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Brainstorming tools
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Posted by Lb
Dec 8, 2021 at 12:39 PM
Funny enough there’s an Amazon page for it. I like the contents list - Book and Floppy Disks.
https://www.amazon.com/Ideafisher/dp/B000A09OPW
Posted by MadaboutDana
Dec 8, 2021 at 12:44 PM
That’s one of the ones I tried: IdeaFisher! I did try it out, but really… the human mind just doesn’t work like that. Trying to generate ideas by ticking boxes? The results are, predictably, uninspiring.
Lb wrote:
Funny enough there’s an Amazon page for it. I like the contents list -
>Book and Floppy Disks.
>
>https://www.amazon.com/Ideafisher/dp/B000A09OPW
Posted by Franz Grieser
Dec 8, 2021 at 01:25 PM
MadaboutDana wrote:
>That’s one of the ones I tried: IdeaFisher! I did try it out, but
>really… the human mind just doesn’t work like that. Trying
>to generate ideas by ticking boxes? The results are, predictably,
>uninspiring.
Ticking boxes? Sounds uninspiring, indeed.
In the Ideafisher I trialled years ago, you had to answer questions by typing. Better than ticking boxes :-)
Posted by Stephen Zeoli
Dec 8, 2021 at 01:35 PM
I don’t think I quite understand the question, because it seems to me any outliner should help brainstorm like a pen to paper, with some limitations, but also with some advantages.
I am reminded of the app Brainstorm, which is still available:
It is intended as a frictionless way to do a brain dump on a subject, then reogranize the thoughts quickly and easily. I never found it quite that easy (having to remember keyboard shortcuts is always a stumbling block for me).
Another method that works for me is writing about the subject, and turning it into a conversation with myself. But usually the best ideas come from interaction with others, and there are a ton of software platforms that allegedly facilitate collaboration.
Anyway, as I said, perhaps I didn’t really understand the question.
Steve
Posted by satis
Dec 8, 2021 at 02:04 PM
Franz Grieser wrote:
> The only software tool that I know of is no longer availabe: It was
>called Ideafisher
I had that app around 1990. It came on several floppies and had a list price of $400 or $500. (I was sent an evaluation copy and was never asked for it back.) It mainly used memory prompts, analogy, metaphor, and free association to help users generate ideas by choosing a word, and Idea Fisher generated dozens or hundreds of associations and related concepts. They later added questionnaire templates to tease out more info to search for, which I found fairly useless. I’d go directly into the Idea Bank database and enter a word and the app would give category results.
It effectively was a form of thesaurus-slash- thematic dictionary, but it was not as useful as I’d hoped. Today I’d get more out of a thematic dictionary like Descriptionary, plus an online thesaurus, plus googling quotes on a subject and seeing what turned up in Pinterest (or Google Image search) - it would be more helpful though a search would take longer.
A 30+ year old LA Times article I archived describes one IdeaFisher search:
Start in the IdeaBank, the program’s database of associations.
Type in the words dog treat.
The program spits out a list of topic categories:
ability/skill/talent/training/practice/lessons
dogs/cats/family pets
foods/food groups
like/want/prefer
Select dogs/cats/family pets
The program produces a list of associations that help the user brainstorm and serve as a catalyst in the creation of a name:
best friend—myth +—Dalmatian in a fire truck
fire hydrant—mutt—gingham dog and calico cat
puppy love—show dog—shaggy-dog story
dog bone—bone—can’t teach an old dog new tricks
dog costume—top dog—Old Mother Hubbard
doggie bag—figurine—leader of the pack
show-ring—trophy—best of breed
circus dog—pedigree—pick of the litter
shake hands—scent—Run, Spot, Run
The user jots down possible name ideas in the program’s Idea Notepad.
gingham dog and calico cat: Gingham Dog
dog bone: Bone Appetit
puppy love: Puppy Loves
can’t teach an old dog new tricks: New Tricks
The list of ideas can then be tested and refined in the QBank, which generates questions such as “How would you expand the concept?”