THIS PREVENTS YOU TO INNOVATE: Functional Bias
Before you develop innovative ideas, get familiar with one of the top blockers that prevent your creative thinking.
If you are given a chance to bring innovation to a product or a service, do you have a transparent approach to coming up with brilliant ideas?
What will I get out of this newsletter?
By the end of this article, you will learn about one of the top biases that keep us from being creative. It’s called Functional Bias.
By being aware of this strong bias, you can always find ways to break through them. You will be able to generate unique ideas fast.
Summary:
Functional bias is a cognitive limitation that makes us perceive certain functions of an object or service as ‘fixed’ and ‘unchangeable’ and blocks us from noticing new possibilities.
How to overcome
Step 1: Surface as many assumptions and common perspectives about the subject.
Step 2: Pick any one of the assumptions/common sense randomly and manipulate it/them.
Step 3: Based on the bias broken condition, develop a new idea for the service, product, or business.
Step 4: Think about benefits on both sides: Customers and company.
What is Functional bias?
Functional bias is the cognitive limitation that makes us perceive certain functions of an object or service as ‘fixed’ and ‘unchangeable’ and blocks us from noticing new possibilities.
Example:
Cup
Functional Bias: Seeing a cup as a product to hold liquid in the small bowl-shaped container and to drink liquid from it.
Fashion retail store
Functional Bias: Seeing a fashion retail store as a place to sell clothing, items, and accessories.
We see things in a fixed condition.
We take things for granted so many things.
When you think about a fashion retail store, would you imagine the followings?
the store has fashion items displayed
the store has an entrance, walls, floor, and ceiling
it won’t cost you to get into the store
you can freely browse thru items
you can try them on
you can pay money and obtain the item
you pay at the cashier
When the word ‘fashion retail store’ appears in our brains, we often use our experience and form our mental model. That’s precisely why you don’t get confused about how to buy items at a new store in a city that you visited for the first time. You “know” what the retail store is.
But that common knowledge, common sense, is the enemy of creative thinking if you want to innovate the fashion retail store.
So how do we overcome?
Let’s use a fashion retail store as an example.
Step 1: Surface Assumptions:
Start by surfacing as many assumptions about the subject as possible. This will help you identify potential biases.
There is no need to do research. Just use what you already know about a fashion retail store and pay attention to the finer functionalities that it provides.
For example, the fashion retail store below would be a commonly accepted ideas.
Staff open and close the store
Anybody can walk in any time during the opening hours
Multiple customers would be in the store
Products are on the display and shelves
Browse clothes
The customer will be styling clothes on their own
Find the best size
More products are in the store storage
Purchase at the cashier
Bring back the purchased item
Obtain clothes in exchange for money
Even without buying, getting advice from the store staff is free
These are all assumptions.
Listing up all assumptions is half of the battle. You are ready to break bias in your perception about a fashion retail store.
Step 2: Randomly Pick an Assumption:
Choose one assumption or piece of common sense at random and manipulate it. This will help you challenge your assumptions and break through any biases.
Just randomly pick one of the items from the assumption list. For example, I had picked the first one.
Staff open and close the store
Then, let’s try manipulating this assumption:
Staff don’t open or close the store
It’s open 24/7 and never closes
Customers open the store
There is no concept of open or close
Automatic opening and close
By tackling one fundamental functionality of the fashion retail store, can you see that you are starting to break biases?
Step 3: Generate a New Idea:
Based on the bias-broken condition, come up with a new idea for your service, product, or business. This will help you think creatively and identify new opportunities.
You successfully broke one of the biases about the fashion retail store. Let’s say I chose “Maybe customers open the store”. It really doesn’t make any sense at this point, but it’s a great start.
What you have is:
“a fashion retail store where customers open the store.”
Start from this point and come up with ideas.
You can take it literally or make a conceptual leap.
Since customers open, this could mean customers would determine the opening time.
Then, I came up with some ideas.
How about customers would decide the time to come, and the store is open only when the customer would be at the store?
Does it sound interesting? New? Or is it something you’ve seen?
If you don’t feel like you came up with great ideas, go back to step two and manipulate other assumptions. Because you are changing one of the fundamental elements of the subject, you will, without a doubt, come up with some unique ideas that have broken some level of biases.
When you identify an exciting idea, it’s time to invest your effort for further (quick) exploration and develop it into a concept.
Here is one store concept based on this new idea (customers choose a time).
A fashion retail store where customers reserve a time to visit, and they can use the store as a private space to try on and style clothes.
Return to step two, and generate as many concepts as possible.
Step 4: Consider the Benefits:
Finally, think about the benefits of your new idea for both your customers and your company. This will help you ensure that your idea is both innovative and profitable.
For customers:
An appointment to reserve a store as a private space allows customers to feel safe and comfortable since there are no other customers in the store.
Having dedicated time for the customer, we can expect tailored, high-quality customer service from the store staff.
For store or company:
Staff satisfaction levels will be higher since staff can exercise their fashion sense and knowledge to help customers in a deeper manner.
Staff can develop deeper connections with each customer.
Staff no longer need to stay in the store for long hours even without customers. This contributes to better work/life balance.
Wrap up
Wrap up
In this article, we learned these points:
Functional bias is one of our cognitive limitations to seeing possibilities of new functionality in a product, service, or business.
To overcome functional bias, follow these four easy steps:
Surface Assumptions: Start by surfacing as many assumptions about the subject as possible. This will help you identify potential biases.
Randomly Pick an Assumption: Choose one assumption or piece of common sense at random and manipulate it. This will help you challenge your assumptions and break through any biases.
Generate a New Idea: Based on the bias-broken condition, come up with a new idea for your service, product, or business. This will help you think creatively and identify new opportunities.
Consider the Benefits: Finally, think about the benefits of your new idea for both your customers and your company. This will help you ensure that your idea is both innovative and profitable.
By following these four steps, you can overcome functional bias and unlock new opportunities for growth and success.
Thanks for reading!!
If you want to level up your innovation skill, there is a better way.
The above approach is quite effective, and I encourage you to try it out over and over. It will train your brain to break through functional bias and get easier as you practice. For those who want to level up, there are great tools. That’s what I packaged as The Breakbias Operating System. It consists of eight thinking tools, and you can use them to overcome all major three biases (structural, functional, relational.) I will talk about it in my future newsletter.
Whenever you’re ready, there are 2 ways I can help you:
If you’re looking for innovative ideas for your products, services, and businesses, I’d recommend hosting innovation workshops with me.
If you are interested in training for a systematic innovation thinking, I’d recommend getting trained with the BreakBias Master Course.
