Ideation (1:30)

From problem space to solution space! In the ideation stage we use divergent thinking to explore all possible and even impossible solutions seeking always to escape our pre-programmed thinking patterns to find solutions that are new, unique and impactful. Often times outlandish, impossible ideas spark creative ideas that are “just crazy enough to work.”

Activity 5: DT Brainstorming with Affinity Map (30 minutes)

In Design Thinking Brainstorming we combine independent brainstorming with group brainstorming in order to access every idea for a solution from every group member. Take five minutes of silence at the table, for each group member to generate as many ideas on post-its as possible. Go for quantity over quality. Spend the next 20 minutes sharing your ideas with the group by placing the post-its on a white board area, finding commonalities, cluster post-its, circle and label to see where group ideas align (as you did for insights in Activity 2). There is no bad idea. Build on each other’s ideas.

Activity 6: Think Wrong (15 minutes)

In his book “Think Wrong,” John Bielenberg and his team share dozens of methods to help innovators come up with new ideas. One method utilizes random words to seed fresh ideas. Use the random word generator at www.randomwordgenerator.com to generate three random words. Consider the words separately and in various combinations to play with word associations that lead to new ideas for solution to your design problem. For example, when working to assist returning citizens (ex-prisoners) in finding gainful employment, the randomly produced words “victory, ego, and wrong,” might lead one to think of a wrong victory, which might lead to thinking about the false assumptions that prisoners have about returning to society which might lead to the production of board game that produces informative “correct victories” to properly prepare prisoners for life outside the walls. See how many new post-its you can generate with three random words.

Other Ideation Tools (15 minutes)

Brain Writing

Team members seated around a table write a solution idea on a piece of paper and pass it to the right. The next team member adds and improves on the idea and passes it on. The process continues until everyone gets their original paper back vastly improved with the group ideas.

Thinking Different

Teams travel around the room exploring other teams post-it boards considering how solutions for different HMW’s might spark an idea for their own HMW.

Mash-Ups

Apply the design style of well known companies to develop a solution for your problem. For example, if you are looking for an entertaining solution, consider how Disney might approach the problem.

Business Model Canvas

The Business Model Canvas is a worksheet that allows you to consider all aspects of a solution from a business perspective. Will this thing actually sell?

Stakeholder Value Map

A tool that supports the analysis of investment and return on investment for every stakeholder.

Activity 7 - Idea Filtering (25 minutes)

It’s time to determine which of your ideas to start prototyping. Review all of your post-its and decide on your top three to five solutions based on impact and feasibility. Fill out an Idea Card for each of your top ideas. Map the Idea Cards on an Impact/Feasibility grid to determine which has the highest position. If there is no clear winner have each group member put a dot on the faces of each card to express how they feel about each idea. Whichever card has the most smiles and least frowns wins.

15-Minute Break @ 3:00