What if you are really stuck trying to find a solution to a difficult problem. You have tried all the usual techniques for thinking creatively, outside the box, and nothing . . . Maybe the solution is to ask a different question.
Suppose you own a trendy, kitschy, restaurant. Patrons love your food and atmosphere, but complain about how long it takes for meals to be served. You struggle with different ideas on how to speed up the order-to-table process, but each seems to sacrifice quality or another element of service.
Instead of speeding up service, you decide to purchase disposable paper table cloths with games and puzzles printed upon them. You provide either a set of crayons or markers at each table. Your service isn’t any faster, but patrons no longer complain, as they are busy enjoying the experience and having fun!
You never answered the question about how to speed up your service. But you didn’t have to. You simply asked and answered a different question!