Use your computer to brainstorm - Software Review - Fisher Idea Systems Inc.'s IdeaFisher 2.0 decision support software - Evaluation

Home Office Computing, Dec, 1992 by Jack Nimersheim

IdeaFisher

Rating * * *

AT A GLANCE: Interesting program that emulates stream-of-consciousness thinking to enhance creativity.

DOCUMENTATION: Concentrates as much on what you're doing as on how you do it; introductory booklet describes. important concepts behind the program's design and purpose; a 106-page user's guide explains mechanics of using this unusual software.

EASE OF USE: The mechanics are a breeze to master; point-and-click menus, dialog boxes, and input windows simplify every step.

SUPPORT: Fisher Idea Systems provides technical support to all registered users. The company is small, so support tends to be personalized, but the lack of a toll-free number means this help will cost you.

VERSION REVIEWED: 2.0 (Macintosh)

LIST PRICE: $595

AVERAGE STREET PRICE: $370

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: Macintosh version: 1MB Macintosh; hard-disk drive; System 6.0 or higher. DOS version: 512K IBM PC; hard-disk drive; EGA, VGA, or SVGA; mouse recommended; DOS 3.0 or higher

PUBLISHER: Fisher Idea Systems, 2222 Martin St., No. 110, Irvine, CA 92715; (714) 474-8111, (800) 289-4332

How much is an idea worth to you? Fisher Idea Systems is betting it's worth at least $595. That's the list price of IdeaFisher, an intriguing program designed to spark creativity through, for want of a better phrase, computer-directed free association.

Name your task. IdeaFisher contains two primary modules: QBank and IdeaBank. QBank contains approximately 6,000 suggestions and questions that you use to define a project. Its opening screen contains options for generating story ideas, promotional materials, marketing strategies, and product names, among others.

After you select a general category, QBank leads you through a series of questions designed to progressively narrow your concentration. When I selected the story or script option, for example, QBank displayed a list of plot and character considerations critical to successful storytelling. In essence, QBank functions like a mental sifter, filtering out extraneous thoughts to help you focus on the activity at hand.

Once you've defined a task with QBank, IdeaBank takes over. It assumes a role almost completely opposite that of QBank. Rather than narrow your focus, IdeaBank is designed to expand your consciousness, if I may borrow a phrase from the 1960s.

Cranking out suggestions. Using a series of word and phrase associations, IdeaBank attempts to trigger the creative process. To create my story, for example, I entered dinosaurs in the initial IdeaBank screen. (I had just been asked to contribute a story about dinosaurs to an upcoming science-fiction anthology.) IdeaBank responded by displaying a list of associated topics such as dinosaur bones, dinosaur skeletons, the Dinosaur National Monument, and so forth. Each time I selected a subsequent item,

IdeaBank expanded this list to include more--and more varied--subjects. IdeaBank is actually a database that contains more than 700,000 idea associations. The theory behind IdeaFisher is that, by pointing out the often ambiguous relationships between certain words and phrases, it will provoke your own imagination, thus providing a new and innovative way to look at a task or problem.

So, does it work? Well, that depends. Nothing can create creativity where none existed before. However, I found that QBank helped me focus my concentration by forcing me to analyze the task before me--that is, writing a story about dinosaurs. And IdeaBank helped spark several plot ideas I would not have come up with otherwise.

To its credit, IdeaFisher was also fun to use. This attribute made me much more likely to solicit and, in certain instances, consider its creative input. Whether it' works, I guess, depends ultimately on whether my editor accepts the final story. Still, IdeaFisher added some imaginative twists to the piece that would not have existed otherwise. Overall, I'd have to give this unique program a definitive thumbs-up. It provides a creative approach to the creative process.