Design Thinking
Key question
How do many good ideas come about?
The first idea is rarely the best. The ideation phase is all about generating as many diverse ideas as possible before making a selection.
Learning objective: You are able to guide and apply creativity techniques, and understand why structure generates more ideas than free-flowing discussion.
Quantity over quality, selection comes later.
5.1 / Open
Collect first, evaluate later.
In divergent thinking, minds are deliberately opened: criticism is suspended, and even unconventional ideas are welcomed. Having many ideas increases the chance that good ones are among them.
Gathering and evaluating ideas at the same time slows you down. That is why Design Thinking keeps these two steps strictly separate: finding ideas in Module 05, selecting them in Module 06.
Never collect and evaluate at the same time.
5.2 / Rules for Ideas
Rules make groups more creative.
These rules originate from the practices of IDEO and the d.school:
01
Suspend judgment
Rating to follow.
02
Building on ideas
'Yes, and …' instead of 'Yes, but …'.
03
Allow wild ideas
Unusual ideas open up new directions.
04
Working visually
Sketches say more than words.
05
Stick to the topic
Hang up the HMW question so that it is clearly visible.
06
Quantity counts
The aim is to generate many ideas in a short time.
In open brainstorming sessions, groups often generate fewer ideas than the same number of individuals working alone, partly because only one person can speak at a time (production blocking). Methods that incorporate quiet, individual work balance this out.
'Yes, and …' instead of 'Yes, but …'.
5.3 / Methods
Structure brings more ideas.
Three methods have proven particularly successful:
8 MINUTES
Crazy 8s
Each person sketches eight ideas in eight minutes. The time pressure prevents perfectionism.
6 PEOPLE · 3 IDEAS · 5 ROUNDS
6-3-5 Brainwriting
Ideas are passed on in writing and further developed. This ensures that everyone gets a say.
7 QUESTIONS
SCAMPER
Seven guiding questions transform an existing idea: substitute, combine, adapt, modify, put to another use, eliminate, reverse.
Analogies also help: how would a hotel, a hospital or a video game solve the problem?
Those who start quietly on their own have more to share afterwards.
Exercise
Two rounds of ideas
Task: Develop ideas for your HMW question from Module 04.
STEP 1
Hang up the HMW question so that it is clearly visible.
STEP 2
Do a round of Crazy 8s, each person individually.
STEP 3
Present the sketches and build on them using “Yes, and…”.
STEP 4
Take the three most interesting ideas and work through them using SCAMPER.
Evaluation: How many ideas were generated? Which method brought more variety?