Crowdstorm: The Future of Innovation, Ideas, and Problem Solving

Chapter 3

Ask the Right Question

What new technologies, processes or business models can help consumers use energy more wisely and improve our energy balance?

—GE Ecomagination

Tricorder Prize

—X Prize Medical Device Challenge

Make paper cups disappear.

—Starbucks Betacup Challenge

Show Triple Eight how their next snowboard helmet should look.

—Triple Eight Challenge

Make your dreams comes true.

—LEGO Cuusoo New Product Idea Request

Submit a business plan.

—Sequoia Capital New Business Idea Request

Design a jewel box of an ultra-low-footprint apartment in 420 square feet (~39 square meters).

—LifeEdited Design Challenge1

“It could just fold up and fit in your pocket,” explained Toby Daniels, as he sketched the outline of his idea for a folding cup. Toby was trying to solve a problem. Based on his research, he had determined that reusable coffee cups were inconvenient, but necessary. If instead, more people elected to reuse coffee cups, we would not need to throw away billions of paper cups each year.

So began a long discussion about our paper coffee cup problem—it was the genesis of framing the call to action for the Starbucks Betacup challenge. Eventually, the Crowdstorm authors and a large group of advisers, idea contributors, voters, media outlets, and Starbucks joined Toby.

Our first conversation and problem framing evolved to explore all the other ways in which we might reduce paper cup use, initially by focusing on reuse. As we discussed possible solutions, we began to understand ...