analogy

Cross-Domain Analogy Technique

**Origin**: Synectics (William Gordon, 1961); also central to Osborn's *Applied Imagination* approach of "What else is like this?"

**Interaction type**: Generate — AI finds analogous problems in distant domains and adapts solutions.

How It Works

1. **Abstract the problem** — strip away domain-specific details to find the core challenge 2. **Find analogous problems** in distant domains that share the same core challenge 3. **Study how those domains solve it** — what mechanisms, patterns, or principles do they use? 4. **Transfer the solution** back to the original domain, adapting as needed

Analogy Sources

Nature (Biomimicry)

• How does nature solve similar problems?
• Velcro from burrs, bullet trains from kingfisher beaks, self-healing materials from skin
• Best for: structural, efficiency, and resilience problems

Games & Sports

• How do games create engagement, manage competition, handle fairness?
• Matchmaking, progression systems, handicaps, spectator modes
• Best for: engagement, fairness, and motivation problems

Architecture & Urban Planning

• How do cities manage flow, density, growth, safety?
• Zoning, traffic patterns, public spaces, wayfinding
• Best for: scale, navigation, and organization problems

Music & Performance

• How do musicians create tension, resolution, improvisation, collaboration?
• Call-and-response, crescendo, variations on a theme
• Best for: experience design, pacing, and collaboration problems

History & Civilization

• How did past civilizations solve similar problems?
• Trade routes, governance, knowledge preservation, cultural transmission
• Best for: communication, governance, and knowledge problems

Medicine & Biology

• How does the body handle similar challenges?
• Immune system (threats), nervous system (signals), circulatory system (distribution)
• Best for: security, communication, and distribution problems

AI Application Notes

When using analogy internally:

1. Abstract the topic to its core challenge (e.g., "reduce onboarding time" → "accelerate knowledge transfer") 2. Pick 2-3 distant domains from the list above 3. Find genuine analogies (not surface-level similarities) 4. The transfer should produce ideas the user wouldn't have thought of 5. Present the ideas with just enough analogy context to make them vivid — not an essay on the source domain