IDEATION - It's all in the box!!

I try not to think out of the box anymore, but on its edge, its corner, its flap and under its bar code.
~ Clint Runge

To the uninitiated, the concept of 'ideation' revolves around waiting for the right inspiration to strike and create a ripple effect which evolves into creative strategies that align together to give the perfect ammunition to woo a client and develop a world class award winning solution.

However, this thought is far-fetched from reality, wherein certain steps have to be initiated to ensure the constant evolution of ground breaking ideas. Listed below are a few pointers that are essential in polishing and perfecting rough conceptual ideas.

1. Start Easy
It is essential to start an innovation journey with a clear and concrete innovation assignment - ideation should not begin until a basic clarity has been achieved on all essential angles involved. An understanding of the client, the product in question and the end-user market gives the flow of ideas a direction to move along and ensures that deviations from the specific train of thoughts can be controlled and diverted back. Research to garner an understanding of what is expected provides the quality control to disallow fuzzy front end developments as the project gains momentum.

2. Create the Right Momentum
Ideation is a never-ending process and it is essential that there be fixed deadlines to stop and review the progress and direction of thought. That being said, getting the view-point of a non-involved party at different stages of the ideation brings clarity to the entire process. Further, a set time line creates a sense of urgency and allows the people involved to start playing with ideas and looking at situations in a different light.

3. Team Ideation
While attempting to generate new ideas for a particular project, multiple minds working in tandem provide the perfect broth for ideas to incubate. Conflicting ideas provide the perfect opportunity to evaluate the direction of thought. Further, group ideation ensures that before any idea is thrashed and recycled it is viewed and evaluated from multiple perspectives. It is essential to involve a variety of people in the process – creative heads, content creators, concerned demographics, marketing persons and strategic analysts.

4. Structured Approach
To enable the ideation process to result in a viable end product/ strategy it is of paramount importance that certain guidelines are put in place. A structured approach provides a grounded framework to build and deconstruct ideas on. Such a structure also permits out of the box thinking while ensuring such processes are tethered to reality. It is important to remember that an ideation process must generate an end result that fits within the realities of the market and the organization’s capabilities in order to be executed successfully.

5. Reuse, Recycle and Repackage
A new approach to a particular problem need not necessarily involve the development of a new concept. Sometimes it makes sense to revisit thrashed ideas and check if they can be reused with new packaging. A recycled idea that perfectly fits the clients’ requirements and satisfies the management’s goals should never be put on the back bench in favor of a new idea. An idea - no matter how old - when presented with clarity, outlining the advantages and drawbacks - will gain more acceptances from a client and give them a concrete reason to change. Always remember, certain strategies cannot be bettered, just repackaged and resold!

6. Process
Be open to ideas or suggestions from your ideation team to adapt the process while developing a particular strategy. In the brainstorming sessions, spend twice as much time on the convergence process as on the divergence process.

7. Ideation Criteria
No matter what a particular project requirement is, these essentials are a must have for the end product of any ideation process.

1. Clients and Consumer Appeal
2. Potential to expand and increase the current market value.
3. Breaking the mold with regards to market competition.
4. Meets the creative standards set by the organization.
5. The production and execution of the strategy fall within a feasible time frame.
6. It is able to create a framework to support itself in the market.

An ideation process is a step towards making the right choice for the organization and the client. A misplaced step in the wrong direction can lead to disastrous end results and so the onus rests on the creative team to provide the perfect strategy with pointers on how it should be successfully executed. It also is important to remember that finances play an important role in all decision-making processes.