rgrazys-blog

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The Final Countdown - PB #9

It’s the final countdown!

We have finally finished our project and it was amazing to finally present our idea to the class. It was also very fun to look back and see where we started and what idea we ended with. Lara and Kelly did an amazing job and it was really great to see their expertise kick in and help us bring our vision together to make the final solution come to life. 

Our presentation consisted of four key categories: The problem, the process, the solution, and our vision for our solution. Kelly, Lara, and I did an amazing job tackling fire safety and prevention as it is a topic that is affecting thousands of people today. Our main focus was to introduce a new way to teach children and adults about fire safety that replaced the outdated curriculum in schools today. We believe our approach will allow the guests that participate in the fire safety simulations to understand how to prevent fires and what to do in the case it becomes uncontrollable. 

Now let’s talk about my amazing professor, Sue. When it comes to innovative and creative problem-solving she’s your person. I have never had a professor who views the world and processes the way Sue does. She provided valuable feedback to not only our group but to each individual colleague to help them with their final approach to their problem. I learned so much from Sue and wouldn’t trade it for anything else – I was very fortunate to have spent the last 3 months with her and the rest of my colleagues. 

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Process Book #7

The approach to fire education and simulation was a challenge as we are trying to create an interactive and immersive experience that will stick with a wider audience. Our goal is to refresh the way the public learns about fire safety and educate those that have never had any experience with fire safety.

The concept that we decided to go with was a mobile live-action simulation. This will allow us to set up in different locations and allow us to spread the word and teach as many people as we can about fire safety.

Below are a couple scenarios that we would set up to allow the guests to really immerse themselves in the live-action simulation. Guests will be able to climb down a sheet ladder, tour a fire truck, put out grease fires, use a fire extinguisher, and experience crawling through a room that is filled with smoke.

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Process Book #6

The sacrificial concept exercise was a fun project that we worked on in class. Rapidly coming up three ideas and then pitching them to the class was really exciting. This exercise allowed my group the chance to move past some of the ideas that we were so focused on, and see the problem from a different perspective. By forcing yourself to move on to the next idea quickly, you don’t waste as much time on the small details, nor do you find yourself getting too attached to an idea that you have vested a lot of time and research into. After the group had come up with our three ideas, we broke out the features and benefits of each. At the end of the day, all three ideas were really promising, so we decided to see what feedback we could gather from our peers after we presented each of them during class. It was a pretty unanimous decision -- everyone seemed to like out Live Action Community Simulations. We discussed the feedback that was given, our thoughts and fears of that specific option, and then made our decision. Luckily, this solution was also the one that we were all leaning toward, so the decision to move forward was not too difficult. I’m excited to begin the next phase of this project and see what kind of mockups and models we can come up with!

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Group Solution - Sacrificial Concepts

Our group had a lot of fun coming up with these three ideas in teaching the public about fire safety without it seeming boring and unnecessary. After a critique from our colleagues and a little more brainstorming, we have decided to go with the third idea and cater it toward children and adults.

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Process Book - #5

This week our team decided on three prompting questions to brainstorm.

1. How might we reach the public about fire safety without making it seem boring or unnecessary?

2. How might we use the inventions we have today to better improve the way we handle fires?

3. How might we improve escape paths and awareness for at risk people without modifying their homes?

We did our brainstorming remotely with a virtual collaboration tool called Mural where we used virtual sticky notes to throw out an abundance of ideas onto a whiteboard. We were able to jot down our ideas quickly and without fear of obscurity or judgement. When we came up with ideas, we said them out loud so that others could build off of our momentum and add to it. We continued to let the ideas flow without getting to caught up in one direction or another. It was fun to use “sticky notes” while being virtual because they are easy to move around and match with other like ideas. We felt like it was effective in “opening the floodgates” and letting our ideas flow freely!

After our brainstorming session, we began grouping the ideas in somewhat logical fashion. We were able to categorize the ideas into a space they would function best or with similar ideas. There were a lot of great ideas put on the table and we were able to see the problem from a variety of angles We even discussed how we could use sexy fireman or a live action fire escape demonstrations to reach adult audiences.

