This document describes WI-NOVATION, a new ideation tool for product innovation. It brings together consumers, art and design professionals, and client-side professionals for workshops to generate new ideas. The group, called "The Quad", shares experiences and perspectives to understand consumer needs. They are then stimulated to develop ideas in 5 directions: maximizing/minimizing aspects, reverse thinking, combining/separating functions, perfectioning details, and cross-category fusion. The goal is to quickly generate novel product concepts through insights from different viewpoints and creative exercises.

1. WI•NOVATION®
unique recipe for ideation

2. Every marketer faces a market truth that:
- Products are increasingly
commoditized
- The market is hence more & more
competitive
Brands are pushed to come up with new
news quickly and product life cycle is
shortened
INNOVATION WINS!

3. And obviously, the first and upmost
important step for effective product
innovation is to generate new ideas
IDEATION COMES FIRST!

4. A new PATENTED qualitative insight tool invented by
WIMI, specifically for ideation…
WI•NOVATION®

5. Intellectual Property
Bureau of the PRC
The methodology fits the
requirements of being
NEW & CREATIVE as
stipulated by the law

6. 4-people discussion & workshop session
-2 X Consumers +
-1 X Art & Design Professional +
-1 X Client Side Professional
THE QUAD

7. The first time to bring in all 3 different
perspectives in the same setting:
1) Consumers’ new ideas from first
hand usage angle – a reflection of
needs, actual usage experiences,
common beliefs and attitudes…
2) Art & Design Professionals as the
“engine” of creativity with their
talents and skills in creation
3) Client Side Professionals to
contribute based on their profound
knowledge of the product category
and also a balancing power of
creativity vs. feasibility
THE QUAD

8. Definition of participants:
-Consumers
-A friendship pair
-At least one of them is a heavy and
involved user of the product; the
other one at least non-rejector
-Art & Design Professional
-Student or part-timer or freelancer in
any art and design practice
-At least non-rejector of the product
-Client Side Professional
-Related staff from marketing, research,
product development and even
advertising agency
THE QUAD

9. A sharing session by the Consumers (and
where appropriate the Art & Design
Professional) on needs & wants, usage
experiences, dissatisfactions & unmet
needs, related knowledge, belief and
attitude
Also an interactive process for Client Side
Professional to understand target
consumers
Achieving an alignment on key, basic
understanding as the food for thought to
carry on
THE INSIGHT

10. It is true that good ideas can come
anytime and all of a sudden, anywhere
and out of nowhere
However, with a specific taskforce (the
QUAD) formed, we have to make sure
the participants can unleash their
creativity at the specific time and place
Hence, we have developed our own
approach to stimulate creativity in 5
different directions
Through proper introduction of the
directions, examples sharing and probing,
the moderator helps the QUAD to start
their “creative engine”
THE IDEATION

11. Direction 1: Maximization &
Minimization
An approach to go EXTREME.
By enlarging or reducing certain aspect
to the limit (not just size).
THE IDEATION

12. Direction 2: Reverse Thinking
What it is? WHAT IS IT NOT?
Coca-cola is liquid, not solid
Biscuit is crunchy, not soft
BUT WHY NOT?
THE IDEATION

13. Direction 3: Combination & Separation
Function-oriented innovation
Combination – the pursuit of multiple
benefits
Separation – the pursuit of simplicity,
vs. purity
THE IDEATION
vs.

14. Direction 4: Perfectioning
Things are never perfect in our world and
perhaps a very common experience:
When you eat a nice dish in a restaurant – “Ah, it
would be perfect if it could be more spicy…” or;
When you buy a nice coat – “Ah, it would just be
perfect if it could trim a little bit on the waist line…”
A free flow of thoughts to change, add-
on or disregard some details, accessories
The desire to IMPROVE & CUSTOMIZE for
oneself
THE IDEATION

15. Direction 5: Crossing Over / Fusion
Bold ideas requiring cross categories
mixing – often involving out-of-the-box
thinking
A desire to EXPERIEMENT
THE IDEATION

16. thank you