Generating ideas for complex problems is hard. We often jump to familiar solutions or miss some factors of the problem. And complex problems require more than a traditional brainstorming. That's when a methodical approach helps – enter Zwicky box.

Zwicky box is a creative thinking tool for generating whole solutions to complex problems by systematically exploring all possible combinations of different attributes. It's also often called 'morphological box' but got a more catchy name after its creator Fritz Zwicky, a 20th century Swiss astronomer. 

On top of his many scientific contributions (such as discovering dark matter or neutron stars), Zwicky developed this method to solve complex problems by applying two principles of creativity: decomposition and forced association.

How to use it

Zwicky box works best when you have a complex problem with several dimensions or when you need to generate a large number of creative solutions. It's particularly powerful in team settings where different people can contribute ideas to each category.

Before you start, clearly define the problem you're trying to solve. Then follow these steps:

1. Identify relevant categories or attributes

This is the most critical step. Break down your problem into key categories (or attributes, parts, functions, properties, elements...) that define the system you're dealing with. They need to be logically independent to enable combining options later.

Tip for identifying attributes: Look at an existing example, list its parts or components and try to reverse-engineer the attributes from there.

For example, if you're designing a new app, your attributes might be: target audience, main function, unique feature, delivery method and revenue model.

2. Add values to create your Zwicky box

Make a table with all your categories as columns. Then add ideas or values for each column, as many as you can think of. 

Don't filter ideas yet and try not to be limited by "what's possible". The more ideas you'll have, the more combinations will be possible in the next step.

In our example of designing a new app, you might name these values in the revenue model category: subscription, one-time purchase, in-app advertising, pay-what-you-want or sponsorships.

3. Generate combinations

Now that you have your Zwicky box filled out, you can start generating combinations.

Pick a value from each column to create a complete solution idea. You can do this systematically for all combinations, randomly, or you can focus on specific options or attributes.

It's important to spend enough time on this and to stay open-minded. Even combinations that seem strange at first can lead to innovative solutions. 

Example: redesigning a feedback system

Let's illustrate using the Zwicky box with another example. Say that you want to improve how you collect customer feedback for your app.

First, we find the relevant attributes: collection method, timing, format, incentive and analysis.

With these in place, we can create our Zwicky box:

Now you can start finding and evaluating different approaches. For example:

• Combination A: Phone interview + Weekly schedule + Audio message + Early access + AI sentiment analysis
  • Weekly calls where customers leave voice messages about their experience, rewarded with early access to features, with AI analysing sentiment patterns.
• Combination B: Social listening + During usage + Video response + Recognition + Team discussion
  • A system that monitors social mentions of your product and, when users discuss it while using your app, you publicly recognise their feedback and request video responses for team discussion.

Not all combinations will make sense but some might spark ideas you wouldn't have considered or even voiced in a classic brainstorming session.

When to use a Zwicky box

This method works best for:

• Complex problems with multiple dimensions
• Innovation challenges that require new ideas
• Product development when exploring many design posibilities

Apart from complex work challenges, it can be also fun to use it for things like creating a new sandwich.

Put Zwicky box to practice

I've created a template (in PDF and Miro) for creating your own Zwicky boxes. It includes a step-by-step reference guide with an example.

You can get it with Untools Vault which gives you instant access to all Untools premium templates and monthly exclusive deep-dives about thinking tools.

Takeaway

We already mentioned that Zwicky box is for complex problems where simple brainstorming falls short. Because of the sheer volume and various combinations of solutions it can produce, it's also a good candidate for when you need to find innovative solutions and want to think "out of the box" in a methodical way.

To get the most out of it, focus on choosing the most relevant attributes and explore enough combinations, even if they seem odd.

At the end of the day, Zwicky box will give you lots of raw ideas but it's still up to you to refine them into solutions that will actually work.