Maeve Catherine

Learning what can be improved and expanded upon will get the wheels into gear. The real issue comes when you cannot organize imagination into rational ideas to help the users there are multiple method you can utilize.

According to the Interactive Design Foundation, these methods are known as Ideation techniques. Below are the names of the most common techniques and wether they are independent or group based:

• Brainstorm
  • Open-minded group process
• Brain dump
  • First Independent then share with group
• Brainwrite
  • Activity is independently done on a collaborative group document and in a group setting.
  • Think of the game telephone but the goal is to come up with something better than the first thought
• Brainwalk
  • Activity is independently done on a collaborative group document and in a group setting.
  • Brainwriting but instead with stations around a room of ideas to improve.
• Worst Possible Idea
  • Open minded group process
• Challenge Assumptions
  • Independent
• Mindmap
  • Independent
• Sketch
  • Independent
• Storyboard
  • Independent
• Bodystorm
  • Active and outgoing group
• Analogies
  • Independent
• Lateral thinking
  • Independent
• SCAMPER
  • Independent
• Movement
  • Group
• Gamestorming
  • Group based activities
• Cheatstorm
  • Independent and Group
• Crowdstorm
  • Group of users and creators.
  • Goal is to gain user feedback
• Co-Creation Workshops
  • Groups
• Prototype
  • Independent and group
• Creative Pause
  • Group and independent works take break from project in order to reset

To exemplify a few of the independently done methods I have continued my project on the three book focused apps I use. Using the POV Statements I created for the Goodreads, Fable, and StoryGraph users, I began the ideation process.

Goodreads Ideation Methods

• Mind mapping: helped me organize users positive, negative, and suggestive points
• Sketching: allowed me to layout the changes I believe will help the app improve.
• SCAMPER: helped me identify what to change for app to improve overall.
• Prototype: allowed me to visually explain my thought process about home page issues.

Fable Ideation Methods

• Storyboarding: Exploring how a notification addition about new releases could help users be engaged with communities of like minded people.
• Brain Dump: allowed me to get all my ideas out in one spot with no further explanation behind it.
• SCAMPER: helped me identify which visual aspects are inconvenient for users
• Reverse Thinking: While this method is not mentioned by the Interactive Design Foundation, Canva explains Reverse brainstorming/thinking allows designers to focus on bad ideas and find productive solutions from those. This method allows me to question the ways users adjust how they find books to read and track progress of.

StoryGraph Ideation Methods

• Sketch: allowed me to layout of a unique idea for transferring physical book data.
• Storyboard: allowed me to take a trip through the a persona’s journey in transferring different types of book data.
• SCAMPER: helped me identify what to change for app to improve overall.
• Prototype: allowed me to visually explain my thought process about home page issues.

Whether individually or in a group, have an open and curious mind throughout the ideation process.

For inspiration, take a look at the ideas I came up with for each app below: