Attribute Listing: Attribute listing involves the preparation of a list of the attributes of a product and formulation of methods to modify them in order to see if a new combination of attributes can be evolved for the improvement of the product.
Brain Storming: Brain storming in an organised group exercise like a stormy meeting of about six to eight creative personnel specially convened to stimulate new ideas. The chairman of a brainstorming session which generally lasts about an hour and a half leads saying, “Remember now, I want each one of you to come out with an idea of new product or an improvement of an old product. The wilder the idea, the better.” Freewheeling is welcomed, combining and improving ideas is encouraged, quantity is encouraged and criticism is ruled out.
Forced Relationships: Here several objects are listed and each product is considered in relation to every other object.
Morphological Analysis: Morphology means structure and this method calls for identifying the structured dimensions of a problem and examining the relationship among them.
Need/Problem Identification: Need or problem identification starts with the consumer. Consumers are asked about needs, problems and ideas. The various problems would be rated for their seriousness, incidence and cost of remedying to determine which product improvements to make.
1. Synectics: For the development of sufficient number of perspectives, Gordon has developed this method. Gordon decided to define the problem so broadly that the group would have no inkling of the specific problem.
Gordon described five principles underlying the synectics method: Deferment, autonomy of object, use of the commonplace, involvement or detachment and use of metaphor.
2. Screening: The purpose of idea generation is to create a large number of ideas. The purpose of succeeding stages is to reduce the number of ideas to an attractive, practicable few. The first idea- pruning stage is screening.
