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Assumption Blindness

1/8/2014

 
For example, a company needed to adhere a coating to Teflon--a problem they had been stuck on for quite some time.

In one day, I solved the problem because I systematically listed out all the assumptions they made by stating the problem the way they did. Here's how I did it.
Picture
I went through each of the  50 Viewing Lenses and articulated what assumptions were hidden behind the verb adhere. I listed 23 assumptions but the key ones were the following. The verb adhere assumes:

1) chemical energy is used
2) two surfaces are involved
3) contact is crucial to the act of adhering

Negate the assumptions and explore alternatives to each, such as:

1) magnetic energy
2) three surfaces
3) contact is NOT crucial to the act of adhering

The result is the Teflon Sandwich.
Picture
Place a magnetic surface behind the Teflon and some ferrous material in your coating. The coating will now stick through the Teflon to the magnetic surface, but all the while keep the coating juxtaposed to the Teflon.

In sum, listing out your assumptions in a systematic manner can quickly get you unstuck by uncovering possible features of the solution that you are overlooking.

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    Tony McCaffrey

    Innovation Researcher, College Professor, Entrepreneur

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