Exercises
These are some of the examples and exercises that will be found in the Tree of Dreams.
I'd like to invite you to solve a couple of them now, using whatever technique or method you prefer, and, later on, to solve them again using the book as a guideline. You can then compare the results and see which one gave you better results and even use that knowledge to improve your creativity.
All-in-one Quilt
Your goal was to simplify and improve the experience of sleeping. Working on that you've come up with the idea of an all-in-one quilt. It comes with a matching bottom sheet and the quilt merges in one piece the top sheet at the back of the quilt, the batting comes in three different thickness: light (one layer of interior), regular (two layers of interior) and bold (three layers of interior) and the top is made with the bedspread.
This solution allows the consumer to use only two pieces of fabric instead of the regular 3, 4 or even 5 sometimes, whithout sacrificing warmth or comfot, since your all-in-one quilt is being developed with premium materials:
Robotic Pet
You have developed a pet robot that lives in a interactive terrarium. There, it uses the habitats props and decorations that you have build for him to climb or crawl.
Currently, you have four models of pet robots in the market:
Viper - Snake
Jaws - Beetle
Web - Tarantula
Sting - Scorpion
Digital Game Board
Consoles conquered a new market when you developed one with the screen attached. By laying the game board on the table, you could play chess, checkers, etc.
Suddenly, game boards where digital and people could play any game they wanted using virtual cards, chips, dices, etc.
Controllers have been included in your digital game board since the beginning because that allowed the player to see and hide their cards, receive instructions, etc. Users sync their position at the table through the touchscreen of the console and the device picks one or more players (randomly or by popular selection) and friends and family use it to play hot potato, truth or dare and many other games.
Social Media Organizer
You want to develope an app that would allow social media users to merge all of their timelines from different platforms into one single column inside your app.
For two users to be able to connect with each other, both have to download the app and give it permission to connect with their social media profiles: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, etc.
It needs to have the option of filtering the column. For example, to show only images, videos, or texts. Another filter could be groups made by the user: Friends, Family, Work, etc.
It would be optimal if the user could interact with all of their social media profiles (like, share, comment, post) without having to leave your app.
Statistics could be improved as well, if you develope an algorithm that detects identical posts from different platforms and consolidates their results. Example: Your video has a total of 1,000 views or reproductions across all platforms. 600 come from YouTube, 300 are from Facebook and the remaining 100 come from Twitter.
Social media platforms could be against this idea, specially since their ads would not be shown in your app.
How would you develope the API needed for rhis?
Do you see any other risks?
What other benefits can you think of?
How could you improve this app?
What other uses or applications do you think the users would welcome?
Voice Bank
You read somewhere that, by learning only the top 1,000 most used words of a language, you could communicate with another person in said lenguage and be able to send comprehensive messages.
That gave you the idea to develope an app or a platform in which the user can download a voice bank with the top 1,000 most used words from their prefered lenguage, narrated by their favorite character, artist or celebrity.
You've conceptualized a media library in which impersonators and voice actors can upload their proposal(s) of bank voices like Darth Vader, Kermit The Frog, Jon Snow, Oprah, Christopher Walken, Madonna, etc. and the user can buy these voice banks and download them, leaving a profit for the creator.
You also thought of developing an algorythm that will allow the user to project emotions in their sentences by prolonging a vowel or lowering and highering the tones in specific syllables.
User can use these voice banks to create fictional conversations between them and the character or even between several different characters. They can then share their creations via social media platforms or send them via message.
Now that you have imagine all of this, what should be the next steps?
Are there areas of improvent?
What would you change before launching the app?
Earths Interplanetary Advertisement Company
A race from a neighboring galaxy wants to advertise their planet as a resort for humans to go and visit.
You're competing against a well known and respected intergalactic marketing agency.
You know the target better than your competitors but they've been doing this for a while and have technological solutions on their side.
What would your proposal be?
How would you make it stand out?
What can you offer that your competitor can't?
Game Park
You succesfully launched a videogame themed park in which the visitors can be part of a real match in Call of Duty (with laser tags or gotcha guns). They can also manage a soccer team from the bench during a game. They can play Mario Kart in real life and their vehicles actually break down every time another driver launches an attack to them via a computer system.
Now, France is asking you to build a park in Paris and this is your opportunity to redesign the concept and improve it.
What new attractions and activities would you develope?
Which ones would you improve?
How would you achieve to give the visitors a better experience?
Back: Silk fabric that feels like a cloud of cotton when touching the skin.
Batting: The levels of thickness allow the consumer to choose between warm or fresh, according to their preference.
Top: The consumer can choose between line designs or they can have their own printed on the fabric.
Lastly, you've developed a special line for kids in which they can draw and color the asigned spaces using water markers that will go out easilly when washed. Also, the phosphorecent market allows the kids creativity to light up and makes bedtime more attractive.
What materials would you use in the back, batting and top of the quilt?
What other uses and applications for this product can you think of?
What sizes of the product (Single, Double, Queen, King, etc.) would you plan to produce?
How would you improve it before launching it to the market?
Your robot can have its personality changed between three levels:
Lazy - Will move sporadically and slowly
Active - Will explore its habitat frecuently
Hyperactive - Will move around its habitat constantly, passing obstacles above or below. Will only go back to its resting stone to charge himself.
All terrariums share some components:
Base - A base with connection to electricity and Wifi is required for having a pet, since there's where the robot charges itself. The base doesn't have walls since the robots use sensors to determine the bounderies they have to follow. However, you can take your pet out and allow it to play in the living room, if you want to.
Charging Stone - Every pet robot needs to charge itslef once their battery is running out. The Charging Stone is where they can go, sit and fill up their battery.
Control panel - From it, you can turn the terrarium (and de pet) on and off, and also you can modify your robots personality.
There are three habitat proposals and decorations that you have developed. These are for sale at your store:
Dragon Cementery - Skulls, ribs and bones can be used to build this habitat
Natural Jungle - Branches, rocks, plants and other parts can be used if this is habitat that's going to be built
Geometric World - Plenty of geometric figures can be used for this habitat
Now, you want to upgrade your current models of robots and terrariums, on one hand, but you also want to launch new lines.
How would you improve current robot models?
How would you improve the habitat?
What new models would you develop?
How would you give the consumer a better experience?
Your console connects to a TV and can replicate or extend the image. It also connects with Netflix and YouTube.
Games can be bought through your platform and you already have the basic ones (poker, domino, chess, etc.) and the most popular ones as well (Monopoly, UNO, Scrabble, Clue and many more).
Currently, you're trying to develop new games for the console and an app that would allow the players to use their own smartphones with the console, instead of the controllers included.
How else would you improve this device?
Do you see any other applications it could have?
