Adapt

Ask: what could be adapted or borrowed from another context, industry, or era to solve this problem?

Why it works

Adaptation is analogical reasoning applied to design: finding how a solved problem in one domain maps onto an unsolved problem in another. This works because the solution structure — the relational pattern — can transfer even when the surface content is entirely different. Analogical mapping is one of the most studied mechanisms of human creative cognition.

How to do it

1. Describe the core problem or function without domain-specific terms.
2. Ask: "Where else has a problem with this structure been solved?" Look in nature, history, other industries.
3. Identify the relational pattern in the foreign solution and ask how it could map to your context.
4. Do not require a perfect mapping — partial analogies often generate the most interesting ideas.

Evidence

Analogical reasoning is one of the best-studied mechanisms of creative problem-solving. Cross-domain analogies reliably produce more innovative solutions than within-domain search. (observational)

Surface similarity can mislead — a compelling analogy may not transfer the right structural relationship. Evaluating whether the mapping is deep or merely surface-level requires domain knowledge.

Sources

• Gick & Holyoak (1983), schema induction and analogical transfer, Cognitive Psychology

Common mistake

Looking only to direct competitors for adaptation — which reproduces the same frame rather than breaking it. The most valuable adaptations come from completely unrelated fields.