Ideate: Brainstorming design solutions
Now that you’ve empathized with your users and defined their core problems, it’s time to move on to the Ideate stage — where creativity meets purpose.
IDEATE: Brainstorming Design Solutions
What is Ideation in UX Design?
Ideation is the process of generating as many design ideas as possible to solve the user problem you’ve identified.
It’s about exploring possibilities — without worrying if they’re perfect, realistic, or even logical at first. You’ll narrow down and refine later.
Goal: Come up with a wide range of possible solutions to the user problem, then select the most promising ones to prototype.
Why Ideation Matters
- Encourages innovation and out-of-the-box thinking
- Prevents early bias toward one idea
- Involves your team or stakeholders in the solution process
- Helps you discover better, faster, or simpler solutions
How to Run an Ideation Session (Solo or Team)
1. Review the Problem Statement
Example:
“Ama, a beginner data analyst, needs a simple way to practice projects because she feels overwhelmed by complex platforms.”
Keep this visible while ideating — everything must relate back to solving this problem.
2. Use Ideation Techniques
a. Brain Dump (Solo)
- Set a timer for 10 minutes
- Write or sketch every idea that comes to mind
- No filtering, no judging — just dump all ideas
b. Crazy 8s
- Fold a paper into 8 sections
- In 8 minutes, sketch 8 different variations of a solution
- Forces speed and quantity over perfection
c. “How Might We…” (HMW) Questions
- Reframe the problem as questions to spark solutions
- Example:
“How might we make learning feel less overwhelming for beginners?”
“How might we track their learning progress in a fun way?”
d. SCAMPER Technique
Ask:
- Substitute: What can we replace?
- Combine: What can we merge?
- Adapt: What else is similar?
- Modify: How can we simplify?
- Put to another use?
- Eliminate: What can we remove?
- Rearrange: What if we reorder things?
3. Sketch or List the Ideas
For each idea:
- Sketch it (even roughly!)
- Write a brief title or sentence explaining it
- Group similar ideas together
Tools for Ideation
| Tool | Use For |
|---|---|
| FigJam | Sticky notes, Crazy 8s sketches |
| Pen & paper | Quick ideation anywhere |
| Miro | Collaborative whiteboarding |
| Notion/Google Docs | Listing and grouping ideas |
Example: Ideating for an Online Learning App
Problem Statement:
“Learners need a way to stay motivated and track progress during online courses.”
HMW Questions:
- “How might we break lessons into smaller pieces?”
- “How might we show progress visually?”
- “How might we reward users for completing lessons?”
Some Idea Outputs:
- Progress bar with a percentage tracker
- Daily learning streak counter (like Duolingo)
- Checklist for lessons completed
- Gamified dashboard with badges
What Happens After Ideation?
You’ll:
- Review all ideas
- Shortlist the most feasible and user-centered ones
- Sketch or wireframe those solutions
- Move to the next phase: Prototype (building mockups)
Output of the Ideate Stage:
| Deliverable | Description |
|---|---|
| Idea board | List or board of all brainstormed ideas |
| HMW questions | Reframed prompts that inspired ideas |
| Sketches or mockups | Rough visuals of key solution ideas |
| Selected concepts | 1–3 ideas chosen to move forward into prototyping |
NEXT LESSON – Prototype: Creating low/high-fidelity designs
