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1.4. Purpose Analysis
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For example, if we ask ‘What is the function of a light switch?’ you might answer ‘To turn the light on and off.’ But this does not really give much of a clue to enable a creative spotlight to be turned on improving the light switch. We could chunk in and answer ‘to make an electrical connection’ which might lead us to electronic switching. We can also ask more radical questions such as ‘What if we did not have a light switch, leaving the light permanently on?’ It would run up the electricity bill, so an alternative purpose might be ‘To save electricity’. This could lead us towards dimmers or people detectors that automatically turn off the lights when nobody is there (who needs a switch?). We can also ask the question ‘Why?’ when inventing around intangible
situations, where the lack of a physical item can make the original purpose even
more difficult to identify. What is the most fundamental purpose of the fire
service, business consultancies or journalism? Other logical/analytic tools:
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