how to kill your idea

Kill Your Idea SXSW 2016 #diedea

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@yennie @kaolinek


HELLOHi - thanks for joining our ‘Kill Your Idea’ destruction workshop


IT’S ME


@yennie @kaolinek@ideo@IDEOorg

Yennie works at IDEO’s non-profit IDEO.org in the San Francisco and Karoline is a designer at IDEO in London

http://ideo.org


Most of you’ve probably heard of IDEO - but for those of you who haven’t, we’re a global design & innovation firm.


IDEO.org’s mission is to use design to solve complex social problems. We partner with organisations to bring products and services to underserved consumers around the world.

http://ideo.org


At IDEO(.com) we design products, services, experiences with companies and organisations. We recently partnered with IKEA to reimagine the kitchen in 2025


Creative approach to problem-solvingDesign thinking is exactly this - a creative approach to problem-solving.


This is a sketch of the design thinking process. Notice how there are deliberate moments to build concrete ideas and to divine abstract concepts.


This is another sketch of the design thinking process, which delineates three phases of “inspiration,” “ideation,” and “implementation.” Where we “diverge” is to go wide and open ourselves up to any and all ideas. Where we “converge” is when we bring focus back to the problem at hand.


Both of the previous sketches are quite linear in theory - one phase follows another. But, in our experience, the process can feel a bit more like this - meandering, interconnected, sometimes even confusing.


Ideas are the basic units of creativity

Process aside, we know that ideas are the things that inspire solutions. Without them, the design thinking process couldn’t exist!


But where do they come from?

Yup, we’re asking this question out loud. Today we’re going to put the magic aside and get pragmatic about generating lots of ideas.


.In appearance, an idea can look like this. It’s discrete, self-contained and by itself.


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But, really - they’re more like this. Ideas contain elements and principles from many other sources of inspiration and facts. They’re messy!


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Ideas beget other ideas, meaning that ideas are at once the synthesis of many things, but are also points of inspiration for many, many other ideas.


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In fact, we’ve discovered that elements, principles can be extracted and collectively lead to a better, stronger idea if you give yourself enough time to stretch your brain


Today we’re going to simulate this

with you


Our goal today is to get to creative

abundance You’ve all come to this workshop with an idea. We want you to leave with 100!


1. Goals and Mindsets 2. SHARE: Your idea in 30 seconds 3. Prompt Party!

4. Prompt Afterparty! 5. SHARE: Reflection 6. K bye


Rules!


Basic rules of brainstorming1. Defer judgement 2. Encourage wild ideas 3. Build on the ideas of others 4. Stay focused on the topic 5. One conversation at a time 6. Be visual 7. Go for quantity

Brainstorms are a design thinking method. We use them a lot to generate ideas. There are some rules to them, but we find that they are generalisable to the scale of the entire creative process.


Also, three mindsets

Here are some mindsets that we think will get you on your way to creating new and strengthening existing ideas.


1. Don’t be precious.

@yennie @kaolinek

Don’t be precious about your idea, your ego.


Seriously…Being precious about your idea leads to obsession and no change. No one wants to be that guy who can’t stop talking about their own idea.


Dominant ideas hijack space

Being precious about your ideas makes it impossible for other, new ideas to influence and strengthen your ideas. It closes you up from inspiration and collaboration.


The lone genius is a myth

Lone geniuses are out there, but usually they’re not doing anything . It’s really hard to create something meaningful by yourself - so don’t forget your team!


2. Seek challenges.

@yennie @kaolinek

You must be deliberate in practicing the “hard things.” This is what leads to better ideas.


“It’s working if it burns.”

Practice and mastery takes time, effort, and a bit of productive struggle. It’s hard! A good litmus for whether or not your idea is improving is whether or not you’re grappling with it, confused about it.


Fail early to succeed sooner.In fact, “failure” has more to do with learning from obvious, hard falls. This helps you improve your idea with irrefutable evidence of what doesn’t work.


If you have the choice, take the red pill.

Seek adventure! The creative process is so much more about pushing your own ability and comfort level with something new. Always take the red pill - even if it’s scary or ambiguous.


3. Always bring a friend <3

@yennie @kaolinek

We say this because it’s true. Nothing works well unless you have a team that wants to help you and wants you to succeed.


Feedback should be your fuel

Feedback! Remember our bit about ego? Without feedback, you could be going in a bad direction. Set your ego aside and let people give you earnest feedback on your idea - even if it’s difficult to hear.


Homogeneity is for the birds.

Don’t just bring a known friend, try to get new friends, too! Diversity in experience and opinion will strengthen your ideas. When we talk about building “interdisciplinary” teams, we mean to deliberately bring in different perspectives and expertise into the process.


