Transcript

Hope you would understood the Empathy study and how to define a problem? Now we will move towards the Ideation stage. So in ideation stage you should keep in mind there is nothing called a unique solution. So, there will be multiple ideas, how do you generate these ideas and, how do you process this idea that will be discussed in this lecture.

In Ideation you should have one thing in mind no idea is good or bad. For all ideas which come out at this point of time among the team members has to be processed. And later, we will think of filtering it out but first, you should allow them to process the definition and generate as many ideas as possible. In the design thinking process Ideation stage follows the first two stage: which are the Empathy stage and the Definition stage.

There is a significant overlap between the Definition stage and the Ideation stage of a typical design thinking process. Interpreting information and defining the problems both derive the generation of problem solution. For example, when we do Brainstorming session we always ask ‘How Might We’ questions are often used in both the stages like in definition stage as well as in Ideation stage.

How to Ideate: there are questions asked. Ask the right question and innovate. When we say innovation, innovation is what you have to have a customer for a problem. So, that’s why every time I say it has to be human centric. Ask right questions and innovate. Next, step beyond the obvious solutions. Currently, there is a possibility for a solution, go beyond it, stretch yourself beyond it and together increase the innovation potential of your solution. Next, bring together prospective and strengths of the team members. If there are 8 people, 8 people giving 8 different ideas, you cannot take directly their idea but take part of a, part of b, part of c and part of d, 4 people and now you are similar you get a new innovative solutions. So this is what it is. Bring together prospective and strengths of the team members, Uncover unexpected areas of innovation, create volume and variety in your innovation options, get obvious solutions out of your heads and drive your team beyond them.

So, the other thing is ‘How to Ideate?’ You should have time limit. You can’t have infinite time because no customer will wait for infinite period for a solution to that problem. So, there is always a time limit which is set. Then start with a problem statement, point of view, possible questions, a plan or a goal and stay focused on the topic. So, the definition of a problem is clearly related in front of you. Low cost, low maintenance, the cashew nut removing from the cashew shell without touching the skin is a very clear defined problem. So, for that problem statement you will try to say what are all the possible questions, planning and goal.

Next, defer judgment or criticism, including non-verbal. So, in the ideation stage we should not say it’s a bad idea and stop it here or it is infeasible so stop it here. No, you try to take it, move further and later we will see what is to be done. Before, judgment or criticism, including non verbal, encourage weird, wacky and wild ideas, aim for quantity, build on each other’s ideas, be visual, one conversation at a time is very important. So, these are some of the possible ways of generating ideas. So, what is that one conversation at a time is – it’s 8 people are there and all 8 people keep talking, we will never go towards a solution. So, the better thing is you should say one at a time, one talks the idea and it is also better when one starts talking about the idea, the next person acquires the idea and he starts developing on top of it. So, that’s what we said build on each other’s idea. So, it’s very clear from the  ideation stage the team has to be critical, the team will look at definition of the problem and then start working on it and in the team there has to be always a harmony so that each tries to do a complimentary work for the other in developing new ideas. So, this is how in reality it happens. So, the problem definitely is defined and many at times people start using a transparent glass at where in which they start writing all the different ideas which strikes them. So, people write here whatever ideas they get, write it on the stick paper and then they stick it on the glass panel. So, then what and here also what they have done is they have given different different colours. So each colour can be for an individual or each colour can be for a theme. For example cost, better solution in the cost, so then all the solution or ideas which comes towards under costing they just write it in pink colour paper and stick it. So, then what happens later it becomes easy for them to assimilate the data and see how do we go further.

So, the benefit of Ideation is: Uncover implicit knowledge happens. Get to know how you think, Purge your mind, Get different perspectives, Recover enthusiasm. So, all these things are benefits of ideation. So, may be for one problem it is better to have minimum 10 solutions. Infact, when I take a class I try to give an assignment to the students saying that take a common product which is therefore for example, taking a cup or a spoon or a pencil. Try to develop 25 different solutions for the same pencil such that it can attract new customers and I will also say to the students that please make sure that no two ideas are very similar. So, it’s really very difficult to work to develop so many ideas. Many at times what happens is we have a problem, we develop only one idea and we think that, that is the best idea,we start working on the idea and finally, we see a failure. So, in order to get out of that failure we try to have multiple ideas flowing inside for the same problem statement.

So, today we have studied the lecture on Ideation, which is very abstract. So, in this abstract session the end of it we should keep in mind that there is nothing called a good or a bad idea. All ideas are good, collect all ideas and now start processing all those ideas by putting a filter. But while at the generation stage please don’t put a filter. You write down all the ideas, then bring it to the table, start discussing, then put a filter, then try to bring down. And when you come to stage at the end of the ideation stage, I’m sure you will have atleast 4-5 ideas which will all meet out to the solution.

So, then the next stage is going to be prototype making. We will discuss it in detail in the next lecture on prototype.

Thank You.