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Group Brainstorming

1. How might we reach the public about fire safety without making it seem boring or unnecessary?

2. How might we use the inventions we have today to better improve the way we handle fires?

3. How might we improve escape path and awareness for at-risk people without modifying their homes?

I have never used mural so when we asked to use it for the brainstorming assignment I fell in love. MURAL is definitely a powerful tool that allows for collaboration from anywhere. The tool also allowed us to get really creative much quicker than a google docs/sheets. Also doing this brainstorming lead to a lot of research into specific fire prevention - who knew there were so many things out there that could potentially put out fires?

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Embr - Problem Statement

How Might We Statements:

- How might we educate our society to know what to do in the case of a fire?

- How might we make it fun and informative to learn about preventing and putting out certain types of fires?

- How might we use the inventions we have today to better improve the way we handle fires?

- How might we improve our current fire education system to help teach children and adults of any age about proper fire safety, preparation, and general awareness?

Problem Definition:

Growing up, I remember learning all about Smokey the Bear and that he stood for fire safety. What I don’t remember is being taught how to prevent them and be safe around them, other than “Stop. Drop and Roll.” Today, I don’t think that the curriculum is strong enough, aside from the very basics. If we spend more time focusing on the main causes of fires, how to prepare for them, create escape plans, and the essentials needed to build a fire safety kit, I believe a number of uncontrollable fires would reduce drastically, as well as the damage and casualties of the ones that cannot be tamed. At the end o

Team Problem Definition:

Growing up, we remember learning all about Smokey the Bear and that he stood for fire safety. What we don’t remember is being taught how to prevent them and be safe around them, other than “Stop. Drop and Roll.” Today, we don’t think that the curriculum is strong enough, aside from the very basics. If we spend more time focusing on the main causes of fires, how to prepare for them, and create escape plans, we believe the amount of uncontrollable fires would reduce drastically, as well as the damage and casualties of the ones that cannot be tamed. At the end of the day, our main focus is educating the public about fire safety.

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Extreme Contexts or Users

Fire Fighters: Our saving grace

Arsonists: Arson is a crime of intentionally, deliberately and maliciously setting fire to buildings, wildland areas, abandoned homes, vehicles or other property with the intent to cause damage.

Pyromaniacs: Pyromania is an impulse control disorder in which individuals repeatedly fail to resist impulses to deliberately start fires, in order to relieve tension or for instant gratification.

Pyrophobia

Everyday homeowners

Campers

People with Fire Pits

Scientists

Creators of Fire Retardants and Suppression systems

Fire Regulators - Inspectors

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Conjunction Junction

Xbox

My Xbox is black and has a few games installed on it. It has two controllers and one headset. It requires power and an internet connection to play online. It is fun and also distracting.

My Xbox is black but it only has a few games installed on it. It has two controllers but only one headset. It requires power, but it needs an internet connection to play online. It is fun but can also be distracting.

Alexa

Alexa is creepy and answers all my questions. She plays my music and can also tell me how many ounces are in a gallon. She is an object and is more intelligent than my friends. She needs power and an internet connection to work.

Alexa is creepy but answers all my questions. She plays my music but can also tell me how many ounces are in a gallon. She is an object but is more intelligent than my friends. She needs power but also an internet connection to work.

Romas

Romas likes to play the Xbox and enjoys taking photos. He loves to watch Formula 1 and also enjoys the Notebook with his wife. He enjoys shopping on Amazon and probably spends too much money.

Romas likes to play the Xbox but also enjoys taking photos. He loves to watch Formula 1 but also enjoys the Notebook with his wife. He enjoys shopping on Amazon but probably spends too much money.

Pencil

My pencil is dull and writes very well. It has an uncomfortable grip and a good eraser. My pencil is black and has a pink eraser. My pencil is small and fits very well in my hand.

My pencil is dull but it writes very well. It has an uncomfortable grip but a good eraser. My pencil is black but has a pink eraser. My pencil is small but fits very well in my hand.

Queso

Queso is delicious and very filling. It goes well with chips and tortillas. It is perfect for lunch and dinner and sometimes breakfast.

