TIL: Understanding Design Ideation

Today I learned about the concept of design ideation, an essential step in the design thinking process. Ideation is about generating a broad set of ideas on a given topic without immediately evaluating them. It’s a creative phase meant to encourage exploration and innovation, where quantity takes precedence over quality. Let's dive deeper into what this process entails and how it plays out in real-world scenarios.

What is Ideation?

At its core, ideation is the process of brainstorming potential solutions to a problem without filtering or critiquing ideas. It’s a space for creativity to thrive. The beauty of ideation lies in the fact that it allows for the generation of a diverse range of possibilities, giving teams ample room to explore different approaches.

Ideation in Action

In practice, ideation involves several key steps:

1. Brainstorm out loud:
   Encourage open, verbalized brainstorming to share ideas freely.
   
   

2. Document all ideas:
   Every idea, no matter how outlandish, is worth capturing.
   
   

3. Focus on quantity:
   The more ideas generated, the better. Aim for variety and volume.
   
   

4. Avoid immediate evaluation:
   Resist the temptation to critique or discard ideas during the brainstorming phase.
   
   

5. Bring together a diverse team:
   Diversity sparks innovation. People from different backgrounds contribute unique perspectives.
   
   

6. Question the obvious:
   Challenge assumptions and consider unorthodox solutions.
   
   

Once the brainstorming is done, you can start evaluating the ideas based on three key criteria:

1. Feasibility: Is this technically possible to build?
2. Desirability: Does this idea solve the user's problem?
3. Viability: Is this solution financially beneficial for the business?

Preparing for Ideation

Before diving into ideation, it’s important to complete the first two phases of the design thinking process: empathize and define.

1. Empathize with the user:
   Understand who you’re designing for and what their needs are. This phase often includes creating empathy maps, personas, user stories, and journey maps to get a clear sense of the user’s experience.

2. Define the problem:
   Clearly articulate the problem you’re trying to solve. A well-defined problem keeps your team aligned and focused during the ideation phase, ensuring that the solutions you generate address the user’s needs.

How to Ideate Effectively

1. Create a conducive environment: Whether you're meeting in person or virtually, choose a space that fosters creativity. A different environment can often trigger new ways of thinking.

2. Set a time limit: Although there are countless ideas you could generate, it's important to set boundaries. This ensures that you transition from idea generation to refining and selecting the best ideas.

3. Assemble a diverse team: Bring together people with different backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. The more diverse your team, the richer your pool of ideas will be.

4. Think outside the box: Don’t be afraid to propose unconventional ideas. Sometimes, the most innovative solutions come from thinking beyond traditional boundaries.

Further Reading:

• Lessons learned from the book “Don’t make me think” by Steve Krug

• A Guide to the Most Important Ideation Techniques

• IDEO's Approach to Design Thinking

The content above reflects my independent research and insights gained from Google’s UI/UX Design course on Coursera.