complexity then combine into simpler systems
• Evolution with matching and mismatching components
• Evolution toward micro level and increasing use of fields (more functions)
• Evolution toward decreased human involvement
TRIZ: Innovations by overcoming contradictions:
The solutions fell into one of five very specific levels of innovation. The following list describes each innovation level and
shows its relative frequency.
TRIZ: Innovations by overcoming contradictions:
TRIZ uses a list of 39 engineering parameters (see Table 6.8) to describe system contradictions
TRIZ: Inventive Principles:
Altshuller’s group studied inventions that overcame technical contradictions, identified the solution principles used in each
case, and distilled them into 40 unique solution ideas
TRIZ: Inventive Principles:
The five most frequently used Inventive Principles of TRIZ are listed here with more detail and examples.
Principle 1: Segmentation
a. Divide an object into independent parts.
Replace mainframe computer with personal computers.
Replace a large truck with a truck and trailer.
Use a work breakdown structure for a large project.
b. Make an object easy to disassemble
c. Increase the degree of fragmentation or segmentation.
Replace solid shades with Venetian blinds.
Use powdered welding metal instead of foil or rod to get better penetration of the joint.
TRIZ: Contradiction matrix:
The five most frequently used Inventive Principles of TRIZ are listed here with more detail and examples.
TRIZ: Strength & Weakness:
Reference
• Engineering Design text book by George Dieter (Author),
Linda Schmidt (Author)