At One Stone, we go for big ideas when we ideate. We push for quantity, not quality. With “51” in mind; we rapidly throw out the first 50 ideas, which are typically less unique and creative. The good stuff starts to come at idea 51. This is where we really start to explore, expand, develop, and innovate in order to make a solution truly great. It takes a collaborative, supportive team that builds on each others’ ideas. It takes a safe, creative culture where people feel confident and willing to share their crazy ideas. A place where judgment is deferred, ambiguity is embraced, and everyone brings optimism.
IDEATION IS MESSY
A great brainstorm session is a bit chaotic, loud, energetic, and colorful. Sticky notes are everywhere. Mindmaps are sprawling across butcher paper. Whiteboards are packed with lists. Notepads and sketchbooks are full of doodles, drawings, and notes. It can be overwhelming to try to turn that creative monsoon into something actionable.
THE ART OF IDEA SELECTION
Selecting an idea requires synthesis, communication, critical thinking, and creative confidence. Thankfully, design thinking gives us tools and methods to quickly and efficiently organize, categorize, and choose possible solutions.
This article, How to Select the Best Idea by the End of an Ideation Session from the Interaction Design Foundation is an excellent resource for teams and individuals looking to navigate the sometimes overwhelming task of idea selection.
HAPPY PROTOTYPING!
After you have successfully selected an idea using one or more methods, you can begin bringing that idea to life. These idea selection methods can continue to be useful throughout the design thinking process as a way to organize complex amounts of data and make collaborative decisions.
