This a comprehensive list of creativity techniques especially crafter for computer scientists.

1. 1Challenge the future
Creativity Techniques
for computer scientists
Marco Cattani
Embedded Software Group, Delft University of Technology

2. 2Challenge the future
Classic Brainstorming
• Find small group of persons
• Define initial topic/problem
• Make sure topic is clear
• Avoid criticism and aim at
quantity (facilitator)
• Clarify and combine ideas
• Select valuable ideas
• Structured
• Schedule who can speak
• Write ideas on post-it
• Un-structured
• Everyone can speak at
anytime
Generate new, valuable ideas by interacting
with others

3. 3Challenge the future
How to improve our creativity?
• Diverge
• Exploration
• Diversification
• Converge
• Focus
• Selection
… it works even with tea!
Before coffee the ideas, after coffee criticism
Alex Osborn

4. 4Challenge the future
DIVERGE
Create new ideas

5. 5Challenge the future
Biomimicry
• Find parallelism
• Study nature’s solution
• Adapt solution
Example
Ant colony optimization,
epidemic protocols
Imitate nature to solve our problems

6. 6Challenge the future
Personal analogy
• Personify the subject with
human characteristics
• Role playing ( e.g. feelings)
• Connect analog and subject
Example
Human behaviors in network
protocols (gossip, 3-way
handshake, routing)
Identify with a process/concept to get a new
point of view

7. 7Challenge the future
Osborn checklist
• Adapt/Modify/Substitute?
• Magnify/Eliminate?
• Rearrange/Reversal?
• Combine/Other use?
Example
Image processing techniques
for graphs (edge detection)
Develop new solutions from existing ideas

8. 8Challenge the future
Challenge assumptions
• List the problem assumptions
• Chose 1 and challenge it
• Solve problem from this new
prospective
Example
What is computers have no
storage or energy supply?
(Cloud, Autharkic Computing)
Removing a core assumption to create an
innovative idea/product

9. 9Challenge the future
Random input
• Select a random noun
(concrete or known)
• Use this work as a starting-
point for the brainstorm
Example
Solution initialization in
problem optimization
Link another thinking pattern into the one we
are using using random stimuli

10. 10Challenge the future
Redefinition
• State original, narrower,
broader problem
• Why we want to solve it?
• What stops us from that?
Example
Overcome wireless channel
congestion with VLC
Hierarchically redefine our problem to find
more general/specific solutions

11. 11Challenge the future
Medici effect
• Select an unrelated field
• Search for solution to analog
problem in that field
• Adapt the solutions
Example
Leader election, simulated
annealing
Exploits how ideas in seemingly unrelated
topics/fields intersect

12. 12Challenge the future
Misunderstanding
• Define some constrains
• Describe an existing solution
• By misunderstanding, we
create a new solution
Example
Mouse with no buttons, from
an un-finished apple prototype
Create new solutions when trying to
understand an existing one

13. 13Challenge the future
Reverse Brainstorming
• Identify different ways of
causing the problem
• Find ways of prevent this
causes to happen
Example
Ex hackers that invents new
security techniques
Causing the problems is the first way of learn
how to solve them

14. 14Challenge the future
SIT (systematic inventive thinking)
• Remove components
• Make one of more copies
• Divide into parts (modular)
• Unify tasks into 1 component
Example
Multi-channel mac protocols,
object oriented programming
Subtraction, multiplication, division,
unification

15. 15Challenge the future
CONVERGE
Select valuable ideas

16. 16Challenge the future
COCD-Box
Everyone put a colored post-it
on each idea based on its
originality and feasibility
• Consider green ideas
• Discard blue ideas
• Keep yellow ideas for later
Detect innovative, feasible ideas using a
classification technique

17. 17Challenge the future
Force-field analysis
Plot opposing forces
(proportional) and draw
conclusions
• Overall force?
• Increase for?
• Mitigate against?
For Against
Understand the forces for and against an idea

18. 18Challenge the future
100 euro test
Assume you have 100 euro
• Allocate money to ideas
• After everyone finish, review
your decision
• Select richest ideas
Idea $1 $2 Total
On which idea will you spend your money?

19. 19Challenge the future
Negative selection
Review the problem definition
• Sort into no and maybe
• Repeat if necessary
Idea No Maybe
To shorten a long list of ideas by finding what
is wrong with each idea

20. 20Challenge the future
NUF test
Grade each idea from 1 to 10
on three parts
• New: never tried before
• Useful: solves the
problem
• Feasible: can be
implemented in practice
Check if an idea is likely to be effective and
work in practice
Criteria Score Comm.
New
Useful
Feasible
TOTAL

21. 21Challenge the future
PINC filter
Discuss each idea and add
notes to each section
• Positives: add values
• Intriguing: could be of value
• Negatives: remove values
• Concerning: could remove
value
Idea
Positives Negatives
Intriguing Concerning
Evaluate deeply a short list of ideas

22. 22Challenge the future
Conclusions
• Creativity can be improved with some training and few tricks
• When you try to solve a problem, you are not programming.
Break the rules and don’t stay inside the lines
• Innovation is not creativity. Once you generated lots of ideas,
it is time to select and elaborate the most promising ones
Few more words about the creativity process: