This week my focus was on ideation and how it can be used to help create the best design for the creators and users. The term ideation was not something new to me as I did have a lesson in it in a previous interactive digital design class, however it did not stop me from learning about the numerous techniques associated with it used by designers around the world. By putting in the work to brainstorm and work out ideas in the ideation process, it helps to allow for more flexibility in the later stages of the design thinking process and also helps to get the mind going on ideas that are both relevant and novelty.
One of the biggest things I learned about the ideation process was that these techniques are not meant to be perfect on the first try but rather have the potential to be fleshed out and changed after looking back on my own work but more importantly through sharing and communicating with others. A lot of the ideation and brainstorming techniques that can be used such as braindump, brainwrite, and brainwalk involve group related activities (Dam and Siang). Working in a group helps people to not only share their own ideas but also to build off of others ideas which can help to open doors to new solutions. But there are also ones that can be done individually such as mind mapping, tree diagrams, and storyboarding (Hanington).
Using my notes from the readings I was able to construct my own mind map of the ideation process and the most popular techniques used. I was then able to use this map to help me create a dream app that I was able to come up with through brainstorming. I then used another mind map to better lay out my ideas for the app non-linearly to better see how they relate to each other and which ideas were more important and relevant than others. I then used my mind map to help me create a sketchstorm to better layout the app visually to decide how the user would see and use the app and finally I created a storyboard to put the app in different scenarios where the problems faced by my characters would be solved with the solutions of my app.
Works Cited
Dam, Rikke, and Teo Siang. “Introduction to the Essential Ideation Techniques Which Are the Heart of Design Thinking.” The Interaction Design Foundation, 2019, www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/introduction-to-the-essential-ideation-techniques-which-are-the-heart-of-design-thinking.
Design Kit Editors. “Ideation Methods.” Design Kit, IDEO.org, www.designkit.org/methods#filter.
Hanington, Bruce. “Brainstorm Graphic Organizers.” Universal Methods of Design, edited by Bella Martin, 2012, pp. 22–23.
