Good Ideas Grow on Paper

I decided to read through this article that Kyle gave us about idea generation as I was sick this week and didn’t get to attend the lecture.

The first thing they mention in the article is about the importance of starting on paper. Your ideas can flow better this way, and, although it may cut time to go straight to the computer, the slowburn of paper idea generation is always worth it.

They went on to say how ideas come from anywhere but the screen in many instances.

“Idea generation should be a process of rapid iteration, sketching and thinking aloud, all processes best undertaken in more fast paced, analogue media.”

Lo-fi idea generation helps to quickly process your thoughts, and sometimes scribbling things down as you come up with them can lead to a brilliant overall idea.

Input>Synthesise>Output

The Standardistas go on to say that, without staying inquisitive, your ideas won’t come. From this, I took away that I must pay constant attention to what’s around me to trigger an idea, or at least a thought that could turn into an idea.

I usually find myself frantically typing ideas into my notes app on my phone when I think them up in a random place. It tends to be these ideas that I like the most, and develop!

They also mentioned writing things in margins of pages as you’re working – this is something I find myself doing as I make mockups and prototypes. There are little blocks of text all over my Figma projects. If you don’t write them down fast, they might disappear from your mind until something triggers it to come back again.

“Sketching isn’t about being an excellent draughtsman, it’s about synthesising and processing your thoughts and ideas.”

It is suggested that you bring your sketchbook along with you wherever you go. This way you can depict your ideas in illustrations, rather than just notes. Doing this is not only useful for later developments, but it can also help set you apart from others in the field.

The Idea Generation Toolbox

This section of the article was all about which tools and techniques can help you fill the blank canvas in front of you.

With logic you start out with certain ingredients, just as in playing chess you start out with given pieces – lateral thinking is concerned not with playing with the existing pieces but with seeking to change those very pieces.

Edward de Bono

Start with a mindmap to think laterally. This will expand ideas easier, and can get the context right for discovery.

“The tools we’ve introduced, far from time-consuming, are hyper-efficient, always at hand and, if you factor them into your workflow, the key to unlocking the ideas that set the great designers apart.”

Thoughts:

I found this article to be very useful for going forward with idea generation. I also found it quite eye-opening as I never realised just how much I am inspired by the things around me. That’s why I find myself coming up with ideas in strange scenarios. I think, from now on, I am going to be more conscious of what I could be taking inspiration from, and what could give me a great idea! I really like the idea of keeping a sketchbook on hand as well, and I really might start doing it.

I definitely have a better understanding of how to effectively generate ideas over time, and I am planning to implement these techniques moving forward.