We ideate to generate many diverse concepts, cross-pollinate ideas, and
to develop collective understanding of and belief in concept directions.
Ideation methods include concept maps and brainstorms.
Ideation
Start wit h your problem
USER
s tateme nt:
+
(need s )
overwo r ked
husband
NEED
to feel
+
good about
recycling
INSIGHT
When things pile up
he feels
behind.
And ultimately the
big pile on the curb
feels mor
e lik e
generati ng waste
than doing good
2. Rephra s e yo ur prob lem st ateme nt in the form of a quest ion:
How to he lp
an overwo r ked
husband
Feel good about
recycling
USER
?
NEED
3. Run a mini bra ins torm to g ener ate a number of poss ible brain s torming
top ics aro und this initial qu e st ion:
The s e s hould a ls o be in the form of a que s tion. One way to do thi s is to
encou rage your team to p hras e their id eas using “How to …” as an opening
phr as e.
You c an us e mind ma pp ing to fle s h this ou t or b as ic lis t ma king if it’s faster
for yo ur grou p. A m ind ma pping crib s heet is att ach ed.
¥How to r educe the si z e of the
¥How to ma ke the husban d feel
¥How to r educe the a mount of
recycling
pile?
good a bo ut a big pile?
work inv o lved in gathering
all the in -
Sample Brainstorm Prep based
on this POV
An
First we rephrase the problem statement in the form of a question.
Then we mini brainstorm: come up with “how to…” questions
We pick a few of these questions to brainstorm on, and then brainstorm!
house piles?
¥How to el
¥How to ma
¥How to ma
iminate ov erflowing
recycling
bins?
ke the husban d feel
ah ead of the game?
ke the husban d feel
less over work ed?
Now we’re ready to run a great
brainstorming session off of
these three questions!
Brainstorming rules:
1)Defer judgment
2)Encourage wild ideas
3)Build on the ideas of others
4)Go for quantity
5)One conversation at a time
6)Be visual
7)Stay focused on the topic
8)Headline
From Brainstormed list,
Pick three concepts to move forward:
-most unexpected
-most meaningful
-the longshot
Hint:Think about combining ideas!