Ratgeber für MicroUnternehmen

Attributes Listing Method

One of the best ways to generate ideas is the attribute listing. In order to generate solutions or ideas regarding a complex challenge or to a certain problem, the first thing that you have to do is to create a list containing all the attributes of this problem.


This list may include the following:
-Mental attributes;
-Physical attributes;
-Social attributes;
-Emotional attributes;
-Or some other depending on the complexity of the challenge or the problem involved.

After you made this list, you can easily focus on each attribute at a time. This will definitely ease your work and will offer you more peace of mind when generating your ideas.

This particular technique is often used in a R&D (the Research & Development department) of most of the companies, mostly those that wish to have an advantage over the competition and are constantly producing innovative products.

Here is an example which may give a better understanding of how the attributes listing may help you:
Let's say your challenge is that to design a new handbag for ladies. The attributes listed could be: the physical aspects (materials used, shape, length, color) and the emotional aspects (the stress that sometimes occurs when a women misplaces her handbag). A thing that can come into mind concerning the emotional stress of losing the certain handbag is to create some small gadget which will make a certain sound when the handbag's owner is moving too far away from it. After solving this matter, you can focus on the physical aspect, deciding which is the right material that should be used for this handbag, its shape, length or color.

You can easily practice by generating some ideas of your own, using attributes listing using the following challenges:
-Creating a campaign meant to encourage people to stop smoking (this involves most of the attributes such as mental, physical, social and emotional)
-Design some new toys for children under the age of 6 which may help them learn basic arithmetic (in this case you may have to consider safety as a major attribute)
-Or you can set up an effective marketing plan for your new products (in this case you will have to consider the Product, Price, Place and the Promotion...also referred as the 4 P's).