Design Ideation

Understand Design Ideation

What is Ideation?

The term ideation comes from the word idea. Ideation can be defined as the process of generating a broad set of ideas on a given topic with no attempt to judge or evaluate them.

Key Principles of Ideation

The broad set of ideas part is really important. Ideation is all about coming up with lots and lots of ideas.

The no judgment part is important too. We need to be able to explore all ideas without judging them and throwing them out. Some of the most crazy ideas can actually prove to be really valuable.

Note

Historical Example From the early to mid 2000s, mobile phones were getting smaller and smaller. The idea for drastically larger mobile phones like the iPhone seemed crazy at the time. But history has shown that larger phones ended up meeting users’ needs much better than smaller phones. Today, companies that make phones brag about the large size of their screens, which is the complete opposite of the conversation 20 years ago.

The “No Bad Ideas” Mentality

One of the best things about ideation is the mentality that there are no bad ideas. If coming up with lots of ideas isn’t your strongest skill, don’t worry. Part of being a designer means intentionally exploring as many ideas as possible, knowing that some of them, or even most of them won’t work. Plus, the more you practice coming up with lots of ideas, the more natural it will feel.

What Ideation Looks Like in Practice

The Ideation Process

• A designer, either individually or in a group, brainstorms out loud
• Every idea is documented, often on sticky notes or a white board
• The goal is quantity of ideas over quality, so share as many ideas as possible
• No evaluation is allowed at this stage

Best Practices for Group Ideation

Diverse Teams

Gather a diverse team for different backgrounds and perspectives to enhance creativity and innovation.

Question the Obvious

It can be difficult to question common beliefs if everyone has the same opinions, so diversity matters.

Take Breaks

After generating ideas, take a break before coming back together to evaluate them.

Preparing for Ideation

Before starting design ideation, ensure you’ve worked through the first two phases of the design thinking process:

1. Empathize with Your User

Empathizing is the first step in the design process. You need to know who you’re solving for and what their needs are. This includes creating:

• Empathy maps
• Personas
• User stories
• User journey maps

2. Define the Problem

Defining is the second step in the design process. The problem you’re trying to solve should be well defined, so that everyone on your team can think of ideas to solve the same problem. Knowing exactly what problem you need to solve will also keep your users’ needs top-of-mind.

Creating an Effective Ideation Environment

Physical/Virtual Space Setup

• Establish a creative environment with a comfortable space for team collaboration
• Choose different locations - if meeting in person, select an ideation space different from your usual workspace
• For virtual meetings, find a space free of clutter and distractions

Time Management

• Set a time limit - give yourself plenty of time to come up with ideas, but set boundaries to avoid endless brainstorming
• Balance exploration with focus - you can’t brainstorm forever, so establish when to stop brainstorming and start analyzing ideas

Team Composition

• Assemble a diverse team of people with different races, genders, abilities, and backgrounds
• Think outside the box - don’t limit yourself to traditional ideas and solutions
• Write down creative ideas that seem different or unusual

Evaluating Ideas

When reviewing the ideas, it’s important to have a reason for picking the idea you move forward with. There are a few common ways to evaluate your ideas:

Three Key Criteria

1. Feasibility

• Is it technically possible to build?

2. Desirability

• Does it solve the user problem you’re focusing on?

3. Viability

• Is it financially beneficial for the business?

Success Criteria

If an idea meets these three criteria, it might be a good option to move forward with.

The Value of Design Ideation

While design ideation can take significant time, it’s also rewarding and fun. You’ll generate many possible solutions, and you’ll end up using one, or a few, of your original ideas. This is perfectly normal in the UX design process.

Design ideation encourages you to come up with solutions that are unique. Don’t settle for your first solution. The first few solutions you suggest are often the least creative because they’re the most obvious. When generating ideas, you should use your creative powers to their full potential.

Following the design process outlined in this program will lay the foundation for your product’s design. The more effort you put into empathizing with your users, defining the problems they’re facing, and coming up with ideas for solutions, the better your end result will be.