The third step in the design thinking process, after a team has gathered information and defined the problem statement, is ideation. The goal of the ideation process is to generate as many ideas as possible that could feasibly be a solution to the problem statement. Ideation is about casting a wide net, getting as many ideas as you can together and not worrying about evaluation.
At this point in the design process, no idea is too farfetched. The focus should be on improving the user experience, not what can and cannot be done realistically. Later steps will focus on narrowing down ideas and testing possible solutions, but at this point it is much easier to scale back a wild idea that addresses the user’s need than to get hung up on what is out of bounds. Ideation is all about quantity of ideas.
With a problem statement established and who you’re trying to help identified, it’s time to get the creative juices flowing. But where to start? There are hundreds of different methods that can be used and it’s important to choose a method that suits the problem you’re trying to solve. Some methods can be done in tandem with others, and some can be done individually while others need to be done in a group. When faced with the phrase “Brainstorming” the image that comes to mind, at least in my Hollywood-soaked brain, is a cluster of board people in a conference room shouting out ideas with only the good ones being scrawled across a white board. In reality, the method has many rules and principles, which need to be respected in order to achieve success.
Some of the more common methods tend to fall under the umbrella of brainstorming. A few examples are:
Braindump: Similar to Brainstorming but done individually. The participants write down their ideas and share their ideas later with the group.
Worst Possible Idea: Instead of going for good ideas and putting the pressure on, call for the worst possible ideas your team can come up with. You might be surprised what ends up not sounding like a bad idea!
Mindmapping: A graphical technique in which participants build a web of relationships. Placing the problem statement at the center, participants surround the problem with solutions and connect the solutions and ideas using lines to its minor or major fact or idea.
Storyboarding: Developing a visual story relating to the problem, design, or solution which you want to explain or explore. Developing a storyline and a plot and representing it visually can bring life to the situation and explore its dynamics.
The Anti-Problem: A form of gamestorming, the idea is based on flipping the problem. The goal is that the opposite of the real problem needs to be solved. Participants list ways they can actively drive users away from a product or service.
Challenge Assumptions: Taking a step back and asking some important questions about the assumptions made about the product, service, or situation where you’re trying to innovate.
Provocation: Provocation is a lateral thinking technique, which challenges the status quo and allows you to explore new realities to extreme degrees. Provocations provide this mechanism for injecting the unconventional into the thinking patterns and exploration process.
Last week, I analyzed reviews of three different apps and used positive, negative, and constructive reviews to create user POV statements. This week, I applied different ideation methods to think up possible solutions to these problems.
An example of one of my more successful ideation exercises
Surprisingly, the Worst Possible Solution and Anti-Problem methods were the most productive for me and then pairing it with a more focused method like Provocation really helped me think outside the box and consider the problem from different angles. I have a tendency to get stuck in my head and overthink things, so starting out with the craziest idea I could think of it helped me get into a more creative headspace. They helped me really center what the user was asking for and made me really reach outside of where I would usually run into a wall in my thinking. I found that when I was using methods like Braindumping and Provocation I was letting myself get caught up in overthinking and felt like I was running out of ideas. Challenging Assumptions was best suited to take my overthinking and make it productive but it felt more like a method that should be used alongside another.
See the full analysis here.
The takeaway from the ideation stage and the methods employed during it is to be creative. Think outside the box: no idea is too crazy or too unrealistic. Don’t get bogged down in constraints and reality; those can be worked out further along in the process. The goal at this point is to come up with as many ideas as possible. As long as you keep the user in mind, any idea can be useful. Even thinking of ways to make a situation worse can lead to some surprising discoveries.
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