What are the Techniques for generating an idea?

 Q. 8: What are the Techniques for
generating an idea?

ANSWER:

In general, entrepreneurs identify more
ideas than opportunities because many ideas are typically generated to find the
best way to capitalize on an opportunity. Several techniques can be used to
stimulate and facilitate the generation of new ideas for products, services,
and businesses. Let’s take a   look at
some of them.

1-Brain storming ذہن
لگانا:

A common way to generate new business
ideas is through brainstorming. In general, brain storming is simply the
process of generating several ideas about a specific topic.

In a formal brain storming session, the
leader of the group asks the participants to share their ideas. One person
shares an idea, another person reacts to it, another person reacts to the
reaction, and so on. A flip chart or an electronic whiteboard is typically used
to record all the ideas. A productive session is freewheeling بے
فکرا/ مست and lively زندہ
دل/ جوشیلا. The session is not used for analysis or
decision making—the ideas generated during a brainstorming session need to be
filtered and analyzed, but this is done later. 

2-Focus group:

A focus group is a gathering of 5 to 10
people who are selected because of their relationship to the issue being
discussed. Although focus groups are used for a variety of purposes, they can
be used to help generate new business ideas.

Focus groups typically involve a group of
people who are familiar with a topic, are brought together to respond to
questions, and shed light on an issue through the give-and-take nature of a
group discussion. Focus groups usually work best as a follow-up کسی
نتیجے پر پہنچا کر دم لینا / پَيروی کرتے رَہنا to brainstorming

3-Library and internet research:

A third approach to generating new business
ideas is to conduct library and Internet research. A natural tendency is to
think that an idea should be chosen, and the process of researching the idea
should then begin. This approach is too linear. Libraries are often an
underutilized source of information for generating business ideas. The best
approach to utilizing a library is to discuss your general area of interest
with a reference librarian, who can point out useful resources, such as
industry-specific magazines, trade journals, and industry reports. Simply
browsing through several issues of a trade journal on a topic can spark new
ideas. Very powerful search engines and databases are also available through
university and large public libraries.

Internet research is also important. If
you are starting from scratch, simply typing “new business ideas” into Google
or Yahoo! will produce links to newspaper and magazine articles about the
“hottest” and “latest” new business ideas.

4-Customer advisory board:

Firms use a variety of other techniques
to generate ideas. Some companies set up customer advisory boards that meet
regularly to discuss needs, wants, and problems that may lead to new ideas.

5-Day-in-the-life research:

 Some companies conduct day-in-the-life
research.  The company routinely sends
teams of testers to the homes and businesses of its users to see how its
products are working and to seek insights for new product ideas.

6- Establishing a focal point for idea:

Some firms meet the challenge of
encouraging, collecting, and evaluating ideas by designating a specific person
to screen and track them—for if it’s every- body’s job, it may be no one’s
responsibility. Another approach is to establish an idea bank or vault, which
is a physical or digital form for storing ideas.