Creative Problem Solver's Toolbox: A Complete Course in the Art of Creating Solutions to Problems of Any Kind [Paperback]

Richard Fobes (Author), Richard Forbes (Illustrator), Jan Reed (Drawings)

Editorial Reviews

From Scientific American

... a lovely and innovative antidote to the kind of linear thinking most of us learned while growing up, and an excellent primer for those who want to sharpen their problem-solving abilities. ... these tools can be applied to any area of life -- from inventive to business to personal.

Review

Does this book live up to its pretentious [sub]title? Yes, it does, better than any other basic design book I've encountered, ... -- The Millennium Whole Earth Catalog

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Product Details

• Paperback: 345 pages
• Publisher: Solutions Through Innovation; 1st edition (March 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0963222104
• ISBN-13: 978-0963222107
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,253,760 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Guide to USEFUL innovation, May 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Creative Problem Solver's Toolbox: A Complete Course in the Art of Creating Solutions to Problems of Any Kind (Paperback)

This book is both practical and useful in giving you the ability to create creative solutions to any type of problem in any field from family problems to business to science. This isn't one of those cutesy mind game books either. It gives you exercises and tips to not only create good solutions, but to create solutions that are useful, compared to creative solutions that are useless (who wants those?) Excellent. I highly recommend no matter your age, occupation, or location. The information in this book is timeless. Also a good book related to this for those who are into science, check out Robert Scott Root-Bernstein's book Discovering.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent primer if you want to revv up & sharpen your problem solving skills...You can't go to the office without it!, October 28, 2006

By 

Lee Say Keng "KNOWLEDGE ADVENTURER/TECHNOLOGY... (Ho Chi Minh City/Singapore) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Creative Problem Solver's Toolbox: A Complete Course in the Art of Creating Solutions to Problems of Any Kind (Paperback)

Creative Problem Solver's Toolbox: A Complete Course in the Art of Creating Solutions to Problems of Any Kind
by Richard Fobes

Writing a creative problem solving book is pretty easy, but putting the ideas down & bringing them alive - in the form of workable tools - against a backdrop of real world problems, call for a versatile author with myriad pre-occupations. In this case, Richard Fobes fits the billing perfectly as he has worked as a writer, interactive multimedia software designer, systems analyst, computer programmer, inventor, electronics technician, hardware store clerk, & dance instructor. He has spent five years researching & writing this book.

Many of the author's early ideas have been published during the four years he wrote the Creative Problem Solving Tips column of the Focus newsletter from the American Creativity Association. [Readers can access the tips via the author's solutioncreative website.] That's how I got to know about Richard Fobes & his inspiring book.

A few things intrigued me when I first encountered the book during the early nineties:

1. A catchy subtitle, A complete Course in the Art of Creating Solutions to Problems of Any Kind;
2. A radial outline of the book at the end of the book (I wish all authors can follow his example!);
3. A portrait of a lady next to Einstein on the front cover. I didn't know her until I read about her: She was Hypatia, who invented a hydrometer which measures fluid density. She lived in Alexandria, Egypt, from 370 AD to 415 AD. The author has deliberately put up her portrait as a reminder that women also innovate! Bravo!
4. There are sixty five ingenious tools for solving problems in the book;

Upon reading it, I found it to be a very user-friendly book. There are a lot of examples & exercises in a variety of real world problem settings.

Personally, I have applied many of the tools in the book. At the time I had acquired it, I had just started my own strategy consulting business as well as my learning resource store. Being a novice entrepreneur, the book served in many ways as my problem solving advisor. In fact, the book was also part of my store inventory during the early years.

For the benefit of readers, I append below the table of contents:

1. Opening the Toolbox;
2. Welcome Your New Ideas;
3. Reconsidering Your Goals;
4. Exploring Your Many Alternatives;
5. Refining Your Ideas;
6. Thinking in Alternate Ways;
7. Thinking Dimensionally;
8. Understanding Clarity;
9. Considering Your Goals Some More;
10. Taking Action;
11. Using the Toolbox;
12. Closing the Toolbox;

In particular, I like the author's observations & arguments in the book:

- goals influence thinking in surprising & subtle ways & they expand possibilities;
- besides weight & money, other dimensions that defy being measured such as love, risk, assertiveness are a part of virtually every real problem;
- a failure to reach a clear understanding lies at the root of most unsolved problems;
- thinking visually, thinking in concepts & using intuition enhance the problem solving process;

My end anaylsis of this book is this: An excellent primer if you want to revv up & sharpen your problem solving skills. It's really a toolbox! You can't go to the office without it!

[I am very glad & also feel proud for the author, as his book has been translated into Chinese, Russian, Indonesian, Japanese & Korean. Watch out the Chinese!]

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Possibly the Best Book on Creative Problem Solving, February 7, 2007

By 

bronx book nerd (Bronx, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Creative Problem Solver's Toolbox: A Complete Course in the Art of Creating Solutions to Problems of Any Kind (Paperback)

I've read many books of this type and this one is by far the most comprehensive. It is not just a laundry list of tools and techniques, it also provides a greater guidance on the best attitude and mental approach to make the book useful. The author himself says repeatedly, not just in humility but in acknowledgement that there may be better yet unidentified methods, to not just believe everything he says but to try out all the tools in real life, and to improve upon them as necessary. At times the book reads somewhat like a tedious manual, but this is completely counterbalanced and outweighed by the abundance of information and meaningful examples. This is a lifetime reference for anyone interested in making their life more interesting via applied creativity.