This paper presents Bounded Ideation Theory (BIT) to explain the relationship between the number-of-ideas and the number-of-good-ideas contributed during ideation. BIT posits that certain cognitive and physical boundaries cause the ideation function to be an inflected curve that transitions from a positive-but-increasing slope to a positive-butdecreasing slope. We then present implications of the theory for process design.
Robert O. Briggs, Bruce A. Reinig