This document discusses ideation techniques for interaction design. It emphasizes that seeing or hearing something three times establishes a pattern. During brainstorming, participants should avoid focusing on solutions and instead distill research into themes and personas. Sketching is presented as a way to have rapid conversations about ideas. Sketches should be quick, loose, plentiful, minimal in detail, suggestive rather than definitive, and ambiguous. The goals of sketching include failing fast through many iterations to facilitate conversations that improve ideas. Homework involves sketching potential product concepts based on research findings.

1. Ideation
INTERACTION DESIGN | FEB. 23, 2016
WEEK 5

2. Warm Ups

3. Findings

4. See or hear it once – it’s a phenomenon.
See or hear it twice – it’s either a coincidence or an emerging pattern.
See or hear it three times, and it’s a pattern.
In all of the above cases, write down your observations!

5. Stay out of “solution land”
(don’t focus on finding a solution)

6. Distilling Research

7. Themes

9. Personas

12. Group Time:
Distilling Your Research

13. Why Sketch*?
* Also known as “whiteboarding”

14. A sketch is a conversation starter.

15. MIND
knowledge
SKETCH
representation
Creates
Is interpreted

16. Sketching is a form of rapid failure.
Fail fast. Fail often.

17. Quick / Timely
Inexpensive
Disposable
Plentiful
A SKETCH MUST BE:
Loose
Minimal (in detail)
Suggestive, not telling
Ambiguous

18. Must be done quickly – quantity over quality (for now)
The more variations, the more conversations, and;
The more conversations, the better the ideas
The looser it looks, the more editable it feels
QUICK, LOOSE, PLENTIFUL

20. Budget is reserved for more time-consuming tasks later
No technical skills required – anyone can sketch
If it looks disposable, you won’t become attached
If it isn’t disposable, you’ve probably spent too much time on it
INEXPENSIVE & DISPOSABLE

22. Sketches are meant to convey an idea, not a solution
Too much detail takes attention away from what’s important
Ambiguity leads to more varied interpretations
MINIMAL, SUGGESTIVE,
AMBIGUOUS

24. Homework Assignment

25. In your teams, come up with 4 directions for your
product concepts. These should be based on research
as much as possible.
Each direction should be accompanied by a minimum
of 3 sketches. More is better.
To be reviewed in class next week and graded.