Very clever.

Dunkin’ Donuts has launched a site, mobile site, and iPhone app – Dunkin’ Run (DunkinRun.com) – that allows you invite friends/co-workers to go in on an order at Dunkin’ Donuts.

1. You invite friends – via email or mobile text – announcing you’re making a run to Dunkin’ and
2. your pals place their order online, via mobile, or iPhone app.
3. All the requests are gathered to one order and the ‘runner’ can print the order (with a page to give to the Dunkin’ employee and one for divvying up the goodies when you return to the office).

What a smart way to (1) bring together Dunkin’ fans, and (2) increase the average ticket for sales with bulk orderss at Dunkin’ Donut locations.

This makes ordering a distraction and fun. What’s not to love about that?

I sent a message to a couple of friends letting them know I’d be heading in 20-minutes to make a Dunkin’ Donut run.

Below is a screenshot of the website order screen (with yummy looking images).

[click for a larger view]

Here is a screenshot from the iPhone showing the order to be placed. I can use this at the Dunkin’ location and when I return with the goods.

Dunkin’ even sent an email reminder with the order compiled, letting me know it was “time to make the 8:45 am Dunkin’ Run.”

Very well done. Dunkin’ has thought of everything!

The book What A Great Idea! 2.0 by Chic Thompson is chock full o’ bits of wisdom that help with creativity and creating new ideas.

One bit Chic writes about, is how new ideas are often struck down with “killer phrases.” These phrases reflect the lack of acceptance of something new or different.

We’re all aware of these killer phrases, the killjoy of innovation. People, armed with phrases, jab with…

• It’ll never work…
• The only problem with that is…
• In this economy?
• Oh yeah, we tried that in ‘98… didn’t work.
• You’re kidding, right?
• ______________________ ← your favorite here!

Chic points out that killer phrases “are as inevitable in the innovation process as ideas themselves.”

He adds, “psychologists have said that the human reaction to a new idea unfolds something like this, which we could call the Five Stages Of Idea Acceptance.” I’ve turned this list into a handy graphic suitable for framing.

WHAT TO DO WITH THIS?

By knowing the stages you can either:
(a) have already figured out how to…

• make it relevant
• prove it
• make it safe, and
• show it is saleable

…when you present it. Or at least:
(b) be aware each of these need to be unlocked as you champion the idea.

Happy locksmithing!

Jenny Ward, the Chief Play Activist at Playward, hosts the “Live In PLAY” talk show every Saturday afternoon at 2:30 PST. We chatted for 35 minutes or so, about… how to be creative, tips on being remarkable, and a few other fun thoughts.

Here is the interview, I hope you enjoy it!

About Playward

Playward works to transform the way the world defines work, relationships and individuality – from “hard” to an adventure. Jenny is part of the play-volution, calling on new ways of how we treat ourselves and one another. Playward is bringing back the simple pleasures we are forgetting and adding more FUN to our day to day.

Check out Jenny’s site at Playward.com, and her “Live In Play” BlogTalkRadio station.

Books I Mention In This Interview

During my talk with Jenny, several books were mentioned, I thought I’d provide links to them for you here.

• Pow! Right Between the Eyes: Profiting from the Power of Surprise
  by Andy Nulman – Helps you figure out what’s remarkable about you or your brand.
• Why Johnny Can’t Brand: Rediscovering the Lost Art of the Big Idea
  by Bill Schley – Help you identify what sets you apart from your competition.
• Change The Way You See Everything: Through Asset-Based Thinking
  by Kathy Cramer & Hank Wasiak – Helps you understand and become an asset-based thinker.
• Now Discover Your Strengths
  by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton – Helps you focus on, and leverage your strengths vs. trying to fix weakness (which may never happen).
• Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
  by Chip and Dan Heath – Talks about the “curse of knowledge” I discuss with Jenny. A great book to help you learn to make your messages meaningful and memorable.

Thank you, Jenny… It was a blast!

But First…What Is Problem Solving?

What the heck is problem solving or creative problem solving anyway?

It’s simply a process of key steps to help – when you have a problem – to understand the problem, think-up potential solutions, and make a decision.

We are problem solvers every day of our life… from parallel parking to figuring out ways to trim your FY’10 budget. Many of our problems are small and involve little risk. For these, we can instantly perform problem solving steps in our head.

However, when greater risk is involved… for example when it involves big sums of money, major impact on an organization, or irreversible consequences… these problems need to be “worked” and broken into smaller chunks and run through a step-by-step process. That process is taught in Problem Solving 101.

1. Understand the situation.
2. Identify the root cause of the problem.
   Idea Sandbox focuses on brainstorming and decision making in order to have great ideas for your plan.
3. Develop an effective action plan.
4. Execute, and modify, until the problem is solved.

The benefits of having a process for problem solving? As Ken states in the book… “Rather than feeling as though your life is out of control, you can take charge and shape the world around you. Your dreams and goals will seem less out of reach. And you’ll be better able to accomplish whatever you’re passionate enough and imaginative enough to conceive and pursue.”

Translated to English the book is still the perfect read for a younger audience, but also happens to be one of the best primer’s for adults who need to strengthen their problem solving skills.

Who needs this book?

This book will be helpful if you’ve got this kind of person at work or school…

We’ve got problems with the widgets, Ted.

Lessons from Problem Solving 101

One of the models Ken presents, is how to determine Root Cause Of Problems, and how to overcome them.

1. List all the potential root causes of the problem.
2. Develop a hypothesis for the likely root cause.
3. Determine the analyses and information required to test the hypothesis.
4. Analyze and identify the root cause.

Step 2: Develop the Solution

1. Develop a wide variety of solutions to solve the problem.
2. Prioritize actions.
3. Develop an implementation plan.

If you’re not familiar or need a refresher into using the problem solving tools (below), this books is for you.

• Logic Tree
• Yes/No Tree
• Problem-Solving Design Plan
• Hypothesis Pyramid
• Pros and Cons; Criteria and Evaluation

The other stops of this virtual book tour included…

I hope you enjoyed the tour, got to learn more about the book!

Today, Peter Durand at the Center for Graphic Facilitation posted his take on the book.

And Tuesday, John Chandler at Creativityist provides great background about the book.

An easy read that provides tools helpful for the young and old… These posts will help you better understand the book before you buy it.

Finally… the tour comes to a close, tomorrow, here at Idea Sandbox, see you then!