Creating a Strategy: Week 5

Decide Where You Want to Go: Ideation

Post 5 in our 12-week series on Creating Your Strategy.

Welcome to week 5 of 12! Last week we spent time on synthesis and mapping, using tools of design thinking to help understand what we’ve learned and seen. This week we will use those to propel us forward into what could be. (You can review all previous posts, here.)

There are many different tools you can use to envision where you want to go. This week we’ll focus on Ideation, a core tool within any design thinking practice.

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Ideation

Ideation is crucial in exploring where you want to go. Ideation is a version of brainstorming in which individuals and groups use a question or Problem to Solve or an Area of Opportunity as a catalyst.

In Ideation, individuals think of ideas alone and then share them with the rest of the team. Participants are encouraged to contribute all ideas, no matter how wild or unconventional they may seem, encouraging divergence and creativity. They are also encouraged to build off of one another as the new ideas of others might encourage more ideas, etc. This is called the springboard effect.

As you start your ideation, feel free to bring in any of your initial ideas and aspirations forward — if they are still relevant after exploration. Consider them an additional input. (A word of warning: it’s easy to fall in love with the ideas you started the process with. Make sure they are still relevant and that they still make sense, given everything you’ve done so far.)

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How to Ideate

STEP 1

To succeed with ideation, start with inputs. These could be snapshot personas, customer feedback, business goals, or aspirations. You pulled these together last week during the Synthesis phase.

Start by reviewing your inputs: what have you learned? What do you know? What has your research shown you? What are your competitors doing?

STEP 2

Take this and determine your question or “problem to solve” — ex. “How Might We….”

• …seize this opportunity?
• …solve this customer problem?
• …meet this user need?

STEP 3

Generate ideas independently within a constrained period, for example, 10 minutes. All ideas to solve the problem, seize the opportunity, or meet the user’s need should be written down. Don’t filter; write, and keep writing until time runs out. Push beyond the obvious ideas. Use 2”x2” sticky notes and a wide-tip permanent marker. This will keep you to headlines, not a total solution. You want, quick, fast, the more, the better.

STEP 4

Ideas are then shared with the group. Utilizing a “say it and then stick it” approach, each individual reads their idea and then sticks it to a whiteboard, wall, or other visible space.

STEP 5

Observe trends and patterns:

• What ideas came up more than once
• Which ideas were new?
• Which ideas resonated more than others?

If gaps in your ideas or new ideas arise as you share and discuss them, add them to a sticky note and put them on your shared workspace. The goal is as many (relevant) ideas as possible.

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What You Need

• A small group of open-minded creators, individuals willing to explore new ideas and new spaces
• An opportunity space or problem to solve
• Inputs (ex., research, journey maps, observation, insights)
• Time (constrained but uninterrupted)
• Sticky notes and markers for documentation
• A workspace where you can move freely, feel comfortable sharing new ideas, and post things on the walls or whiteboards.

(You can do ideation in digital spaces; just ensure people participate with the right attitude and mindset. It can be challenging to think of the new and different when you’re surrounded by the same.)

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Common Questions

• What do I do if none of the ideas are “new”? Explore why… why aren’t these problems already solved? Perhaps you aren’t in need of new ideas; instead, you need to explore how to remove the barriers and blockers to your success.
• You and the team are feeling stuck and can’t think of new ideas. Review your inputs. Have you really captured everything they make you think of? Do you need to go back into the field to learn more about your problem to solve, opportunity, or user?

Learn more about Ideation and other helpful tools in our Resource library.

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If you’ve missed any of the posts in this series, check out the previous weeks:

• Week 1: Unique Value Proposition, Current Customers, and Current Market
• Week 2: Competition, Current Challenges, Initial Ideas and Aspirations
• Week 3: Exploration, Understanding and Empathy
• Week 4: Decide Where You Want to Go: Synthesis and Mapping

And look for a bonus newsletter this Friday from Mike Anderson, Mike Anderson from Upstream Consulting!

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