Mastering ideation in the design thinking process
After the empathize stage of the design thinking process comes ideation. Now it’s time to use everything you’ve learned about your customers to generate innovative ideas that could lead to game-changing solutions.
How to kickstart the ideation phase
The ideation stage begins with crafting ‘How might we…?’ statements. These help frame challenges in a way that encourages open-ended thinking and sparks innovation. You take the insights you’ve gathered about what matters to your customers and transform them into questions that fuel creative problem-solving. (Need help? Check out the How Might We Generator on Sprintbase).
3 key principles for a successful ideation session
- Involve diverse perspectives: Brainstorming is best when a broad range of people get involved. Don’t default to your usual team. Bring people with a wide range of perspectives and experience together. Invite your customers to take part too where possible.
- Think big – feasibility comes later: At this point, you’re looking for exciting, new ideas, you don’t need to worry about feasibility just yet, so be as creative as you like!
- Create a judgement-free zone: To bring out the best ideas, you need a supportive environment. Don’t judge one another, be open to everybody’s suggestions. Every idea is welcome.
Take your ideation further
Want to explore the ideation phase further? Watch our video to explore techniques that drive better results.
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