Sometimes when I’m fleshing out a skeletal idea I turn to Google Images to put some meat on them bones.
Google’s search engine is great for when you want to find a quick answer to some matter you’re researching, but I have found my thinking becomes more divergent and interesting when I search for images of an idea rather than words.
Let’s use the word “chocolate” as an example. The search returns most of the items you expect from Google: Wikipedia entry, Hershey’s, Godiva, Ghirardelli, nutrition information and more of the same.
Clicking on images takes you to a different place altogether. Sure, there are some chocolate bars and melted chocolate, and candies, but there is so much more. Detailed Chocolate roses for instance, or disturbing chocolate babies (which are fake by the way and in no way related to these chocolate babies, which is much funnier if you remember seeing it than reading the transcript for SNL’s “Jackie Rogers Jr.’s $100,000 Jackpot Wad” skit)). Maybe these chocolate pencils or the image of this strawberry dripping chocolate may rewire your original thoughts about chocolate.
Now, do an image search about whatever topic you are researching. It may break down some of your mental models and rewire your thinking to help you move forward in a unique direction.