Analogical thinking: generating breakthroughs from the familiar

Innovation does not always start from a blank slate. In fact, many epoch-making inventions in human history stem from an older and more instinctual cognitive strategy: Analogy. When we face the unknown, our most natural approach is often to look for a comparison—to ask, "What is this like?" In innovation practice, this process of starting from known experiences and migrating solutions via similar structures and logic is known as Analogical Thinking.

The value of analogical thinking lies in its ability to help us quickly mobilize existing knowledge bases when facing unfamiliar problems, transplanting frameworks or principles from other fields to construct solutions in a structured way. This method is neither simple copying nor pure imagination; rather, it is the identification and reorganization of "structural similarities in problems."

There is actually a profound cognitive science foundation behind this. In 1980, Mary Gick and Keith Holyoak of the University of Michigan studied the role of analogical thinking in the psychological mechanisms behind creative insight. They found that when people process problems, they do not always start with logical reasoning but tend to first search their memory for experiences in solving "similar problems." Their research pointed out that anecdotes from many scientists and mathematicians show that the proposal of new theories often relies on discovering and applying analogies from different fields of knowledge. Examples include comparing the blood circulation system to a hydraulic system, or the atomic structure to a planetary model of the solar system. Later, Professor Dedre Gentner of Northwestern University proposed the "Structure Mapping Theory," explicitly stating that effective analogies depend not on surface similarities, but on the mapping relationships of underlying structures.

This also explains why many major inventions actually originate from the observation and "translation" of nature or systems in other fields.

A few examples make this easy to understand.

The invention of the famous "Velcro" originated from a dog-walking experience. In 1941, when Swiss engineer George de Mestral returned from walking his dog, he noticed that his dog's fur and his own trousers were always covered with plant seeds (burrs). After observing the hook structure of these seeds under a microscope, he wondered if he could mimic this structure to design a reusable artificial fastening material. This is a classic case of migrating a plant's "attachment mechanism" to "industrial connection materials" via analogy.

Another famous case comes from the medical field. The structural design of heart stents was originally inspired by the opening and closing mechanism of umbrella ribs. The stent needs to expand within tiny blood vessels and be positioned precisely; this requirement is highly consistent with the logic of "a folding umbrella opening in a small space and maintaining tension." By analogizing the skeleton structure of an umbrella, the design team developed an implantable, expandable, and stable intravascular stent, significantly improving the safety and efficiency of interventional therapy.

There is also a method involving "distant analogy," which is the migration of business logic across industries. For example, when the high-end Japanese restaurant chain Jojoen introduced the practice of "standardized meal preparation + visible transparent kitchens," its reference was actually Toyota's final assembly line. The two seem unrelated—one is manufacturing, the other is service—but the logic behind them—improving process efficiency while maintaining quality—possesses high structural similarity. This is precisely another level of value in analogical innovation: breaking down industry barriers to achieve reorganization in thinking first.

Of course, not all analogies are beneficial. Weak analogies or surface-level analogies often lead to misleading results or even wrong directions. Therefore, when enterprises use analogy for innovative ideation, they should follow three basic principles:

1. Focus on structure rather than appearance: Is there a correspondence in problem-solving logic, rather than just "looking alike"?

2. Define migration boundaries: Which elements can be referenced, and which must be redesigned?

3. Verify with user perspective: Does the result of analogical migration still fit the target user's usage scenario and cognitive pattern?

In our consulting practice, analogical thinking is particularly suitable for the following types of situations: First, when facing new problems without ready-made solutions, inspiration can be found through "cross-boundary borrowing"; second, when encountering bottlenecks in product or process optimization, mature models from other industries can be used to crack the problem; and third, during the phase where new concepts or prototypes need to be built quickly, analogies can be used to accelerate cognitive construction.

Unlike SCAMPER, which emphasizes starting from internal changes, analogical innovation is a breakthrough strategy based on external input. It reminds us that we don't always have to struggle along familiar paths; sometimes, the answer lies in another industry, a natural phenomenon, or an observation from daily life.