Queso is delicious but very filling. It goes well with chips but also tortillas. It is perfect for lunch and dinner but only sometimes for breakfast.

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Process Book #3

Today, fires are becoming more destructive due to certain areas facing major droughts, homes that are built without fire-resistant material, and small fires that accidentally happen in kitchens.

The major question that I have is how can we educate people on proper fire safety to prevent them from getting out of control. In a recent article that I read, it listed out seven steps to prevent fires and the last one was “know when to give up.” I want to make sure people never get to that point by providing them the tools and education they need to prevent fires. The goal is to start at an early age so that they can be exposed to ways of preventing fires. Most of the large wildfires have been caused by kids playing with fireworks.

The emphasis of preventing wildfires is only found in mountainous areas, but I believe that the education should be across areas no matter the surroundings.

When I began researching on ways to prevent fires and education about fire prevention I ran across the Red Cross’s website. They have an in-depth guide on what to do pre, during, and post fires.

In addition to finding pre, during, and post information, the team uncovered new and innovative ways on how to prevent fires by using acoustic waves.

This was super interesting to read about as I’ve never seen anything like it. It also opens up the door to becoming more creative when we begin searching for ways/products that could help us quickly extinguish fires before they become out of control. 

https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/darpas-fire-suppression-system-extinguishes-flames-with-sound/

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Morphological Analysis

Problem: Fires are destructive, unpredictable and can easily get out of control. There is no easy and sustainable way to extinguish fires after a certain point.

Two of our team’s morphological analyses are posted below.

Morphological Analysis 1: Comparing the places that fires occur with the resources that might be available:

Morphological Analysis 2: Comparing the requirements for a fire to exist with resources:

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Success at First

We are energized and motivated to see each other succeed as a team. At the end of the day, our purpose is not only to find the best possible solution to prevent uncontrollable fires, but to learn, support, encourage, and work together. Success is being able to push and challenge each other to find innovative solutions and create better awareness and understanding of fire prevention.

Lara:

Success would look like a solution that I and the team would want to see implemented. Ideally, others would want to see this solution implemented as well demonstrating that it has real value.  

Kelly:

Success would be an incredible accomplishment for our team! It would mean identifying an effective means of fighting fire and possibly presenting something that could make a difference in the world. With all the wildfires in California right now and experiencing firsthand some pretty terrifying wildfires in Colorado, it’s something that is very relevant includes a certain “human element”. We see the life-changing destruction that takes place in the course of a fire and have an emotional connection to it and those affected. For me personally, it would be amazing to be successful in something that’s not a luxury product or service but something that would mean keeping our world and everything that people have worked so hard for, safe. I think that our team would be fulfilled and feel energized by a successful outcome. External reactions would likely be very positive. It’s possible our ideas and prototypes would be used for further research or implementation for fire safety. I think with the human element, it would have an effect on everyone involved.

Romas:

Considering if something is successful or not is the ultimate question, however, if I were to envision what success would feel like for me at the end of the group project is if we have found a solution that can be implemented into our society about fire education and safety. Being able to share our research, collateral and educate others beyond our classroom to help those affected by fires or want to know more about how to prevent fires would be classified as success to me.

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What’s in it for us/me?

Group

- Learning from one another and helping each other

- Learning and applying the 7 step process in more detail

- Learning more about the science of fires

- Energized to solve a real problem that really matters

Romas

- Learning new processes and methods from my teammates

- Discovering more about preventing fires

- The ability to see a problem from a different perspective

- An amazing opportunity to work with incredible and talented people

- The opportunity to work with people who are energized to solve problems

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Destination and Journey

Problem:

Fires are destructive, unpredictable and can easily get out of control. There is no easy and sustainable way to extinguish fires after a certain point.

Why should you be a part of the team?

