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Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

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Use these practical methods to help you brainstorm better, smarter, and more effectively, no matter the timeline. Using these methods, you can approach a design problem with the right questions so you can focus your creative energy on finding solutions.
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HOW TO BRAINSTORM MORE EFFECTIVELY HOW DESIGN CONFERENCE / 06.08.10 T: @ CHANGEORDER / E: [email protected] / BLOG: CHANGEORDERBLOG.COM better ideas faster David Sherwin, frog design
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Page 1: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

How to Brainstorm more effectively

How DesiGn conference / 06.08.10

t: @cHanGeorDer / e: [email protected] / BloG: cHanGeorDerBloG.com

better ideas faster

David sherwin, frog design

Page 2: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

Brainstorms at inDeX by @boetter / 49915119 cc license share remix on flickr

Page 3: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

better ideas faster

quantity breeds quality

Page 4: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

from Understanding Comics by scott mccloud — read this!

Page 5: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

quantity plus qualitybig ideas, low fidelity

better ideas faster

Page 6: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

nixie clock by randomskk / 3535050466 cc license share remix on flickr

Page 7: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

better ideas faster

quantity plus qualitybig ideas, low fidelitydesigning your deadlines

Page 8: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

at tHe very last minute

just enough ideas

some otHer conference

proBaBly runninG late

some other Guy

Page 9: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

1 2 3 4

identify your client’s actualproblems

strateGy

better ideas faster

Page 10: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

what business problem are you trying to solve?

Page 11: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

we’d like you to create a new logo and color palette for our restaurant…

?

Page 12: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

stated marketing and design needs are symptoms of larger, systemic business problems.

we’d like you to create a new logo and color palette for our restaurant…

why?

Page 13: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

problems live in different orbits within a client organization.

Marketing + brand strategy

Design strategy

Tactics

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

??

Business problems

Page 14: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

Marketing + brand strategy

Design strategy

Tactics

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

??

Business problems

problems live in different orbits within a client organization.

Page 15: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

we’d like you to create a new logo and color palette for our restaurant…

?

Business proBlem

sales have dropped 20% over this past year. what should we do?

Page 16: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

we’d like you to create a new logo and color palette for our restaurant…

?

?

?

?

?

our signage is hard to read—should we try and redo it?

we need a more effective website to attract new customers?

our service and menu needs to be improved?

should we consider search engine ads?

Business proBlem

sales have dropped 20% over this past year. what should we do?

Page 17: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

you should be thinking outside the box, but inside the strategy.

!BrainstorminG tip #1

Page 18: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

1 2 3 4

turn those problems into ideation questions

articulation

better ideas faster

Page 19: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

how many designers does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

Page 20: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

sales have dropped 20% over this past year. what should we do? not a DesiGn proBlem

Page 21: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

we want a new identity system for our restaurant.

!

!

!

we need to redo our signage, it’s hard to read.

we need a more effective website to attract new customers.

Business proBlem

sales have dropped 20% over this past year. what should we do?

Page 22: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

sales have dropped 20% over this past year. what should we do? not a DesiGn proBlem

can you create a new identity system for our restaurant? not a DesiGn proBlem

Page 23: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

we want a new identity system for our restaurant.

!

!

!

?

what is the essence of this new restaurant identity?

Business proBlem

sales have dropped 20% over this past year. what should we do?

Page 24: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

sales have dropped 20% over this past year. what should we do? not a DesiGn proBlem

can you create a new identity system for our restaurant? not a DesiGn proBlem

a DesiGn proBlem!

What is the essence of this new restaurant identity?

Page 25: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

what metaphors provide the appropriate meaning for the new identity?

Articulating a design problem will suggest related questions that can be answered by design.

iDeation Questions

Page 26: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

what emotions would a person feel when s/he encounters the new identity?

what metaphors provide the appropriate meaning for the new identity?

iDeation Questions

Articulating a design problem will suggest related questions that can be answered by design.

