Problem definition
Analogical Reasoning
Overview
Analogical reasoning is a process of generating ideas from similarities between your problem and something else – a different domain, product, service or even world. It assumes that people have already solved your type of problem before, often in different domains. So the trick with analogies is to find a domain, product, service or world that solves your problem type with more advanced solutions and ideas for you to use. For example, you might be generating new ideas for your local library service – suitable analogies include DVD and car rental services – services that solve the same problem type – rental – tend to have more advanced solutions.
Most analogical reasoning techniques use simple language – your problem domain is called the target, and the other domain, product, service or world is normally called the source. Analogies are formed when you map, or relate, a feature from the source domain to your target domain by transferring an existing idea about the source to the target domain. You then use each mapping to generate possible new ideas in the target domain. Returning to our example, you can map the act of collecting a book from a library to collecting a car to rental. However, rental car collection services include picking up the car from multiple locations and having the car brought to you. So using the mapping, you can generate new library service ideas such as collecting a book from other libraries and having the book delivered to you.
Obviously, the technique is more successful if you find the right types of source, and some can close to your target domain, such as in the example above, while others can be surprising and remote, such as holiday home rentals, and some can be based on fantasy situations.
What to do
The analogical reasoning technique can be applied in the following 3 basic steps:
- First of all, discover one or more possible analogical source domains, using different online search tools to help you. Think about your target domain, and try to decide what underlying type of problem it is. Then think about other domains that have that type of problem, and explore them online to collect information about them. For example, what useful features of video and car rental services can be used to inform idea generation for a new library service;
- For each example analogy, generate a simple set of analogical mappings between the source domain and the target domain, and write them domain as a list of source and target domain elements that map. Use these mappings to decide if the analogy is useful enough for you to use. In general, the more mappings that you can generate, the more useful the analogy will be;
- For each mapping in turn, think about great ideas or features of the source domain that might be useful in the target domain, and transfer each idea and feature to generate new ideas about the target. If useful, run a mini-brainstorm to generate new ideas based on how the source was solved.
People
Works best for a smaller number of people.
Problem solving characteristics
Analogical reasoning is useful when you want to generate lots of initial ideas to choose from for further development, andor if you want to explore the boundaries of your problem based on how other problems have been solved.
Creative phases
Analogical reasoning is useful if you want to relate different problem domains, collect lots of sources of creative inspiration, and to generate lots of new ideas before you analyse them.
Location
You can use this technique anywhere, alone or in groups.
Equipment
Access to the internet is useful to explore different source domains with. Have paper, flipcharts and pens to enable you to list out the mappings between the source and target domains, and post-its to support mini-brainstorming.