Synectic Steps

Task selected: Invent a new telephone

Add: The new telephone that will be invented is going to make use of existing infrastructure such as power lines to transmit communications thus make it very cheap and efficient to install them anywhere they are needed.
Subtract: The new telephone will reduce the worry that people often have regarding availability and dropped calls since the power lines network are more reliable. At the same this will lessen the need for transmission towers.
Combine: This new telephone will combine the wide combine the benefits of a network with wide coverage and the constant need to communicate and this will greatly help in the sale of the new telephone.
Repeat: Once a working prototype is created, it will be replicated to suit the needs of different regions due to issues such as terrain, weather and power ratings.
Transfer: The benefit of this invention is that it will also serve in transferring the benefit of long distance communications to people who are located in remote areas.
Empathize: People who live in today’s world rely on communications for virtually every facet of their lives whether it is professional or personal and this calls for the invention of a new telephone that will meet this need.
Animate: The telephone would want to be part and parcel of the life of its user and get appreciation for the same.
Symbolize: This telephone will symbolize the concept of telepathy and bring it to life as people will easily communicate despite the great distances that separate them.
Change scale: The invention itself will be a telephone but it will be based on a grid system that will transform the whole concept to a network that will be defined depending on the number of units within the network.
Substitute: This will be a great alternative to the use of telegrams, traditional mail and letters delivered by couriers due to the element of immediate feedback.
Fragment: The invention needs to have a component that sends information and another that receives information from the other end simultaneously. At the same time users need to have the ability to decide where they want to place their calls to.
Isolate: This invention will be different from other gadgets in that it is aligned to a human need of communicating. It will complement people’s existence.
Distort: The gadget will come in different shapes, sizes and colors to match the environment within which it is used and also fashion.
Disguise: This gadget can be disguised as a piece of furniture or artwork at the home or office.
Contradict: Is it possible for this device to transmit non-verbal communication such as body language or moods?
Fantasize: Once this telephone catches on it will become a symbol of the global culture.
Prevaricate: This gadget will probably not act as a distraction for the masses from their daily duties.
Parody: The telephone’s invention will be the next step in human evolution as it will enable us to overcome the boundaries posed by space to some extent.
Hybridize: This invention will be easily combined with other existing ones such as the computer, the television and even the watch to create a superior telecommunications method never before seen.
Metamorphose: The new gadget will quickly advance in functionality given the fact that it is going to be widely used by scientists who love tinkering with gadgets they come across.
Mythologize: The telephone will be likened to the Greek god Atlas who held the world on its shoulders, similar to the way the people of the world will be held together by this telephone.