Abstract
Even if TRIZ is developing increasingly both in research and education, new users always encounter difficulties in their first attempts to practice it. In such situation, Altshuller's original contradiction matrix often appears as an "easy-to-begin-with" tool. However, while not being representative of what TRIZ really is, it continues to seduce new users, teachers and trainers. This article presents an innovative method for facilitating the use of the contradiction matrix, using a semantic similarity approach and case-based reasoning.