Concepts: Shaping Ideas, Solving Problems

Please stop trying to be competitive; that’s only the baseline in our global, rapidly changing, product-rich

economy and markets. You also need to resist the temptation to quickly “do something.”

Pause and think about how concepts can help you shape ideas and solve problems first.

Instead, consider how new insights and concepts can help you solve problems or create value-integrated

products and services. Concepts and creative thinking enable you to do that; anyone can do it. 

In this blog post, I want to discuss “concepts” you can extract from your research and make visible

instead of trying to jump immediately to a solution. If you create concepts based on the

issue you are trying to solve, you can generate many potential solutions. 

Concept Extraction.

Three Basic Types of Concepts

Purpose Concepts.

These are no more than “what are we trying to do?” What is the purpose of our company?

What is the purpose of our products or services? The result is similar to a statement of purpose in a general concept term.

Mechanism Concepts  

These are concepts about how things work. How does it work? What is the purpose achieved?

What is the operating mechanism?

Value Concepts

Value concepts capture the value you want and show how this value is integrated into the customer’s lifestyle.

Why is this product/service useful? What value does it provide?

What is that value? How does that value fit into the buyer’s current life?

Working With Concept

When you extract concepts, keep moving from concept to idea and back. 

Then, keep repeating the process. You will be amazed at how many ideas you generate.

Also, the more you work with these concepts, the easier it will get. Like anything else, it does take some practice.

Concept Fans

One way to get many ideas is to use concept fans. When you extract a concept, keep moving from concept to idea.

Then, repeat the process until you run out of additional concepts.  

Concept fans work because you keep getting new concepts around your original idea and fixed point.

Concept fans are a powerful way of generating alternatives to achieve a purpose. Our initial concept,

like “lifting him up off the ground,” using a ladder becomes the fixed point. 

Then, look for alternatives for a ladder, the fixed point. Each alternative idea becomes a fixed point

you can use to create a new concept and fixed point. If you keep going, select a new

fixed point and create a new concept. You will create several concepts around your original fixed

point and concept so it looks like a fan. However, don’t make the new concept too specific; keep them broad, 

Conclusion

The process of creating multiple concepts from your insights is critical when you are searching

for the perfect concept and idea. It is the conduit between understanding and action, transforming

abstract insights into tangible, impactful outcomes.

This creative process is a cornerstone of progress and success, whether it is innovation, problem-solving,

artistic expression, or personal growth. It is the bridge that connects the realm of ideas to the realm of reality,

where meaningful change and transformation take place.

Jim Zitek

Innovative strategies that create more profits.

harborcapitalgroupinc.com

P.S. You might also be interested in these two blogs: No Amount of Analysis Can Reveal a Concept That Isn’t Already There

and P.P.S. Your Value Proposition Is The Key To Revenue and Profit Generation.