Page 27: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

How does motion—online & in the real world—support the meaning of this new identity?

what emotions would a person feel when s/he encounters the new identity?

what styles of typography would best support this feeling?

what metaphors provide the appropriate meaning for the new identity?

what textures and graphic elements would best support this feeling?

what color schemes best express the agreed-upon meaning & emotion?

what materials would best express the meaning & emotion in print?

what style of photography or illustration supports the meaning you’d like to convey?

iDeation Questions

DesiGn eXecution

Articulating a design problem will suggest related questions that can be answered by design.

Page 28: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

!

!

!

?

what kind of website functionality would encourage repeat business?

we need a more effective website to attract new customers.

?

Business proBlem

sales have dropped 20% over this past year. what should we do?

Page 29: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

Starting with the right questions will steer you towards the right answers— by design.

!BrainstorminG tip #2

Page 30: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

1 2 3 4

Brainstorm using ideation questions and timeboxing

iDeation

better ideas faster

Page 31: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

what is timeboxing?

short, structured sprints to reach stated ideation goals

Page 32: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

20 mins

Brain-storm

BiG iDeas

how timeboxing works

Page 33: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

David sherwin / challenge: technoyoga / time limit: 120 min / this page: first 3 timeboxes

Page 34: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

20 mins 40 mins

Brain-storm

BiG iDeasevaluate

Determine app

content

how timeboxing works

Page 35: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

David sherwin / challenge: technoyoga / time limit: 120 min / this page: first 3 timeboxes

Page 36: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

20 mins 40 mins

final clean

sketcHes

Brain-storm

BiG iDeasevaluate

Determine app

content

rouGH wire-

framesevaluate

60 mins 80 mins 100 mins 120 mins

evaluaterefineD

wire-frames

visual DesiGn

tHinkinG

how timeboxing works

Page 37: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively
Page 38: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

practice makespermanent

Page 39: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

why timeboxing works

anXiety

BoreDom

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evaluateBrain-storm

BiG iDeas

Determine app

content

Page 40: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

why timeboxing works

reaD cHallenGe

evaluate

refineD wire-

frames

anXiety

BoreDom

SKILLSlow HiGHer

CH

AL

LE

NG

ES

lo

wH

iGH

er

Brain-storm

BiG iDeas

Determine app

content

rouGH wireframes

evaluate

flow cHannel

visual DesiGn

dia

gra

m fro

m f

low

: th

e p

sych

olo

gy o

f op

timal e

xp

erie

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ihaly

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szen

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i

Page 41: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

the more time you provide yourself during a brainstorm, the less likely you’ll be able to focus.

!BrainstorminG tip #3

Page 42: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

timeboxing + brainstorming methods

using new and unusual brainstorming methods in timeboxes prompts novel ideas

Page 43: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

mind mapping

visualizing connections between seemingly disparate pieces of information

Page 44: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

sean Baker, pictoric, and lenny vella, ’peeps creative / challenge: free association / time limit: 60 min

Page 45: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

sean Baker, pictoric, and lenny vella, ’peeps creative / challenge: free association / time limit: 60 min

Page 46: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

word listing

an alternate type of mind map with more structure and faster results

Page 47: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

mark notermann / challenge: out of Gamut / time limit: 60 min

Page 48: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

One important goal of this mark is to communicate an aspect of colorblindness to normally-sighted people. The website <http://www.vischeck.com/vischeck/vischeckImage.php> has a utility to test for colorblind perception. These screenshots are from tests based on the two most common types of colorblindness.

mark notermann / challenge: out of Gamut / time limit: 60 min

Page 49: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

picture association

collaging together found images to spark new design ideas

Page 50: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

Jarred elrod / challenge: never tear us apart / time limit: 60 min

Page 51: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

brutethink

forcing connections between your area of focus and a totally unrelated word

Page 52: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

matt mcelvogue, frog design / sketched this last time i presented this talk

Page 53: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

idea inversion

taking an idea and envisioning its exact opposite—this isn’t easy!