Romas

- Passionate about solving problems with passionate people

- Experience in data analytics, graphic design, and communication

- I always give it a 150% effort to help my team succeed

- I’m a visionary and I’m always looking for the big picture

Lara

- Personally motivated and interested in solving this problem

- My expertise in design thinking parallels some of the Creative Problem Solving Process

- Access to experts in fire suppression through my work which may be a good resource

- Engineering background

Kelly

I am interested in being a part of this team because I think that we all provide a dynamic perspective and can work together really well. I am very interested in making an entrepreneurial impact on the world and coming up with an idea that could change someone’s life. I am very passionate about entrepreneurship, strategy and business. I do extensive research on these topics, listen to podcasts, watch TED talks, read books and study my favorite entrepreneurs compulsively. I think I can bring a strategic and innovative perspective to the group. I love to incorporate creative elements and ensure that the team is thinking big picture. I have a variety of interesting connections to the topic of fighting fire. Over the past 10+ years, I’ve experienced and witnessed the devastation of the Colorado wildfires nearly every year. I know the destruction that can take place and the loss that can be experienced. Much like flooding or other natural disaster, it is hard to bounce back after something so heavy. My grandpa was a firefighter for many years, so I’ve always found it fascinating to pick his brain about his experiences in the field. I would love to interview him about the topic and find out more about the science behind fires and their strategy for tackling them. I am interested in researching the topic in depth and becoming a subject matter expert so that I can contribute new ideas to my team. I am also interested in the creative side, contributing to the design of a product or the proposal. I am very excited to be a part of this team and work to discover a new way to effective fight fires or minimize the destruction in their path.  

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Contingency Management

Understand your limits. What are your capabilities and the collective capabilities of your team?

We have a mix of engineering, design, and business perspectives on our team, but we are all open to pushing outside of our comfort zones. In addition to everyone’s unique backgrounds, we are able to bring a sense of passion to help each other succeed.

 Establish reasonable and feasible goals and standards. What are your and your team’s intentions and are they in line with your abilities. Where does your team have gaps and how will you mitigate that?

The main goal for our team is to identify feasible solutions to fighting and preventing fires. It is our intention to provide helpful guidelines, tips, and education, with the hope of reducing fire catastrophes, injuries, and overall fire damage. Some potential gaps that our team could face are creating a curriculum that is accepted by the board of education to allow us to educate students on fire prevention, and working closely with fire departments to better understand how to prevent fires. To mitigate these problems, we will reach out to subject matter experts in each particular department or field to ensure we have the best possible action plan and are not missing any key components.

 Be strict and consistent. Do not promise what you cannot deliver. Talk with your team on how to stay within scope and meet and exceed expectations with within your collective means

It is each of our responsibilities to keep one another motivated and energized to find the best possible solution for our problem. Our intention and goal to exceed expectations are dependent on how often we meet and align our personal and work commitments to stay within our scope and complete our main objective.

 Reward yourself. What incentives do you and your team value when you meet your goals and, conversely, what is agreed upon and accepted “consequences” for you or your team members not contributing or behaving poorly?

As a team, we don’t believe in poor behavior or team members not contributing as we are all equally invested in solving a real-life problem. However, we understand that life happens, so it is each person's responsibility to keep all members of the team up-to-date and aware if they foresee any interruptions or issues.

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Five Creative Problem Solving Process Models

#1 - DevOps Model

Which profession practices the model: Developers and IT

How it differs from the other models: Similar to the Agile methodology this is a quick 5 step process between your company and your customers.

Where it excels and where it falls short: 5 steps to this process makes it easy to follow, however, it lacks showcasing the details in between each process.

#2 - Spatial problem-solving approach

Many problems in the world today can be solved using the spatial problem-solving approach.

Which profession practices the model: Any

How it differs from the other models: This model has you iterate, diagnose, and review as you gain new insights and understanding throughout your process by allowing you to rethink the way you approach the problem.

Where it excels and where it falls short: With this model being linear and simple it still allows for roadblocks in the creative process. Teams can easily get stuck in one zone which could potentially harm the process. With the quick changing landscape of the digital world, leaning toward models that allow for flexibility would be ideal.

#3 - Starts with WHY? - Simon Sinek

Which profession practices the model: Primarily marketing, sales, and communications, but can be used in any profession.

How it differs from the other models: You start by asking questions, "Why is this relevant," "Why does this matter," "Why are we doing this?"

Where it excels and where it falls short: Every problem is centered around one main question which is "Why?"  Companies like Apple take this approach to find the core belief of the business. I believe most models should follow the Why model. It helps you focus on the core mission which most companies end up neglecting.

