Opposites Thinking

What are the assumptions that we make? How can we challenge those assumptions? This tool helps to stretch thinking and come up with more creative ideas.

HOW IT WORKS:

1. List an assumption you have about the problem you are trying to solve.

2. What is the opposite of this assumption?

3. Think about how this could expand your thinking.

For example, when designing a chair

Assumption

All chairs have legs

Opposite

Chairs with no legs

Trigger new ideas

What if chairs could hang?

The Fosbury Flop

Before the 1968 Mexico Olympics, there was only one way of doing a high jump, called the Straddle technique. In that technique, the athletes were supposed to keep their hands straight and chest facing the bar while jumping.

Every athlete followed this norm until one man decided to think opposite.

Dick Fosbury decided to jump in reverse to what was considered an efficient high jump technique back then. INstead of having his chest face the bar, he high-jumped with his head first and his back facing the bar.

To everyone's surprise, that day he broke all records and introduced a rrevolutionary technique to the world. Today, this technique is the norm in the high jump and is called the Fosbury Flop.

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