11. Ideation

This lesson provides a detailed explanation of the ideation step and how to generate ideas using the Crazy 8's technique.

Ideation

What is Ideation?

Ideation is the third phase of the Design Thinking process, and it’s all about generating ideas.

The Nielsen Norman Group defines ideation as:

💡 The process of generating a broad set of ideas on a given topic, with no attempt to judge or evaluate them.

While the eventual goal of ideation is a high-quality design that solves a specified problem, the focus of ideation is quantity instead of quality.

As Anh Chung shares a video of a piggy trying to eat cookies, he provides a playful illustration of what the ideation process can look like:

This example features a persona of a piggy attempting to reach cookies on top of a fridge, with the challenge being the fridge is too high. A solution is any approach that helps the piggy access the cookies.

To develop a solution, it's essential to first define the problem and the goal, as a solution is simply a way to help the user achieve their objective. As Anh Chung explains, the ideation process is about expanding on ideas to generate as many potential solutions as possible.

Fundamentals of Ideation

There are three main characteristics of every ideation session:

Ideas are not evaluated: Ideas should not be judged during ideation sessions to encourage open contributions and creativity. Evaluation stifles creativity.
Ideas are recorded and the session is documented: whether using simple notes or tools like whiteboards, sticky notes, and other materials—to capture thoughts before they’re forgotten.
Collaboration for Diversity: Working with a team, especially one with diverse skills and experiences, produces a wider range of ideas and strengthens team engagement and buy-in.

Crazy 8's

What is Crazy 8's?

💡 Crazy 8’s is a core Design Sprint method. It is a fast sketching exercise that challenges people to sketch eight distinct ideas in eight minutes. - Core Method, Design Sprints

This method is used in the ideation phase for rapid idea generation. It encourages creating a variety of concepts quickly, drawing on existing insights. The goal is to narrow down to one or a few best ideas that can be turn into a prototype.

Pre-requisite: You have to have a problem. The problem is the reason behind your challenge.

The goal: To interpret an idea and to generate a solution to your challenge.

The deliverable: 8 distinct ideas into a form of text, images or illustrations.

The Benefit of Crazy 8's

The Crazy 8's method is excellent for fostering collaboration among team members while being time and cost-efficient.

💡 Great ideas can come from anywhere, even in under 8 minutes.

Crazy 8's Example

A Crazy 8's Workshop Example

We had the opportunity to participate in a Crazy 8's workshop in our class, focusing on solving everyday problems.

Problem Statement: Hieu has a demanding 12-14 hour work schedule each day and wants to fit in exercise to recharge. However, when he's feeling down, he struggles with self-discipline, often leading him to skip his workouts.

Here’s an example of a Crazy 8's board we created in class, where we brainstormed solutions to help Hieu improve his workout routine.

Next, we had the chance to present our ideas, sharing them one by one with the group:

Finally, we voted on our favorite ideas and selected the top ones for evaluation. We assessed them based on two key factors: the effort required to build the product and its impact on users. The final results looked something like this: