Human-computer ideation

Human-computer interaction, HCI is concerned with the ways humans interact with computers, both hardware and software. Of special interest to design ideation is how computers can help designers generate and communicate ideas, visually or textually, or both, or in model form, such as prototyping (3D printing). In this, ideators need computer competence in visualising ideas - to create visual materials and artefacts as well as to understand the impact of visual materials, including digital imagery, data and information visualisation. In other words, the computer becomes an ideation tool.

Why ideation skills matter

Ideas, at first, may seem plentiful, cheap and easy to come by. And so it may be that ideation skills are overlooked or underestimated in the design process. But Dr Laura Kornish, a US academic who teaches product development courses, where students generate and develop ideas for new products, says that better ideas, on average, lead to more successful products, as rated by users (the failure rate for fast moving consumer goods is close to 50 per cent), and therefore getting good ideas is a process that requires not only talent, time and money but discipline. To discipline one's imagination for visible creative outcomes, then, suggests focus on ideation skills, and whether acquiring new skills or improving existing ones.

Need and desire

Need and desire are both driving ideation. But whereas need is perceived as a positive thing, something basic and necessary, and therefore often easy to recognise, desire might be seen in a negative light, as a craving, or greed, a bad rather than a good thing. Yet design agendas, and notably in the consumer field, are often driven by desire and customer satisfaction for new products and services that go beyond basic need. Dalai Lama holds that self-satisfaction alone cannot determine if a desire is positive or negative, but whether it ultimately results in positive or negative consequences. Desire then, may be seen as a positive thing if it helps generate ideas that go beyond immediate self-satisfaction resulting in outcomes that are sustainable and good for everyone. Such outcomes, however, suggest that designers prioritise the real needs of customers and users, that is, for products or services that are really necessary rather than desirable. In modern consumer societies, however, such a distinction is difficult to make.

Thinking through drawing

When freehand drawing is being marginalised in the design process, and when many students head straight for the computer, hand drawing may be a generational issue. For example, British architect Chris Wilkinson (b.1945) finds the act of communication through drawing still very important: 'I often sketch what I'm thinking rather than what I'm seeing. It's part of the process by which my ideas come through. You could just sit in a field and contemplate, but at some point you need to get your ideas on to paper. You have to start somewhere, and for me a drawing is the way an idea begins to take form'. (Wilkinson's sketchbooks are on show at the Royal Academy of Arts, until 14 February 2016).

Forming ideas

The forming of ideas can, literally speaking, go through several stages. For example, the foundry plays a vital role for artists. Here the sculptor has an idea of what they want, and discusses with technicians issues such as scaling up, casting, welding or patinating, to see what is possible. And, after consultation, the artist often goes away with something quite different from the initial idea, which shows that the journey from first thought to idea realisation is not only difficult to predict but involves collaboration along the way.

What If?

Sometimes underestimated or overlooked in the ideation process is the power of questioning ... what if? And so, when speculating from the here and now into future possibilities, when exploring materials and processes and when developing innovative applications in new social, cultural, economic and political contexts we are prompted to ask crucial questions. Indeed, asking the right question can speed up solution finding or problem solving.This calls for multiple approaches to ideation, from rigorous enquiry and sensuousness to lateral thinking and hands-on experimentation across design disciplines.

Self-reflective pondering

Design ideation is about creativity and generating ideas. But it also about developing ideas which is a self-reflective activity at a conscious level. Ideation, then, as a reflective practice, goes beyond techniques such as "brainstorming", and focuses on the quality rather than the quantity of ideas. Moreover, as a purposeful and valuable activity, ideation involves the skillful use of ideation tools to help develop and communicate ideas using both verbal and visual language.