How Might We? is another simple exercise that can help generate initial ideas. In this game you are looking at the problems identified in your design criteria and asking the question. ‘How might we…….?’, identifying a specific design...
Analogous Inspiration is a way of seeking inspiration from examples of solutions to problems that have been solved elsewhere, but that have some similar characteristics to your own problem. There are five steps to this process.Gather examples...
Lotus Blossom is another tool that can be used as a structured and visual way of finding inspiration from other innovations or solutions. The tool encourages you to map out the design criteria you developed in the Search stage, and to identify...
Mission Impossible is a game that asks participants to think about how they would address the challenge without any of the usual constraints: What if you only had 24 hrs to develop a solution? How could you develop a solution that is...
Flip It is a game where you deliberately seek to turn your assumptions, constraints and issues around a problem into opportunities and possibilities. This can be particularly useful for helping participants and collaborators who may be naysayers;...
How Would? is similar to the ‘Analogous Inspiration’ and ‘How Might We’ exercises in that it seeks to draw inspiration from the wider world, inviting participants to change their perspective and open their minds to a wider range of...
Before beginning the ideation processs you should agree on ‘ground rules’ with your participants to create a safe and supporting environment. IDEO’s Design Kit provides some good advice on setting the right tone ahead of brainstorming...
Object Brainstorming is a non-threatening, abstract and contextually adaptable warm-up exercise, using tangible objects to help externalise the thought process involved in ideation. It involves bringing one or more functional objects to a...
Wallet Project is a useful exercise for introducing the concept of user-centred design. It enables participants to practice the process, get the feel of a design approach and gain some shared vocabulary. Stanford University’s D.School provide a...
Bundling Ideas encourages you to cluster similar ideas together, identify the best aspects of those ideas, and then combine different clusters of ideas into bundles. These then become themes that can use to start building concepts. As IDEO...