Explore
Analogy
Borrowing how something works in another field to solve your problem.
What is Analogy?
Borrowing how something works in another field to solve your problem.
What you learn
Borrow how something works, not how it looks.
When it helps
your own field has run out of ideas and you need a useful mechanism from another field.
Use it at work
- Describe how your problem works in one plain sentence.
- Ask where else the same thing happens.
- Study how that field handles it.
- Adapt how their solution works, not how it looks.
Your output
For a problem you’re stuck on, write its mechanism in one sentence. Then find two places outside your field with the same mechanism.
Watch for
Choosing examples that look similar on the surface.
Related practices
- Ideation
- Assumption Mapping
- Concept Testing
- Mental Models
- Perceptual Grouping
- Circular Design
- Forced Connections
Sources
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