Ideation techniques

Explain in your own words what brainstorming is and write down two basic rules that a group must follow for it to work well.

Explain the brainstorming rule 'quantity over quality': why unusual ideas are also written down and what can come out of them later.

During the ideation phase to design an automatic plastic cap sorter in the school workshop, the team records the following dynamics after 25 minutes of meeting:

– Minute 4: Alba proposes using buoyancy in salt water; Lucas laughs and says that "that's a sticky, useless mess".

– Minutes 8–20: Lucas monopolises the floor explaining in detail a robotic arm with artificial vision and artificial intelligence. The rest of the group nods in silence to avoid arguments.

– Minute 24: There are only two ideas recorded: Lucas's robotic arm and "placing a manual operator".

1. a) Identify the two critical methodological flaws that occurred in the session and technically justify how they have blocked the quantity and diversity of operating principles explored.
2. b) Redesign the session by replacing traditional brainstorming with a structured technique (such as 6-3-5 Brainwriting or the worst possible idea method). Explain step by step how you would apply that technique to neutralise Lucas's dominance, eliminate the fear of judgement, and force the exploration of simple physical principles (density, size, magnetism).

Explain what a mind map is, how it is organised, and what it is used for in a technology project.

In a mind map, what is the difference between a main branch and a sub-branch? Explain it with an example using 'bicycle' as the central topic.

How do brainstorming and mind mapping differ as ideation techniques? State at which point in the project you would use each one and why.

Explain what a sketch is and what minimum elements it must include so that another person can understand it without you being present (views, notes, approximate proportions).

Explain the difference between a sketch and a technical drawing, and explain why quick freehand sketches are mainly used in the ideation stage.

The SCAMPER technique suggests verbs to transform an object: substitute, combine, adapt, modify, put to another use, eliminate, and reverse. Apply two of them to a school chair and describe the two resulting ideas.

Your group has twenty ideas and needs to narrow them down to two. Propose three selection criteria (feasibility, cost, impact...) and apply them to three ideas you have made up, showing the final decision.

A 4th-year ESO project team must design a system to prevent workshop doors from slamming violently due to draughts. Five minutes after starting, a team member proposes: "Let's buy a commercial hydraulic piston for 35,00 € and screw it to the top; it's an idea that is guaranteed to work, so let's not waste time looking for more alternatives".

1. a) Technically refute the stance of settling for the first viable solution. Analyse two design risks that the team ignores by failing to conduct a divergence phase (consider aspects such as cost, maintenance, mechanical overload on the hinges, and the pedagogical value of workshop manufacturing).
2. b) Propose two conceptually distinct alternative solutions based on different physical principles (for example, homemade pneumatic damping, pulley counterweight with friction brake, or progressive magnetic retention).
3. c) Design a decision matrix with three weighted criteria (for example: economic cost, workshop manufacturing complexity, and durability) and numerically evaluate the three proposals to justify which one should actually be built.

Four proposals have emerged to reduce litter in the playground: gamified bins, CCTV monitoring, fines, and a poster campaign. Evaluate each using technical and social criteria (cost, effectiveness, acceptance) and propose a reasoned combined plan.