A Quantifiable Evaluation Method for Generated Ideas with Many Varieties

Generation of valuable alternatives to develop or modify products or to improve services is important to businesses. Generally, many ideas are needed to fully explore possible changes in products or services [1], [2]. The meaning of “many” is not straightforward and can represent various quantities. Thus, a definition for “many ideas” and an evaluation method for these ideas are needed.This study proposes an evaluation method for generated ideas with many varieties. It is expected that function-oriented thinking and teamwork will increase the quantity of generated ideas. Idea quantity is defined by the number and variety of ideas. In this study, participants generated cost reduction ideas pertaining to a stapler and a tripod, and the ideas were evaluated by idea quantity using the proposed evaluation method. Discussion focuses on the stapler because of difficulties encountered with the tripod experiment.