Strong concepts are balanced. I review each idea through a set of creative and practical tensions.
The Six Tensions
- Problem vs. Promise: Does the promise directly solve the problem?
- Promise vs. Proof: Is the proof strong enough to support the claim?
- Price vs. Value: Is the value clearly worth the cost, effort, or change?
- Synergy: Do all parts of the idea tell one coherent story?
- Meaningfulness vs. Uniqueness: Is the idea both useful and different?
- Completeness vs. Simplicity: Is the concept complete without becoming confusing?
Why This Matters
This step prevents weak ideas from sounding better than they are. It also helps improve good ideas before they are tested or presented.