The Six (Prompting) Hats

I had previously shared some impressions on the Six Thinking Hats method which was recommended by a colleague as a way to test and improve your ideas.? Although it is possible with a bit of mental discipline to force yourself into the different roles and vet your ideas yourself, much of the power comes from interacting with your colleagues who bring fresh perspectives.? But what if you’re at a stage where this doesn’t work?? You need the input as soon as possible, and can’t grab everyone for a meeting quickly. Or, you are unable to get buy-in to test the method out on your idea?

This got me curious about the possibility of using ChatGPT as a sort of stand-in for this kind of process. For those who haven’t tinkered with it in detail, one interesting thing about the system is not just the ability to answer a question or tell a story, but to do so within a particular role or context.? You might be most familiar with this as ChatGPT provides a poem or joke about your subject of interest. But it can also be primed to say - discuss this idea, but instead of being a balanced, neutral AI, why not be a pessimistic jerk for a bit?

It turns out that this context switching - viewing a problem clearly from multiple angles - is the ideal framework for taking on the idea of an AI assistant for the Six Thinking Hats.

To implement this, I designed six contexts and six prompts to represent each hat.? To interact with it, you just provide your idea (with as much detail as you’d like) and it will then provide input from each of the six hats. With a little more hands-on time, you can skip the API part, and just type it into the UI, but - for you power users - here is a link to Github with a Jupyter notebook that will make the process smoother.

As an example, I’ve taken a break from pharma, and decided to pitch ChatGPT my super-awesome retirement plan of just setting up shop at the local beach and selling some T-shirts. Ah, the simple life! I've attached all the output after the article, if you'd like to see how things turned out.

The main “blind spot” is the Red Hat.? It is still a bit much to expect an AI to have a gut, emotional reaction about things. But this is also the fastest one to solicit from actual humans, so not the biggest loss. Also, the role of the Blue Hat here is shifted a bit. Typically, there’s a bit of an administrative and structuring role to the Blue Hat, but here, it’s simplified to just be an overall summarizer.? Either way, not a bad start for something automated.

I'll also say that my initial tests on more drug discovery topics were ok, but not stellar yet. I'm actually thinking it could work very well in a "mixed model" - where the AI provides a first round of input to get the obvious things out of the way, and frame the overall discussion, and then the traditional Six Hats team takes it to the next level. I would also expect improvements with the GPT-4 model, for which I'm still queueing for API access.

If you are interested in trying this out yourself, you can get the code here on Github.? Even if you aren’t coding, you can just grab the prompts from the text file, and use them through the user interface.

Input Idea: "I'm thinking of starting a t-shirt business at the Fairfield beach in Connecticut."

Checking with the White hat...

Here are some facts that might be helpful to consider for starting a t-shirt business at the Fairfield beach in Connecticut:

1. Demographics: Understand the demographics of the beachgoers, such as their age group, gender, and preferences in terms of style, size and material.

2. Competition: Check the existing t-shirt businesses in the area and analyze their pricing strategy, customer base, and product offerings to understand how you can stand out.

3. Location: Assess the accessibility of the beach, parking facilities, proximity to the main road, and availability of public transportation to make sure you can attract customers.

4. Legal requirements: Obtain the necessary permits and licenses needed to operate a commercial business in Fairfield and understand the tax implications of the business.

5. Financial plan: Create a detailed financial plan to analyze the startup cost, pricing strategy, revenue projections, profit margins, and potential sources of funding.

6. Marketing: Develop a marketing plan to promote your t-shirt business to the beachgoers in Fairfield through social media, flyers, or other marketing channels.

7. Product quality: Ensure that your products are of high-quality material, design, fit, and printing to keep the customers satisfied, and maintain a good reputation.

8. Staffing: Determine your staffing needs for the business, where you may need to hire additional employees during peak seasons, and train them accordingly.?

9. Seasonal demand: Analyze the seasonal demand for t-shirts at Fairfield Beach and prepare accordingly in terms of inventory and staffing.

Checking with the Red hat...