Page 54: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

Jessica thrasher / challenge: opposites attract / time limit: 60 min

Page 55: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

freeform sketching

drawing pictures, words, and layout ideas in an free-form, associative way

Page 56: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

meta newhouse, newhouse Design / challenge: one line logo / time limit: 30 min

Page 57: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

meta newhouse, newhouse Design / challenge: one line logo / time limit: 30 min

Page 58: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

role playing

act out how a product, service, or event would influence consumer behavior

Page 59: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

Donnie Dinch, meg Doyle, claire kohler, mark notermann / challenge: touch screen of Deaf rock / time limit: 60 min

Page 60: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

deconstruction

tear apart the bits and pieces that make up an existing design, then quickly reassemble them

Page 61: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

David sherwin / challenge: i’m feeling really, really lucky / time limit: 60 min

Page 62: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

future- casting

remove all reality constraints, working backward from what’s impossible to what’s possible

Page 63: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

mark notermann / challenge: future-casting / time limit: 60 min

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10x10

sketching in one hour at least one hundred doodles, which are then analyzed for novel ideas

Page 65: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

David sherwin / challenge: 10x10 / time limit: 60 min

Page 66: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

By settingimpossible goals, you’re more likely to create ideas that are truly unexpected.

!BrainstorminG tip #4

Page 67: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

30 days in 30 minutes

a method for learning to timebox as a teamthree timeboxes: 8 minutes ideation / 2 minutes critiqueone person is “the client,” everyone else designs

Page 68: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

Donnie Dinch, meg Doyle, claire kohler, mark notermann / challenge: storybook ending / time limit: 30 min

Page 69: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

Donnie Dinch, meg Doyle, claire kohler, mark notermann / challenge: storybook ending / time limit: 30 min

Page 70: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

1 2 3 4

Connect existing ideas to discover better ones

syntHesis

better ideas faster

Page 71: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

idea clustering

group and merge ideas, seeing which ones enhance the others around them

Page 72: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

scamper

Substitute somethingCombine it with something elseAdapt something to itModify or magnify itPut it to some other useEliminate somethingReverse or rearrange it

—alex osborn & Bob eberle

Page 73: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

Don’t fall in love with your first ideas. act like you’re speed dating until you run out of time.

!BrainstorminG tip #5

Page 74: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

best practicesbetter ideas faster

Page 75: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

Capture big ideas with simple tools first.

as the fidelity of an idea increases, you’re not brainstorming. you’re executing a design.

almost a year of post-it notes

from Dawn lozzi’s desk at

frog design—can you guess

how many are here?

Page 76: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

Keep a toolkit for your daily sketching needs.

all you need is a pencil and an eraser, but a sharpie or two doesn’t hurt…

this toolkit is from leah Buley at adaptive path.

the blue pencil can be used for reference sketching,

then photocopied without showing up. the red and

warm gray markers are good for highlights.

Page 77: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

Express your ideas in ways that travel beyond the page.

sing, dance, paint, act—use motion to create new perspectives on plain old words and pictures.

Designer scott scheff and i created a 30-second commercial for a fictional

record store in nyc—with a flip HD camera and a glue-huffing puppet oD’ing

while listening to the pixies’ “wave of mutilation.” Deadline: 30 minutes.

Page 78: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

Write it, then draw it. (Or vice versa.)Get it all down. pictures hold more information—and possible interpretations—than anything ever said out loud.

graphic facilitation by emily chang / 2591901494 share + remix cc on flickr

Page 79: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

Sketch like a designer, not like an artist.

you can sketch a comp in a matter of a minute or two that adequately expresses any design idea. (not the execution!)

Designer Jake rae created this sketch in a

few minutes for a in-class challenge. is any

other information necessary to convey what

the execution would require?

Page 80: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

parting thoughts

Page 81: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

intuitiondeepens with practice

Page 82: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

intuition doesn’t come from rote repetition

Page 83: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

intuitionfuels great design

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“ plans are no substitute for the real thing… Process is a means to an end.our purpose is to create.”

— mark rolston, frog design

Page 85: Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively

Questions?

David [email protected]

@changeorder

slides for this talk

will be posted to

changeorderblog.com

Creative Workshop is out november 2010

from How Design press

Better ideas faster | ©2010 David sherwin

all rights reserved.


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