Unit 4: Ideation and Creative Problem Solving - Practice Quiz

1 What is the main purpose of exploring creative thinking methods?

2 Which approach encourages people to challenge usual assumptions?

3 What does divergent thinking mainly involve?

4 What does convergent thinking mainly involve?

5 What is brainstorming?

6 What is an important rule during an early brainstorming session?

7 What does SCAMPER help people do?

8 What is mind mapping used for?

9 What is the purpose of using a random word in idea generation?

10 What does the phrase "How might we...?" usually introduce?

11 What is a criterion?

12 Why should solutions be evaluated against defined objectives?

13 Which criterion could be used to evaluate a new product design?

14 What is a scoring matrix used for?

15 What does feasibility describe?

16 What does prioritisation mean?

17 Why are solutions prioritised?

18 Which factor is commonly considered when prioritising solutions?

19 What is the main purpose of selecting a solution?

20 A solution should generally be selected because it:

21 A team is designing a low-cost water filter and wants to move beyond obvious improvements. Which method would best encourage them to examine the product from unrelated perspectives?

22 A team uses SCAMPER on a reusable lunch container. Asking, "Can the lid be used as a measuring cup?" mainly applies which SCAMPER action?

23 During a design session, participants first generate ideas independently and then share them with the group. What is the main advantage of this approach?

24 A public library wants to redesign its membership process. Which activity best uses analogy as a creative thinking method?

25 A facilitator asks participants to produce as many ideas as possible for ten minutes and postpones all criticism. Which brainstorming principle is being applied?

26 A team has identified the problem "students struggle to find quiet study spaces." Which reframed question is most likely to generate diverse ideas?

27 A team maps the stages a customer experiences when returning an online purchase and generates ideas at each stage. Which technique is this?

28 In a brainwriting exercise, each participant writes three ideas before passing the sheet to another person. What is the likely benefit?

29 A team uses a morphological chart to improve a bicycle-light system. What does the chart mainly help the team do?

30 A team evaluates three service concepts using cost, accessibility, and environmental impact. Why should the criteria be defined before scoring the concepts?

31 A concept scores 4 out of 5 for usability, 2 for cost, and 5 for safety. If safety is the most important criterion, which evaluation method is most appropriate?

32 A prototype receives high usability ratings but fails a mandatory safety requirement. How should the team normally treat this result?

33 Two concepts have similar total scores, but one has much stronger evidence from user testing. What should the team do next?

34 A team evaluates a transport app only on download numbers, although its objective is to improve reliable access for elderly users. What is the main problem?

35 A team uses an impact-effort matrix. Concept A has high impact and high effort, while Concept B has moderate impact and low effort. Which concept is usually a good early priority?

36 A product team has limited resources and ranks ideas by customer value, implementation effort, and strategic fit. What is the purpose of this prioritisation?

37 A prioritisation matrix gives customer value a weight of 0.5, feasibility 0.3, and sustainability 0.2. Which statement is correct?

38 A team must choose one concept for prototyping. Concept X has the highest score, but it depends on technology that is not yet available. What is the most responsible selection approach?

39 A selection panel chooses a solution because it matches the organisation's stated objective, even though another option is more popular with panel members. Why is this decision defensible?

40 After selecting a concept, a team documents the criteria, evidence, trade-offs, and assumptions behind its decision. What is the main benefit?

41 A hospital wants to reduce outpatient waiting time without adding staff or rooms. Which sequence best uses creative thinking methods before selecting concepts?

42 A team repeatedly proposes minor improvements to an existing product. Which intervention most directly reduces fixation on the current solution?

43 A public-transit team reframes "How might we make buses faster?" as "How might we reduce passengers' perceived journey burden?" What is the primary advantage of this reframing?

44 During a design sprint, senior engineers dominate discussion and junior members stop contributing. Which structure best preserves diversity without sacrificing technical rigor?

45 A team applies SCAMPER to a reusable food container. Which prompt most specifically represents the "Put to another use" operation?

46 A team uses morphological analysis for a portable water purifier. It identifies four independent dimensions with 3, 4, 2, and 5 alternatives. How many nominal combinations exist before compatibility constraints are removed?

47 In a reverse-brainstorming session on reducing data breaches, which prompt is most appropriate?

48 A team has generated 200 ideas, but most are variations of three familiar concepts. Which next step best increases useful variety?

49 When using the six thinking hats for a medication-adherence service, which practice best preserves the method's value?

50 A solution must satisfy a legal requirement and then maximize accessibility and cost performance. Which evaluation model is most appropriate?

51 Two concepts receive weighted scores of 82 and 79. The first depends on an untested technology, while the second uses mature technology. What is the most defensible evaluation response?

52 A scoring matrix uses a 1–5 scale for cost, safety, and desirability, but the team assigns weights of 0.5, 0.3, and 0.4. What is the principal flaw?

53 A concept improves average service speed but creates severe delays for a small, vulnerable user group. Which evaluation change best exposes this issue?

54 A product team must prioritize initiatives using value, effort, risk reduction, and strategic alignment. Why is an unweighted impact–effort grid potentially inadequate?

55 A team prioritizes features by multiplying customer value by confidence and dividing by effort. Which interpretation is most accurate?

56 Three solutions are prioritized using a weighted score, but one solution is worse than another on every criterion and no constraint favors it. What should happen?

57 A final choice must balance user desirability, technical feasibility, and organizational viability. Which selection approach is strongest when evidence is incomplete?

58 A concept scores well overall but fails a safety threshold under a foreseeable operating condition. How should it be treated?

59 A selection panel's final decision consistently favors concepts proposed by senior staff, although anonymous scoring shows no performance advantage. Which corrective action is most appropriate?

60 A team must choose between a high-potential concept with uncertain adoption and a moderate concept with strong evidence of acceptance. Which decision rule best reflects responsible selection?