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
1---2name: cross-pollination-engine3description: Systematically borrow ideas from unrelated industries to solve problems. Innovation often comes from adjacent fields. Use when user says "cross-pollination", "how would X solve this", "borrow ideas from", "what can we learn from", "think outside the box", "how would Disney/Apple/Amazon do this", "different industry", "steal ideas".4---56# Cross-Pollination Engine78## The Core Insight910Most "innovation" is applying proven solutions from one domain to another.11- Resistance wheels → Rollerblades12- Gaming XP systems → Duolingo13- Hotel concierge → Software onboarding1415## The Process16171. **Define the core job** (strip away industry context)182. **Find who else solves it** (often surprising industries)193. **Extract principles** (not surface features)204. **Translate to your context** (adapt, don't copy)2122## Industry Inspiration Library2324| Need | Look At | Why |25|------|---------|-----|26| **Trust** | Banking, Healthcare, Aviation | Verification, credentials, checklists |27| **Engagement** | Gaming, Fitness apps, Streaming | XP, streaks, personalization, progress |28| **Onboarding** | Hotels, Theme parks, Luxury retail | Concierge, anticipation, personal touch |29| **Simplicity** | Apple, IKEA, Google | Feature cutting, hidden complexity |30| **Urgency** | E-commerce, Airlines, Fast food | Scarcity, anchoring, speed promises |31| **Community** | CrossFit, Harley-Davidson, Peloton | Tribal identity, shared experience |3233## Output Format3435```36PROBLEM: [What you're solving]37CORE JOB: [Stripped to fundamentals]3839FROM [Industry 1]:40How they solve it: [x]41Key principle: [y]42Applied to us: [z]4344FROM [Industry 2]:45How they solve it: [x]46Key principle: [y]47Applied to us: [z]4849SYNTHESIS: [Combined approach]50NEXT STEP: [Concrete action]51```5253## Prompt Starters5455- "How would Disney solve our onboarding?"56- "What would Amazon do with our data?"57- "If this were a game, how would it work?"58- "How do luxury hotels make people feel special?"5960## Integration6162Compounds with:63- **jtbd-analyzer** → Understand job first, then find who else solves it64- **first-principles-decomposer** → Strip context to find fundamental need65- **six-thinking-hats** → Green Hat pairs naturally with cross-pollination66- **app-planning-skill** → Apply borrowed patterns to new apps6768---69See references/examples.md for Artem-specific cross-pollinations
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