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---5
6# Cross-Pollination Engine
7
8## The Core Insight
9
10Most "innovation" is applying proven solutions from one domain to another.
11- Resistance wheels → Rollerblades
12- Gaming XP systems → Duolingo
13- Hotel concierge → Software onboarding
14
15## The Process
16
171. **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)
21
22## Industry Inspiration Library
23
24| 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 |
32
33## Output Format
34
35```
36PROBLEM: [What you're solving]
37CORE JOB: [Stripped to fundamentals]
38
39FROM [Industry 1]:
40How they solve it: [x]
41Key principle: [y]
42Applied to us: [z]
43
44FROM [Industry 2]:
45How they solve it: [x]
46Key principle: [y]
47Applied to us: [z]
48
49SYNTHESIS: [Combined approach]
50NEXT STEP: [Concrete action]
51```
52
53## Prompt Starters
54
55- "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?"
59
60## Integration
61
62Compounds with:
63- **jtbd-analyzer** → Understand job first, then find who else solves it
64- **first-principles-decomposer** → Strip context to find fundamental need
65- **six-thinking-hats** → Green Hat pairs naturally with cross-pollination
66- **app-planning-skill** → Apply borrowed patterns to new apps
67
68---
69See references/examples.md for Artem-specific cross-pollinations
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