Cross-Pollination Engine
The Core Insight
Most "innovation" is applying proven solutions from one domain to another.
- Resistance wheels → Rollerblades
- Gaming XP systems → Duolingo
- Hotel concierge → Software onboarding
The Process
- Define the core job (strip away industry context)
- Find who else solves it (often surprising industries)
- Extract principles (not surface features)
- Translate to your context (adapt, don't copy)
Industry Inspiration Library
| Need | Look At | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Trust | Banking, Healthcare, Aviation | Verification, credentials, checklists |
| Engagement | Gaming, Fitness apps, Streaming | XP, streaks, personalization, progress |
| Onboarding | Hotels, Theme parks, Luxury retail | Concierge, anticipation, personal touch |
| Simplicity | Apple, IKEA, Google | Feature cutting, hidden complexity |
| Urgency | E-commerce, Airlines, Fast food | Scarcity, anchoring, speed promises |
| Community | CrossFit, Harley-Davidson, Peloton | Tribal identity, shared experience |
Output Format
PROBLEM: [What you're solving]
CORE JOB: [Stripped to fundamentals]
FROM [Industry 1]:
How they solve it: [x]
Key principle: [y]
Applied to us: [z]
FROM [Industry 2]:
How they solve it: [x]
Key principle: [y]
Applied to us: [z]
SYNTHESIS: [Combined approach]
NEXT STEP: [Concrete action]
Prompt Starters
- "How would Disney solve our onboarding?"
- "What would Amazon do with our data?"
- "If this were a game, how would it work?"
- "How do luxury hotels make people feel special?"
Integration
Compounds with:
- jtbd-analyzer → Understand job first, then find who else solves it
- first-principles-decomposer → Strip context to find fundamental need
- six-thinking-hats → Green Hat pairs naturally with cross-pollination
- app-planning-skill → Apply borrowed patterns to new apps
See references/examples.md for Artem-specific cross-pollinations