FRONT END INNOVATION Ideation methods

CONTENT

Different thinking modes for in innovation

Ideation methods

TOOLS AND METHODS

Brainstorming

Brainstorming based on personas

Brainstorming Scamper

Lotus blossom

FRONT END INNOVATION PROCESS

Two  kind  of  thinking  modes  are  needed  in  innovation  process:  

 Divergent  thinking  and  Convergent  thinking  

 Divergent  thinking  is  about  searching  new  

solutions  (ideation)  and  convergent  thinking  is  about  choosing  and  optimizing  the  best  

solution            

DIFFERENT THINKING MODES FOR INNOVATION

Multidisciplinary  innovation  process  brings  together  people  with  different  cognitive  styles:  creative  and  adaptive  

 Concept  development  needs  creative  divergent  and  adaptive  

convergent  phases      

Exploring  a  problem  from  different  angles  is  divergent  and  selecting  the  problem  is  convergent  

 Generating  ideas  and  concepts  considering  alternatives  is  

divergent  and  selecting  the  concept  is  convergent      

Evaluation  means  divergent  monitoring  of  the  use    and  convergent  action    

DIFFERENT THINKING MODES FOR INNOVATION

DIFFERENT THINKING MODES FOR INNOVATION

Search for potential with generative ideation

and visualisation

Restriction of potential evaluation, user testing…

Integrated sharing

Integrated ideation

Integrated evaluation

Integrated analysis

Goal Solution

DIVERGENT

CONVERGENT

DIFFERENT THINKING MODES FOR INNOVATION

DIVERGENT

-  producing multiple or alternative answers -  the use of subjective judgements and intuition -  supported by soft or qualitative methods -  making unexpected combinations -  linking remote associates -  answers may vary from person to person -  answers are novel, unusual or “surprising” -  idealising: to bring the system closer to a desired state -  objective is to change the system so the problem cannot arise -  creative and participative holistic approaches.

DIFFERENT THINKING MODES FOR INNOVATION

CONVERGENT

-  deriving the correct answer to a clearly defined question -  the rational approach -  selects actions that lead to the best possible or optimal outcome -  makes use of mathematical and computer models -  complete objectivity and rationality -  supported by scientific or quantitative methods -  emphasises speed, accuracy, logic -  accumulating information, recognising the familiar, reapplying set techniques, and preserving the already known -  applying logical search, recognition and decision-making strategies -  it leads to a single “best” answer.

User needs

Market research

Concept design

Product design

New technologies

Models, prototypes

Product testing

Production technologies

Marketing plan

Execution of marketing

Company commitments, Networks

Market testing

Distribution channels

Prising

Logistics

Marketing material

New concepts

Product development

Business planning

Production engineering

Planning of the Marketing

Business planning

DIFFERENT THINKING MODES FOR INNOVATION

IDEATION METHODS

Ideation  methods  help  to  create  imaginative  ideas  and  to  spot  opportunities  that  might  otherwise  be  missed  

   Ideation  methods  help  to  find  different  potential  

solutions  for  the  design  problem      

Idea  generation  takes  into  consideration  mental  imagery  processes,  associations,  association  chains,  metaphors  and  metonyms  and  the  processes  of  using  

different  senses        

IDEATION METHODS

When  having  ideation  session  trust  and  respect  between  team  members  are  essential    

 Avoid  following:  

 I  know  this  much  better!  

What  a  stupid  idea!  And  what  do  you  know  about  this?  It  might  not  be  possible  to  produce!  

I  just  steal  the  ideas!    

THE RATE OF EXPLORATION

•  Most  new  ideas  are  bad    •  Search  a  lot  of  alternatives  quickly,  without  fear  of  failure    •  To  find  good  new  ideas  is  to  have  lot  of  them,  by  throwing  away  

the  bad  ones    •  Fail  early  and  often  to  make  a  good  result  in  the  end    •  Let  go  of  perfectionism  and  use  a  process  of  trial  and  error    •  An  organisation  and  the  teams  in  it  must  have  a  permission  to  fail    •  The  failing  in  the  early  stages  is  cheap  and  helps  learning      •  Creative  risk  taking  occurs  only  in  a  safe  context    •  The  end  purpose  is  still  to  finally  solve  problems      

The  understanding  is  built  gradually    

Concretisation  is  necessary  especially  when  there  are  people  from  different  fields  participating  the  process  

 Only  concretisation  really  reveals  what  the  discussion  

was  about    

=  suitability  of  the  design  process  and  visual  methods  

   

THE ROLE OF VISUALISATIONS IN IDEATION PROCESS

BRAINSTORMING - TOOL

Rules for ideation sessions

1. Defer judgment 2. Encourage wild ideas

3. Build on the ideas of others 4. Stay focused on the topic

5. One conversation at a time 6. Be visual

7. Go for quantity

http://www.openideo.com/fieldnotes/openideo-team-notes/seven-tips-on-better-brainstorming

HOW?    

Define  the  problem  or  challenge    

Produce  first  by  yourself  as  many  new  ideas  as  possible  by  writing  or  drawing  

them    

Present  your  ideas  to  the  other  team  members  

   After  this,  generate  new  ideas  based  on  the  entire  team’s  ideas  

 

BRAINSTORMING: BASED ON PERSONAS - TOOL

Source: Robert Curedale. Design methods 1: 200 ways to apply design thinking

HOW?    

Start  with  defining  the  problem    

Identify  a  persona  to  focus  on      

Instructions  how  to  create  a  user  persona  

 Ideate  how  you  would  deal  with  the  problem  if  you  were  the  persona  

       

BRAINSTORMING: BASED ON PERSONAS - TOOL

Source: Robert Curedale. Design methods 1: 200 ways to apply design thinking

BRAINSTORMING: SCAMPER - TOOL

Source: Robert Curedale. Design methods 1: 200 ways to apply design thinking

HOW?    

Select  a  product  or  service  to  apply  the  method    

Go  trough  the  list  of  Scamber  questions  one  by  one    and  at  the  same  time  create  as  many  ideas  as  you  can  

BRAINSTORMING: SCAMPER - TOOL

Source: Robert Curedale. Design methods 1: 200 ways to apply design thinking

LOTUS BLOSSOM - TOOL

Source: Robert Curedale. Design methods 1: 200 ways to apply design thinking

HOW?    

Define  the  problem  or  challenge  and  write  it  in  the  centre  of  the  matrix  

 Write  eight  related  ideas  around  the  

centre    

Each  idea  becomes  the  central  idea  of  a  new  “blossom”  

   Continue  by  writing  eight  related  ideas  around  the  every  central  ideas  

LOTUS BLOSSOM - TOOL

Source: Robert Curedale. Design methods 1: 200 ways to apply design thinking