Young’s 5 Steps to Help to Produce Creative Ideas

Young’s 5 Steps to Help to Produce Creative Ideas

In his 1965 book 'A Technique for Producing Ideas’ James Webb Young outlined five steps to generate creative ideas that can still be put into practice. These are the following:

1. FINDING NEW RAW MATERIAL: Try to obtain new knowledge about the problem and by the development of your own existing knowledge, thereby constantly trying to gain new experiences.
2. DIGESTING THOSE NEW RAW MATERIALS: This can be done by writing down new ideas surrounding the issue in mind. Don’t hesitate to leave the issue for a while if you are stuck on the issue.
3. INCUBATION: This step is also referred to as ‘unconscious processing’ about encouraging your fantasies and subconscious mind.
4. IDENTIFICATION OF IDEAS: Through the first three steps, ideas may unexpectedly develop/ emerge.
5. PRACTICAL IDEAS: Once an idea has suddenly emerged into your mind, it is not automatically suited for implementation. Ideas have to be shaped and reshaped until it becomes practical.

Source: Young, J.W. (1965) “A Technique for Producing Ideas” McGraw-Hill

		Kunal Bhat Entrepreneur, India
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