Collaboration is about compromise

Ooh, this is a hard one. Collaboration is not about building general consensus among everyone, it’s about moving forward with an idea when it’s clear that perhaps your contribution isn’t what the idea needs.


Now, back to the “framework” - lol.


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What’s your idea?


Get into groups of 10ish


Share your idea in 30 secsAnd if you don’t have an idea - tell the group a little bit about yourself.


No mic hogs allowed!


Prompt Party!Don’t forget we’re going for quantity

We call these “prompts” because they prompt inspiration and idea generation. The following examples are of us modelling what a potential response or “answer” might be to them.


Let’s blow this shit up

The goal is to go for abundance. Don’t get locked into a single thing, but face a collection of ideas to combine, mix, improve.


Go completely analogueRemove all digital features and find other ways to make it work

Take your existing idea and apply this thinking to it. If it’s an app, what would it look like if it wasn’t enabled by a digital interface, platform or technology?


Learn from extremesDesign for the person least likely to use your idea - and make it relevant to them.

Deliberately try to “break” your idea by seeking a different audience to use it.


Reimagine your audienceReimagine your audience as kids only. What would your idea do for them & how?

How do you simplify your idea and lower the threshold for engagement and experience?


Let’s get goingIf you want - find a buddy, and run through the prompts together


Basic rules of brainstorming1. Defer judgement 2. Encourage wild ideas 3. Build on the ideas of others 4. Stay focused on the topic 5. One conversation at a time 6. Be visual 7. Go for quantity

Don’t forget to draw upon these rules while you “kill your idea.” And, demonstrate some of these things for yourself - defer self-judgment, show self-compassion and acknowledge that you’re doing something new!


REVERSE IT what if your idea achieved the opposite of what it’s currently meant to do?

EXAGGERATE an element of your idea. Make it bigger, smaller, bolder etc.

EXTRACT a minor feature. Blow it up to its own idea

What if you had UNLIMITED FUNDS in the world - how’d you make impact happen tomorrow?

Reimagine your audience as KIDS only. What would your idea do for them & how?

SPEAK TO EXTREMES Design for the person least likely to use your idea - and make it relevant to them.

Go completely ANALOGUE - remove all digital features)

Go completely DIGITAL - remove all physical touch points

EXTRACT A PRINCIPLE or element from one of your ideas. Work with it to find new ones

EXAMINE the benefits of your idea. Are there other, simpler ways of achieving them?

CHANGE THE SETTING - Place your idea in the middle of the sharing economy - or reimagine it as a B2B business. Or take it from home to work etc.

Through? Pick one of your new ideas and start over!

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BREAK


Prompt Afterparty!as in, what you might want to do next

We call this the afterparty because we know there is much more left to do - to make your idea real in the world. Here are some things you can do to inspire next steps.


Consider the system

The “system” is about the comprehensive consideration of where and what your idea is accomplishing.


This is a framework that prioritises the “desireable,” “feasible,” and “viable.” Always make sure your idea address these things, with special attention to “desirability.” Don’t forget: it’s all about the people. People, people, people!


Get more feedbackIt never stops. Feedback is the data you need to continuously improve upon your idea. It’s also the most valuable thing you can receive from someone. Feeeeedback!


Sometimes, it requires getting out there and collecting feedback from your audience or end-user yourself. Don’t stop at “not knowing.” Get that feedback!


Examine the needAnd your ego…

Don’t forget that your idea can’t be captive of your own desire and thinking. Are you building something that others will benefit from and find meaningful?


Practice at the trade show yo

You can practice this yourself. Examine the need with products that you encounter everyday. Do they hit the “desireable, feasible, viable” qualities?


Score to rankUse tools to move fast. This might mean that you establish a scoring system to identify what your idea is really accomplishing.


Data - however big or small, helps makes decisions and keep decision-making transparent. Tools like this help collaboration move faster.


Don’t ever ever forget the userYou’ll be screwed otherwise.


Phew, okay. Almost through! We’re keen to hear where you’re all at


Let’s share Your most exciting new idea, element, learning or reflection. What will you do differently moving forward?


ResourcesDesign Kit by IDEO.org - comprehensive tool for design thinking

Design Sprint by Google Ventures (http://www.gv.com/sprint) - a nice process for quick ideation

Creative Confidence by Tom & David Kelley - a primer on finding your inner creative

Method Cards, Nature Cards by IDEO - prompt cards with design methods

Grapefruit: A Book of Instructions & Drawings byYoko Ono - a neat tool for creation

Oblique Strategies by Brian Eno & Peter Schmidt - prompt cards for the creatively and zen-inclined

You Are a Message by Guillaume Wolf “Prof G” - a neat tool for creative entrepreneurship

http://ideo.org

http://www.gv.com/sprint


BYE


It’s been great!Keep in touch new friends


@yennie @kaolinek@ideo@IDEOorg

[email protected] [email protected]

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