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The Hundred Dollar Test

Creative tools > The Hundred Dollar Test

When to use it | How to use it | Example | How it works | See also

When to use it

Use the Hundred Dollar Test when you have created a number of ideas and you want to select those to carry forward to the next stage of development.

Use it particularly if you are in a hurry and want to do a quick test.

Use it when you are with people who are turned off by bare numbers.

How to use it

1. Assume you have $100

Imagine you have a hundred dollars. Or maybe a hundred thousand dollars. The point is that you have money - perhaps your own money - to spend on developing several ideas.

2. Allocate to ideas

Allocate your $100 across the ideas you are evaluating. Remember that it is your money, but you will also get the profit generated from the ideas which get developed from your allocation.

When a group of people are doing this, let everyone spend $100 each across the ideas, then add the totals for each.

3. Review your decision

Stand back afterwards and look at how the money is spread out. Are a few ideas being highlighted? If the money has been spread too evenly for ideas to selected, then spend another $100, but assume you can only spend it in one lot of $50 and two lots of $25.

Example

How it works

Allocating points is a relatively cold way of scoring ideas. Money is closer to most people's hearts than points. The notion of spending money grabs their attention and they are much more careful about deciding how to allocate it.

A focus on money also reminds people of the final goal of most creative and inventive activities: to make a profit and sustain the business.

See also

NUF Test