As an emotional agent, I can sense enthusiasm and excitement in your idea. Starting a t-shirt business at the Fairfield beach could be a great idea. The beach is likely to attract a lot of potential customers, especially during the summer months. However, it's important to research the local market and competition to determine whether there's a demand for what you plan to offer, and to ensure that you have a unique selling point that sets you apart from other businesses. Additionally, creating a solid business plan and budgeting for start-up costs will be important steps towards making this idea a successful reality.

Checking with the Black hat...

There are several potential problems with starting a t-shirt business at the Fairfield beach in Connecticut:

1. Seasonal Demand: The demand for beachwear is usually higher in the summer months, which means that the business may not be profitable during other parts of the year.

2. Competition: There could be many other businesses offering similar products, such as t-shirts and clothing, which could make it hard to differentiate and stand out.

3. High Overhead Costs: Rent and other costs associated with setting up a shop may be high due to the prime location, and this could lead to high overhead costs.

4. Weather Dependent: Sales may be affected by weather conditions, such as stormy or rainy days, which could reduce foot traffic and ultimately affect revenues.

5. Marketing: The cost of marketing and advertising in order to attract customers to the new business may be a challenge.

Overall, starting a t-shirt business at the Fairfield beach could be a risky venture due to the seasonal nature of the business, competition, high overhead costs, weather dependence, and marketing challenges.

Checking with the Yellow hat...

Congratulations on considering starting a t-shirt business at Fairfield beach, Connecticut! Some great aspects of this idea are:

1. High foot traffic: Fairfield beach is a popular destination for visitors, tourists, and locals, providing high foot traffic that can easily be turned into potential customers for your t-shirt business.

2. Target market: The beach is a hotspot for young adults, families, and beachgoers, making it a perfect place to cater to those demographics with trendy and fashionable t-shirts.

3. Low overhead cost: As a t-shirt business, you can start small without incurring high overhead costs that may come with other brick-and-mortar businesses.

4. Seasonal demand: Fairfield beach has a peak season between Memorial Day and Labor Day, giving you the chance to generate high revenue during the busy summer months.

5. Flexibility: With a t-shirt business, you have the flexibility to experiment and produce new designs, launch limited-time offers, and explore digital marketing strategies to attract more customers.

Overall, starting a t-shirt business at Fairfield beach has many positive aspects that could potentially make it a successful venture.

Checking with the Green hat...

Great idea! Here are some variations and creative possibilities to consider:

1. Design-specific t-shirts: Instead of selling just generic t-shirts, consider designing t-shirts that represent Fairfield beach or Connecticut in a creative way. You can come up with your designs, or you can collaborate with local artists to make it more unique.

2. Personalized t-shirts: Allow customers to personalize t-shirts with their names or a date to remember their trip to Fairfield beach.

3. Matching t-shirts: Make matching t-shirts for families, couples or friends, with customized designs and colors.

4. Limited edition t-shirts: Create a limited edition t-shirt that is only available for a few days or a week. This could generate excitement and urgency among customers to buy before the t-shirt runs out.

5. Create a brand: Develop a brand for your t-shirts with a unique logo, tagline, and packaging. Customers will be more likely to remember your products and keep coming back.

6. Partner with local businesses: Connect with local businesses like cafes, restaurants, or hotels to create unique t-shirts in partnership with them. This cross-promotion will benefit both ventures.

7. Sustainable t-shirts: Create t-shirts made from sustainable or recycled materials to appeal to environmentally conscious customers.

8. Online sales: Expand your customer base beyond just the Fairfield beach by creating an online store to sell your t-shirts.

These are just a few possibilities to consider. Get creative and see where it takes you!

Checking with the Blue hat...

The proposed idea is to start a t-shirt business at Fairfield beach in Connecticut. Factors to consider include understanding the local demographics, analyzing competition, obtaining necessary permits and licenses, creating a marketing plan, preparing for seasonal demand, ensuring high-quality products, and staffing accordingly. While there are potential challenges such as seasonal demand, competition, weather dependence, marketing costs, there are also positive aspects such as high foot traffic, a flexible business model, and a peak season. Possible variations on the business model include designing specific and personalized t-shirts, creating a brand identity, partnering with local businesses, and expanding sales online.