Ideate: Can We?

Estimated Time: 1 hour

After crafting a problem statement, the next step in the design thinking process is to ideate. The goal is to generate many potential ideas that might solve the problem, including some alternative or strange solutions. In a design sprint, the section where the participants generate ideas follows "How Might We" and is refered to as "Can We?"

The blockers to creative ideation

Coming up with many ideas can be hard. Many of us have been told that we're not the "creative type." But, the idea that creativity is the domain of a select few is wrong. We all have creative potential and with the right mindset and activities, we can come up with interesting and useful ideas.

Ideation techniques

There are numerous activities that can help to overcome blockers and generate ideas. Atomic’s Design Thinking Toolkit has numerous activities for the ideation phase including:

SCAMPER

The SCAMPER method is a brainstorming technique to come up with new ideas by applying a set of creative thinking strategies to a design problem. Starting with an existing solution, a team can apply the SCAMPER technique by answering the following questions:

Substitute: What can be changed or replaced in the design?
Combine: How can elements be combined or merged in the design?
Adapt: How can the design be adapted from something else?
Modify: How can the design be altered or modified in some way?
Put to other uses: How can the design be used in a different way?
Eliminate: What can be removed from the design?
Reverse: How can the design be reversed or turned upside down?
Rearrange: How can the elements of the design be rearranged in a different order?

Crazy 8s

Crazy 8s is a design thinking technique that involves quickly sketching out 8 different ideas for a design problem in just 8 minutes. The goal is to generate a large number of ideas in a short amount of time, without worrying about the quality of the ideas. This technique is useful for overcoming creative blocks. It can also be a fun and energizing activity for teams to do together. Learn more about crazy 8s and download tempaltes in the design thinking toolkit.

2x3s

The 2x3 activity involves creating 2 different ideas for a design problem and then developing 3 different versions of each idea. This technique is useful for exploring different variations of an idea and for narrowing down a set of potential solutions to a design problem. The 2x3 activity is a bit more focused/structured than crazy 8s. While crazy 8s are about generating as many ideas as possible, 2x3 is more focused on exploring variations of an idea to narrow down on a potential solution. Learn more about 2x3 and download tempaltes in the design thinking toolkit.