A tour of the force behind IDEATION
Presentation Purpose
 Ideation Overview
 History/Origins Of Ideation
 Market Uses
 Benefits
 Overall Process
 Techniques
 Tools
 In-Class Demonstration/Exercise
IDEATION
 What is Ideation?
 Ideation is about exploring possibilities, generating new
concepts and discovering new opportunities.
 It is the creative process of generating, developing, and
communicating new ideas, where an idea is understood as a
basic element of thought that can be either visual, concrete, or
abstract
 One step in the Innovation process
 What isn’t?
 Not Innovation
 Subset of Innovation
 Not Traditional Brainstorming
 Traditional Brainstorming is involves validating ideas, weeding out
bad concepts, and correcting current concepts
HISTORY
 Innovation
 Research & Development
 Evolution
 Pool of resources has grown exponentially in several
markets from a specific set of internal resources, to a
broadened, internal approach, to reaching out to
external resources.
 Internal R&D Enterprise
Open
 Companies are now providing these services in
many forms: consulting, web based application
tools and business process development.
Market Uses
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Ideation can be applied to almost any field including industries such as movies, video
games, business, healthcare, etc.
According to a 2005 Arthur D. Little global study, of five best practices identified, idea
management has the strongest impact on the increase in sales by new products.
Trend and Industry Analysis allows teams to understand immerging trends to understand
high potential opportunities which tends to be the source for radical innovation.
Customer Interactions serve as the source for new innovative thinking from the consumer
perspective.
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Internal Creative Thinking
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“Lead Users”, pro users, innovators or early adopters for the most sound advice towards new
innovative ideas.
Stresses the importance of being free from constraints to allow for free flowing ideas. This
approach goes against the traditional analytical nature of business to follow a defined process.
This method can allow users to feel free in expression of off the path ideas and often raises the
energy level of participants increasing interest in the planning activity.
Several large companies, like Starbucks and Best Buy, have opened up this process to their
consumers, inviting anyone to raise new ideas for possible company products using a
dedicated idea management software open on the internet.
Benefits
 When applied correctly, the techniques can add a high level of energy
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and fun to your planning activities as well as generate a large number
of exciting ideas.
The quality of ideas is directly correlated to the quantity of ideas at a
company’s disposal.
Ideation provides a mechanism for the discussion and building of all
known possibilities.
Ideation uncovers or “discovers” new high-potential products,
markets, needs, and features.
Ideation adds significant confidence and efficiency to the product
development funnel.
Ideation can help any company develop new methods for uncovering
the best ideas within the organization. The most successful
companies have recognized that ideation is an integral part of their
overall strategic portfolio.
Ideation Process Principles
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Properly frame a question. This key skill can become engrained in the corporate
DNA in order to ensure long-term success of any new model for creating and
nurturing innovation
Strategically grounded and outcome driven
Built upon the values of trust, openness and respect
Leverages the collective diversity and knowledge of the team
Engaging, experiential and sensory stimulating
Infused with fun!
Recognizes and capitalizes upon multiple learning and creativity styles
Promotes cross fertilization and true team collaboration
Dynamic and flexible in nature to flow with the needs of your team
Open discussion
A medium that links all team members
Option for anonymity
And when in doubt, remember the value of simplicity...let it be easy!
Ideation Techniques
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Brain walking
Mind Mapping
Problem Redefinition
20 Questions
Idea Hooks
The Wish Technique
Magazine Rip and Rap Collaging
Bill boarding
White boarding
Idea Naming
SCAMPER
Lateral Thinking
Ideation Tools
An exercise in Mind Mapping utilizing Catalyst by
Mind Mapping
 Free brainstorming technique
 Developed by Tony Buzan
Briggs’ Patterns of Collaboration
 Where does mind mapping fit?
 GENERATE – yes (Free Brainstorming Thinklet)
 CLARIFY – no
 ORGANIZE – maybe
 REDUCE – no
 EVALUATE – no
 COMMIT - no
Selection Criteria
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Cost
Ease of Use
Collaboration
Supports adding
 Files as attachments
 Hyperlinks
 Images
How Catalyst stacks up
 Cost: $108 per year per user
 Ease of Use: relatively easy
 Collaboration: supported in real-time with
co-editing
 Supports adding
 Files as attachments - yes
 Hyperlinks- yes
 Images – yes (but not too easy)
Other Teams
 Criteria
 Cost
 “Advantages”
 Top 3 Tools
 Mindmeister
 Mindjet
 Xmind
Similar Tools
Demo of Catalyst by MindJet
Mind Mapping Examples
Summary
 Ideation is a subset of a multi-step innovation
process
 It can be used in any industry or facet of life
 No matter the technique or tool, there are very
basic principles in ideation that can always be
used.
 The tool used today was Mindjet, which can be
found @ www.mindjet.com. 30 day free trial.
Questions
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