Introduction
Ideation refers to the process of generating solutions through creativity and communicating to a group of people or end-users. Ideas generate from brainstorming sessions which may include putting down raw thoughts, making rough sketches, discussions, and so on.
Ideas also stem from a person’s past or present knowledge, principles, experiences, influences, and so on. An ideator conveys the idea to their organisation or implements in their business.
Understanding Ideation:
Ideation is relevant, in general, from a business perspective or to solve problems. There can be various sources for ideas. The concept of ideation focuses on practical application and implementation.
The process of ideation should be open to everyone in an organisation, including employees, mid-management level, business partners, and so on. Ideation activities include seminars, team building activities, social media platforms, among others.
Ideation is critical for the expansion, survival, and success of any organisation. Companies should encourage their employees to read, update themselves in the latest changes affecting their area of business, and generate ideas and solutions for the company. Ideation helps businesses develop new products, offer competitive advantages, acquire market share, and increase profitability.
There is no definite process of ideation. However, for an idea to be effective and generate solutions for an organisation, people should keep an eye for information, possible solutions, ready to discuss and experiment. It is also important to define the problem or issue at hand and the underlying factors.
For example, in the case of a problem of falling demand, the organisation should identify the underlying factors, such as a change in technology, the latest technology and trends, budget and so on.
After identifying the factors and their causes, an organisation can conduct brainstorming sessions and make other collaborative efforts to generate new ideas.
Conclusion
The purpose of ideation is to determine solutions for the problems and enable solutions for the future. Apart from generating solutions, ideation also involves amendments to existing ideas or combining two or more ideas to finalise an idea.
The organisation tests various ideas on the problems, carry out reworks and adjustments until the finalisation of an idea and implementation.
