In this technique (translated as cutting into cubes), a challenge is broken down into as many individual aspects as possible. The more individual aspects a challenge can be broken down into, the more starting points one has for changing or improving details of a product, for example. Think of renovating individual rooms instead of the whole house.
When breaking down a challenge into “cubes”, it is possible to search for its individual attributes: These can be descriptive, process-oriented, functional, social, price-related or ecological.
Descriptive attributes may include: Material, structure, color, shape, texture, sound, taste, smell, size or density.
Process-oriented attributes: Manufacturing, marketing, sales, function or time
Socially Oriented Attributes: Commitments, politics, taboos
Price attributes: respective costs of the manufacturer, wholesalers and retailers, and end-customer price
Ecological attributes: positive or negative impact on the environment
For example, if you want to improve a product or service, look for as many features about it as possible – quantity is more important than quality here. Don’t worry about the “correctness” of your list. A certain amount of self-confidence here will allow you to put together an individual, original collection of terms that will lead to new ideas.
Once you have created an extensive list of properties, you now have the opportunity to look carefully at each term. You can methodically revolve around each aspect – one at a time. Even seemingly incidental features that might otherwise be overlooked come into your focus and can lead to new solutions and ideas.