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12.5.3. TRIZ: Ideality

How To Invent (Almost) Anything > 12. The TAO Design Process > 12.5. The TRIZ Sequence > 12.5.3. Ideality

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The third step in the TRIZ sequence is to consider ideality. Thinking perfect does not mean you have to have perfect, but it is a good place to start. You can get to ideality by digging further into function.

Fig. 12.5 The TRIZ sequence

Having worked through Primary and Secondary Functions now imagine that just one part delivers all the functionality, and with no problems. You may not have a clue as to how you might do this yet but go for complete simplification. You might just find a way to do it!
Take parts out of the current solution. How does this change things? Discover what you can remove without seriously affecting the functionality. Find other ways to simplify without significant loss.

Think about the ideal solution. For example, an apple which does not bruise, collect dirt and does not need wrapping, a wall which displays your TV picture or paper which prints on itself the words you speak to it.
You now should have some idea of what you want to do, but ensure that you describe it in very loose terms, with just a simple sentence or two, avoiding too much detail. Lots of detail tells your brain that all these little things are important, distracting you from the purpose of this stage, which is to start from pure need.

For example, you might say, ‘I want to design a conservatory to go on the back of the house’ but this it talking about a solution, not the need that is driving it. Find ways you can rephrase this statement so that it captures just the feature (only one if possible) that is key to your goal. So this might be, ‘I wish I had more Living Space.’ Sensory thinking will expand the ideality and highlight aesthetic benefits, so think about colour, light, fresh scented air, soft textures.

A good test is to imagine you have a superb, fault-free and even totally free solution. What if the whole house was made of glass? Ask yourself if there is anything missing? If so, then you need to do some more work on your ideal solution.
 

Other parts of the TRIZ sequence are:

• 12.5.1. TRIZ: Problem
• 12.5.2. TRIZ: Function
• 12.5.3. TRIZ: Ideality
• 12.5.4. TRIZ: Contradiction
• 12.5.5. TRIZ: Principles

Other sections in this chapter are:

• 12.1. The TAO Process
• 12.2. Not OR but AND
• 12.3. The Scientific Track
• 12.4. The Analytic Sequence
• 12.5. The TRIZ Sequence
• 12.6. The Logic Cloud
• 12.7. Psychological Track
• 12.8. The Dream Sequence
• 12.9. The Creative Cloud

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