Lindsey Komson

Photo by Alena Darmel

Ideation is one of the most important, if not the most important, steps in the deign thinking process. Without ideation, there would never be any new products or services in the world.

Nielsen Norman Group defines ideation as “the process of generating a broad set of ideas on a given topic, with no attempt to judge or evaluate them.”

But how do people come up with these ideas? Whether it’s something as simple as a color change of a button on the computer or something as complex as a new iPhone, people don’t just come up with these things on a whim (and if they do, that’s a million-dollar idea!).

There are many organized processes and methods that help people come up with new ideas. According to the Interaction Design Foundation, “there are literally hundreds.” While I wont spell out every single one of those methods, I’m going to go over some of my favorites – the ones that have helped me come up with the most or best ideas.

Brain Dump

We all know what a brainstorm is – and if you don’t, read more about it here – but a brainstorm is best completed with a group of people to bounce ideas off each other. A brain dump is similar to a brainstorm, except you can do it by yourself! The Interaction Design Foundation explains that brain dumps are great for freeing up mental energy and allowing free thinking.

To successfully do a brain dump, give each participant a stack of post-its and set a timer for 3-10 minutes. Each participant can write down as many ideas as possible within the time limit, and when time’s up, everyone will present their ideas to one another. This is great for gathering a large volume of ideas before deciding which one(s) to move forward with.

Storyboard

We usually think of storyboard in terms of TV shows, movies, or animations. But storyboards are extremely helpful for ideating a potential user’s journey. The Interaction Design Foundation explains this method as “developing a visual story relating to the problem, design, or solution which you want to explain or explore.”

To create storyboards, it’s recommended to “create scenarios consisting of pictures and quotes from users” and “develop a coherent storyline with actors and a plot.” By creating a potential problem within the story, you’re able to put yourself in that situation and sole the problem for the user. Coincidentally, that’s exactly what we’re trying to do in real life!

SCAMPER

The Interaction Design Foundation explains SCAMPER as “a series of thought sparkers or provocations which help you to innovate on an existing product, service, or situation by looking through different lenses. There are 7 lenses in SCAMPER: Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, and Rearrange.

I personally think SCAMPER is one of the best ideation methods because it prompts you to look at an existing idea or product from a different point of view. You could look at an existing product that you don’t think needs any fixing, but looking through one or more of those lenses can help you identify at least one potential change. This method is extremely helpful in creating new ideas and innovations.

There are so many ideation methods to use in any situation. Next time you’re hoping to come up with some new ideas, try out one of my three favorites – you never know how successful your next idea could be!