#4 - SynergyStem - Synergy Academies

Which profession practices the model: Education

How it differs from the other models: This model analyzes each subject matter and showcases how it helps students problem solve.

Where it excels and where it falls short: By focusing on students, they will be able to bring this type of problem-solving model to the workplace and excel with any project they take on. It allows students to understand how to approach any task by following this simple model.

#5 - Human-Centered Design Model - IDEO

Which profession practices the model: Designers and Innovators

How it differs from the other models: Rapid ideation and prototyping is what makes this model succeed. IDEO's problem-solving approach starts with people and ends with innovative solutions that are tailor-made just for them.

Where it excels and where it falls short: This model has a main focus and objective which makes it a strong six-step process. By having the central philosophy revolve around human-centered design, physical or digital solutions process stay the same.

[rgrazys-blog]

CPS Interviews

#1

Senior Analyst

How do you come up with new ideas?

I normally get in this super soft cozy chair in my living room, put on my headphones and listen to some soothing classical music. I have found that the coziness combined with comfort and relaxation help get the creative juices flowing. If that doesn't work right away, I put away what I am working on and do something else for a few minutes (usually play a game of UNO with my husband or pet my dogs or go for a walk). Then I come back when I am more focused.

Inspiration is something I am always on the lookout for. It can hit you no matter where you are. If I am trying to create inspiration, I usually do something that requires creativity - like coloring or telling a story. The world around me inspires me. I think about my family, my friends, the vastness of the world, and the minute details that make up life - and then I try to hone in on the problem I am trying to solve or on what I am trying to do.

What is your problem-solving process?

I think sometimes you hit a roadblock in your brain, where you just can't come up with new things. Sometimes boredom or being over-stimulated are the culprits, in addition to being hungry or distracted. If it's that I have hit a roadblock, I take a time out. If it's boredom, I try to take my mind somewhere fun first. If it's over-stimulation, I try to relax. If it's hunger, I eat, and if it's distractions, I allow myself to be distracted for a certain amount of time and then I change my environment to one that's less busy.

#2

Compliance Coordinator 

How do you come up with new ideas?

There are a few ways I generate ideas. I either write or go out in nature. Usually to come up with an idea I write down whatever I am thinking. I like writing so I find that brainstorming on paper leads me to be the most successful. Nature both inspires me and help me generate ideas. If I cannot think of anything or cannot focus getting outside helps me escape my own head and re-center. Being in nature allows my mind to wander to new topics and ideas since nature is so much bigger than one individual. One of my biggest obstacles is the fact that I am a perfectionist. This causes obstacles in coming up with new ideas or writing something because I like to have my first thought or sentence perfect in my head before I write it down. This is why it helps me to get outside, especially if I am stuck on one train of thought.

What is your problem-solving process?

When it comes to solving problems, I am very methodical. Since I have a very linear personality I prefer to go in order and write down everything I know about a situation. Laying a problem all out on paper helps me see the whole situation. From there I brainstorm potential solutions. Depending on the problem I either brainstorm solutions by myself or ask others for solutions, advice, or how they would approach the problem (again it depends because I do prefer to work independently most of the time). After I have worked up potential solutions or ways to move forward I examine which action would get me closest to my desired outcome. I then proceed down that route 110% to make sure I am giving the situation my full attention. If a solution doesn’t work or I need more ideas I will test another option, going through the process all over again. I definitely prefer the straightforward and linear approach versus thinking in hypotheticals.

#3

Customer Service Manager

How do you come up with new ideas?

Necessity is the mother of all invention. I usually generate ideas when situations warrant a new process or procedure to be developed. Motivation inspires me and people with very positive attitudes inspire me. The biggest obstacle I face is whether or not people will listen to my ideas and find them relevant. It is a confidence issue. I have to test the idea several times before providing it to other people.

What is your problem-solving process?

Problem-solving is a little different because I like to research the information at hand to see if there is a logical and easy answer. If not, I like to use tools that are available to me to help do the research. Many times, I find that face-to-face interaction with someone will help me problem solve most of my ideas.