Creative Thinking & Problem Solving
17 min read
Article 79 of 100
In 1946, Soviet inventor Genrich Altshuller began analyzing patents with a radical question: what separated truly inventive solutions from ordinary engineering? He and his colleagues analyzed over 200,000 patents across dozens of industries and made a discovery that contradicted the then-prevailing view of innovation as mystical inspiration: inventive solutions, across completely unrelated fields, reused the same limited set of principles.
The patterns Altshuller identified became TRIZ — a Russian acronym for "Theory of Inventive Problem Solving" (Теория Решения Изобретательских Задач). The core insight: innovation isn't random. Technical contradictions — situations where improving one parameter harms another — recur across domains, and the solutions to these contradictions follow discoverable patterns.
The Contradiction Matrix
Altshuller's central concept is the technical contradiction: every difficult engineering problem contains at least one pair of opposing parameters. Making a structure stronger often makes it heavier. Making a car faster often reduces its fuel efficiency. Making a battery store more energy often makes it more volatile.
Traditional engineering resolves these trade-offs through compromise — accepting a balance point between opposing parameters. TRIZ's approach is different: find a solution from another field that resolves the contradiction without the trade-off.
The Contradiction Matrix is a tool that maps 39 engineering parameters (weight of stationary object, strength, speed, temperature, etc.) against each other. For each cell in the matrix, Altshuller's research identified 1-4 principles most likely to resolve that specific contradiction. The matrix is available in many TRIZ references and has been digitized by multiple software providers.
For example: a team designing a more aerodynamic vehicle body might face the contradiction between "aerodynamic drag" and "ease of manufacture." Consulting the matrix suggests principles like "curvature" (principle 14) and "asymmetry" (principle 4). Applying asymmetry to the body panel design could reduce drag without complicating manufacturing.
The 40 Inventive Principles
Altshuller's research distilled inventive solutions into 40 principles. These are not techniques for generating wild ideas — they're structured approaches to resolving contradictions. Below they are grouped by type for easier reference.
Segmentation & Extraction
1. Segmentation: Divide an object into independent parts. (Modular products, pre-fabricated building elements)
2. Extraction: Separate interfering parts or properties from an object. (Noise-canceling headphones extract sound from noise)
3. Local quality: Make each part of an object fulfill different functions. (Swiss Army knife)
4. Asymmetry: Change from symmetric to asymmetric forms. (Ergonomic tools that fit left and right hands differently)
Taking Away & Adding
5. Merging: Bring nearby objects together or connect them in time. (USB hub, multi-tool)
6. Universality: Make a part perform multiple functions. (Smartphone replaces camera, GPS, radio, etc.)
7. Nesting: Place one object inside another, which in turn is inside a third. (Telescoping antennas, Russian dolls)
8. Anti-weight: Counteract an object's weight by merging with other objects that provide lift. (Hovercraft, buoyancy devices)
Transformation & State Change
9. Preliminary anti-action: Pre-emptively counteract undesirable states. (Pre-cast concrete backing, pre-cooling)
10. Preliminary action: Perform required changes in advance. (Pre-assembled components, pre-measured ingredients)
11. Cushion in advance: Prepare emergency countermeasures. (Airbags, circuit breakers)
12. Equipotentiality: Change operating constraints to eliminate need to raise or lower objects in a gravity field. (Conveyor belt systems, pipe-based fluid transfer)
Dynamicity & Control
13. Other way round: Invert the action, or make moving parts fixed and fixed parts moving. (ReversePrintf printing, treadmill-generator)
14. Curvature: Move from linear to curved surfaces or trajectories. (Aerodynamic profiles, curved architectural elements)
15. Dynamicity: Make an object or environment adaptive to optimal conditions at each stage. (Adjustable wrench, reclining office chair)
16. Partial or excess actions: Achieve the effect partially or excessively to simplify the problem. (Overfilling containers for settlement, oversizing filters)
Transformation of Matter & Energy
17. Another dimension: Move to a third dimension or tilt the object. (Spiral staircases, z-axis in 3D printing)
18. Mechanical vibration: Use oscillation, resonance, and vibration frequencies. (Ultrasonic cleaning, vibration feeders)
19. Periodic action: Replace continuous action with periodic pulses or bursts. (Pulsed sprinklers, intermittent windshield wipers)
20. Continuity of useful action: Maintain continuous flow or action. (Assembly lines, continuous casting of steel)
Smart Materials & Phase Change
21. Rushing through: Use harmful factors, especially harmful effects of environment, to achieve a useful result. (Thermal imaging, waste-heat recovery)
