Ideation (idea generation)
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Ideation is the creative process of generating, developing, and communicating new ideas, where an idea is understood as a basic element of thought that can be either visual, concrete, or abstract.[1] Ideation comprises all stages of a thought cycle, from innovation, to development, to actualization.[2] As such, it is an essential part of the design process, both in education and practice.[3]
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Methods of innovation [edit]
Methods of innovation include:[4]
- Problem solution
- This is the most simple method of progress, where someone has found a problem and as a result, solves it.
- Evolutionary idea
- Evolutionary ideas derive from somewhere else, taking something that already exists and improving on it.
- Symbiotic idea
- A symbiotic method of idea creation is when multiple ideas are combined, using different elements of each to make a whole.
- Revolutionary idea
- A revolutionary idea breaks away from traditional thought and creates a brand new perspective. For example, Marxism (an evolutionary form of Hegelianism), or the writings of Copernicus (a development of classical Greek thought).
- Serendipitous discovery
- Serendipitous solutions are ideas which have been coincidentally developed without the intention of the inventor. For example, the discovery of penicillin.
- Targeted innovation
- Creating a targeted innovation deals with a direct path of discovery. This is often accompanied by intensive research in order to have a distinct and almost expected resolution. For example, linear programming.
- Artistic innovation
- Artistic innovation disregards the necessity for practicality and holds no constraints.
- Philosophical idea
- The philosophical idea lives in the mind of the creator and can never[citation needed] be proven. This type of idea however can still have vast residual effects. For example, the idea of eternal recurrence.
- Computer-assisted discovery
- This uses a computer in order to widen possibilities of research and numeric possibilities.
See also [edit]
Notes [edit]
References [edit]
- Jonson, B (2005) Design Ideation: the conceptual sketch in the digital age. Design Studies Vol 26 No 6 pp 613–624.
- Graham, D and Bachmann, T., (2004) Ideation: The Birth and Death of Ideas. John Wiley and Sons Inc.
- Fowles, R A (1979) Design Methods in UK Schools of Architecture. Design Studies Vol 1 No 1 pp 15–16
