Important before you start please make sure to have read the Basic Principles.
- Step 1 - Draw the axis
- Step 2 - Place your starting context-instance in the middle of the axis
- Step 3 - Break down the context-instance into features
- Step 4 - Draw a parallel context
- Step 5 - Scale up or down
The very first thing you need to do to use the Croker Method is to draw the axis which will essentially be the space holding your ideas.
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Find a clear space where you can jolt down words and ideas. Make sure you have plenty of place as in the
Croker Methodideas can run like wildfire. -
Draw a vertical line with arrows at both tips. This is the line which will define orders of magnitude for contexts.
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Draw a horizontal line this time without any arrows. Make it nice and wide, allowing you to experiment with as many analogies as you want.
Note: Are the arrows necessary in the vertical axis? The arrows are there to mainly remind you the function of the vertical line. Context instances written on top are considered to be of a higher order than those written lower down.
Whenever using analogies we can safely say that there are, at least, two main context-instances:
- The subject which we want to explain
- The analogy which we're using the explain the subject.
Despite the fact that both the subject and the analogy are called context-instances in the Croker Method, the subject is the starting point of the exercise. This holds for both cases discussed in Usages.
As a starting point, therefore, we place the subject in the middle of the axis.
Write the starting point in the middle of the axis. This will also help you remember where you started from.
Note: In the images within this guide we will see that context-instances will be written in bold and underline, similar to a header within an article. The most important thing is that you adopt a convension which will help you differentiate the name of the context-instace from its features.
The next thing you need to do is to start breaking your context-instance into features. Features are attributes of your context-instance which will be the key elements in your quest of finding an appropriate analogy to your subject. Think of a feature as the key attributes binding your context-instance to its context. These will be different with every context.
For instance, a cat under the context Farm Animals can have features like good hunter, works behind the scenes, clears unwanted guests. In another context, say Feline Animals, however, a cat can have features like small, domestic, independent and so on.
Note: A tip from the author: do not limit yourself when writing features. It is easier to clean up extra features than to come up with good ones. Instead, try to beat features with even better ones.
Now that you have named your context-instance and justified why and how it pertains to its context, you are ready to start experimenting with analogies (a.k.a. parlallel contexts).
Go to the left or to the right of your original context axis, and draw another vertical line. Write the name of the first context-instance in-line with the subject. This will be your first analogy. Beneath the context-instance name write down those features which it shares with the subject. This will help you justify why it is being considered as a potential analogy to your subject.
It could be the case that the parallel context-instance does not inherit all of the features from the subject. That's usually fine as, afterall, analogies don't make the two context-instances equal.
Finally, feel free to add any features that you did not list down in the subject. This could be the first step in refining your ideas and choose the right analogy.
Note: In the image above the parallel context was drawn as a dotted line. It is purely up to you how to represent it. Likewise, note that no arrows have been drawn this time. Remember that the arrows were initially drawn in the original context to remind you of the up/down function in the Croker Method. A pair is more than enough :).
Note: In the image above the parallel context was drawn on the left hand side of the original context. This is completely up to you.
Note: You are encouraged to draw as many parallel contexts as you wish in a single sitting using the Croker Method. Feel free to place these left, right as you wish. This is the main reason why it was suggested that you use as much space as you can, so that you are free to experiment and explore.
The final feature in the Croker Method is to explore different orders of magnitude within the same context. This is represented by going higher or lower on the vertical axis, above the related context-instance.
The most important thing to keep in mind when shifting orders of magnitude is to stick to the conventions for the context-instances in your Croker Method space. In the case of this guide, context-instance names are written in bold and underline while features written underneath as bullet points.
Write the name for the higher (or lower) order of magnitude context-instance and write down the features justifying why it belongs to the context and, most especially, what makes it of a higher (or lower) order of magnitude.
Referring to the example above, in the Farm Animals context, a dog is of a higher order than a cat because it is a leader, has knowledge about the farm, and is the farm owner's best friend.
You can do this either in the parallel context, (e.g. Context-Instance 2, as seen below).
You can also do this in the original context-instance (a.k.a the subject, or Context-Instance 1 in the image below).
The examples above show how you can go to a higher order context-instance. Similarly, context-instances can be of a lower order of magnitude, as below.
Note: When writing down features for the new (higher or lower order of magnitude) context-instance, focus on the relationship between this context-instance and its context. Then, when ready, take a step back and look at the whole Croker Method space. You will be surprised with the new connections that you can start to make.