22. Transform harm into benefit: Eliminate harmful factors by combining with other harmful factors. (Retaining walls that double as habitat structures)
23. Feedback: Introduce feedback to improve performance. (Thermostats, automatic gain control in radios)
24. Intermediary: Use an intermediate carrier or process. (Catalysts, enzyme mediators in biochemistry)
Self-Organization & Sophistication
25. Self-service: Make an object serve itself and perform supporting and repair functions. (Self-cleaning surfaces, self-healing materials)
26. Copying: Use simple, accessible, inexpensive copies instead of fragile or complex objects. (Architectural scale models, pilot plants before full scale)
27. Disposable objects: Replace expensive objects with inexpensive copies. (Single-use medical instruments, paper plates)
28. Replace mechanical with informational: Replace physical systems with optical, acoustic, or informational equivalents. (GPS vs. paper maps, digital vs. analog gauges)
Abstraction & Reformulation
29. Pneumatic or hydraulic construction: Replace solid parts with gas or liquid. (Hydraulic lifts, inflatable structures, shock absorbers)
30. Flexible shells or thin films: Use flexible shells and thin films instead of solid structures. (Blister packaging, membrane structures)
31. Porous material: Make objects porous or add porous elements. (Sponge, aerogel insulation, metal foam)
32. Color changes: Change color, transparency, or optical properties. (Smart glass, thermochromic temperature indicators)
Composite Materials & Advanced Functions
33. Homogeneity: Make objects from the same material or with similar properties. (Monocoque car bodies, composite materials)
34. Discarding and recovering: Complete or partial removal of parts after they've served their purpose. (dissolvable stitches, biodegradable packaging)
35. Transform properties: Change density, elasticity, or temperature of an object. (Memory foam, phase-change materials)
36. Phase transition: Use phase changes in materials (solid, liquid, gas). (Ice-cooling systems, sublimation printing)
37. Thermal expansion: Use thermal expansion or contraction of materials. (Bimetallic strips, heat-set threads)
38. Strong oxidants: Use enriched oxygen or air. (Hyperbaric chambers, oxyacetylene welding)
39. Inert environment: Replace normal environment with inert. (Argon-filled light bulbs, controlled atmosphere storage)
40. Composite materials: Replace homogeneous materials with composites. (Carbon fiber, reinforced concrete, cermets)
Case Study: Samsung and TRIZ
Resolving the Contradiction Between Screen Size and Portability
Samsung's design team for mobile devices faced a persistent contradiction: users wanted larger screens for media consumption but also wanted devices that fit in pockets and were comfortable to hold with one hand. Traditional engineering would balance these — a screen large enough but not too large.
Applying TRIZ methodology, Samsung's engineers reframed the contradiction: the physical size of the device didn't need to equal the visual size of the display. Principles 1 (segmentation) and 25 (self-service/self-recovery) pointed toward adaptive or variable-geometry designs. The result was the Galaxy Fold series — a device that physically segments, using a hinge mechanism to transform between phone-sized and tablet-sized configurations.
Samsung reportedly trained over 1,000 engineers in TRIZ methodology. The company documented measurable reductions in development time for products using TRIZ, particularly in resolving technical contradictions early in the design phase rather than discovering them during prototyping.
How to Apply TRIZ in Practice
Step 1: Define the problem in general terms. Don't describe your specific product — describe the underlying technical contradiction in terms of the 39 matrix parameters. Is this a weight-versus-strength problem? A speed-versus-accuracy problem?
Step 2: Consult the Contradiction Matrix. Find the intersection of the two parameters you're struggling with. The matrix will suggest 1-4 principles most commonly used to resolve that specific contradiction in patent literature.
Step 3: Apply the suggested principles. Don't just think about them — specifically ask how each principle could apply to your problem. Generate at least 3 potential applications per principle.
Step 4: Evaluate and iterate. Use your domain knowledge to evaluate which applications are technically feasible and commercially viable.
Limitations of TRIZ
TRIZ was developed in a Soviet context focused on engineering and physical systems. It works less well for purely organizational, cultural, or service-design problems where the "contradictions" are less physically measurable. TRIZ also requires training to use effectively — the 39 parameters and 40 principles are a substantial knowledge base to internalize.
Key Insight: TRIZ's greatest value is systematic: it forces you to frame your problem as a technical contradiction and then gives you evidence-based starting points for resolution. Instead of staring at a blank whiteboard, you work within a structured framework derived from the largest study of inventive solutions ever conducted.