Pick with guts
The COCD-box® is a selection method to reduce the large number of ideas from a divergence to a number that you can handle. It is a way to add structure, relief and colour to your harvest of ideas.
The COCD-box® is designed to help you separate the wheat from the chaff and make sure that novel ideas are given their due consideration. This technique gives the user a push to also include the original and innovative ideas in the further development of a concept solution.
Blue, red and yellow ideas
Blue ideas are conventional ánd feasible ideas. Blue ideas are easy to implement, examples already exist, they have a lot of support and low risk. They can be realized with little effort.
Red ideas are original ánd feasible ideas. Red ideas are pattern-breaking and distinctive. They trigger excitement and give energy. Red ideas are the breakthrough ideas, the innovative ideas.
Yellow ideas are original ánd not yet feasible ideas. Yellow ideas are the ideas for the future and the red ideas of tomorrow. They are visionary and give direction. Yellow ideas are challenges and dreams.
What makes this technique special?
Consistency
With a common process and language assigned to sorting ideas everyone understands the choices.
Democracy
Everyone has a voice in the choices of ideas and these choices ultimately influence the group’s recommendations for final choices.
Simplicity
The process requires 3 coloured sticky dots or markers (blue, red, and yellow).
Efficiency
Idea choices and support for them are made without time consuming debate. The entire selection process can be completed in about 30 minutes.
Variety
Ideas are sorted into three types and from this sorting emerge true out-of-the-box ideas that are easier to prioritise.
How to go about?
- Number all the ideas you have generated. If you want to merge equal ideas, keep an eye out for differences in details. Only put together ideas that are identical. When in doubt, check with the participant that brought up the idea.
- Determine how many blue, red and yellow voting dots for ideas each participant will get. Rule of thumb for determining the number of dots: Any idea may potentially receive a vote. So the total amount of dots (regardless of colour) equals the number of generated ideas. To calculate the number of dots per participant, divide the the total number of dots by the number of participants. Split the amount of dots evenly between blue, red and yellow.
- Each individual selects blue, red and yellow ideas in silence and jots down their selection on a piece of paper or digital note. Try to avoid participants seeing or hearing what the others are choosing. This can lead to conformism in the selection.
- After a participant has finished selecting their favourite ideas, let the participant copy the number of their choice on the -correct colour- dot. This allows to trace back errancies.
- Only start to mark the ideas when everyone is ready selecting. Mark the ideas by pasting the coloured dots next to the chosen ideas.
- Plot the ideas with the most dots in a COCD-box® (in a large format). Start with ideas that have 3 dots or more. Then -if needed- the ones with two dots. The dotted ideas are classified in the COCD-box® based on majority of the dot colour. For example: If an idea has two yellow dots and 1 blue, the idea turns yellow.
Do you want to use the COCD-box®?
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