Creating new products is an art. Find out how it’s done and some helpful strategies.
Coming up with new ideas can be tough, especially when the process involves a team working on a business project. The good news is that certain strategies can help to better organize this kind of process, including a technique called product ideation, which encompasses an idea’s origin, market readiness, and everything in between.
This method brings together representatives from different areas to participate in the product’s idealization, eventually arriving at a satisfactory result which can be launched into the market.
Brainstorming sessions are a popular method for generating ideas, and they can be very useful indeed, but are often broad and bound by rules. Product ideation addresses this by providing a systematic foundation for creativity.
One of the main benefits of this process is that it helps keep things going, avoiding the notorious creative block that is so familiar while developing a product – or any other idea. It does so by establishing a set of notions and steps to be fulfilled, culminating in a “what now?”-style situation.
Bear in mind that product ideation is not a theory or specific method. Rather, it is a collection of techniques that can be more or less useful depending on a number of factors, such as the nature of the product, the personalities of those involved, the number of participants, and so on. Let’s look at some of these techniques in further detail, so you can decide which are the best match for your business.
Product ideation techniques
Storyboarding
This method transforms your idea for a product into a narrative and represents it visually. Depending on what you have in mind, you may wish to build a basic flowchart showing the story of how the product might be used – or a more intricate one, for a more complex idea.
Sequencing the possibilities will give you a broader view of your project, which can be helpful for seeing the big picture, and identifying new insights and flaws.
Questioning
The aim here is to question every single aspect of a product’s development with extreme skepticism.
No matter what anyone says, assume it won’t work. Remember, this is a creative activity, so don’t take it personally. The goal is not to be critical for the sake of it, but rather to challenge assumptions.
Putting every idea to the test makes it easier to spot weaknesses as well as strengths, to sharpen the imagination and to come up with more complete ideas in the future.
Prototyping
Transforming your ideas into prototypes helps to test how they will work in practice. As long as an idea is purely theoretical, flaws can be overlooked, and will only come into focus when applied to concrete scenarios.
This method can be used for various stages of production. Initial prototypes can be purely imaginary or visual. In the latter stages, they should be close to the final product, and tested on real users. No matter how they are used, prototypes are an effective way of identifying potential improvements, and achieving better results.
Sketching
As soon as kids go to school, they are encouraged to draw and paint – and with good reason. Visual representations are a particularly convenient way to get our heads around an idea.
Feel free to employ this technique liberally during product ideation. Sketch every new idea to better understand what is being discussed – it can be a lot more illuminating than a mere description. Simple sketches are enough to get the job done – no one needs to be a Picasso to utilize this method.
SCAMPER
SCAMPER is an acronym that stands for “Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to Another Use, Eliminate, and Reverse.” – all handy steps which are applicable to product ideation, as we will see below:
Substitute
The goal here is to identify parts of the process which can be replaced without altering the final result. This often leads to more creative and simple solutions, and helps identify unnecessary components that make the product more complicated than it needs to be.
Combine
Suppose two people come up with great ideas. Don’t settle for choosing between them. Instead, try combining both, to create an even better and more complete concept.
Adapt
When something goes wrong, don’t just erase everything and go back to square one. Use existing systems and determine how they should be enhanced in order to solve new problems.
Modify
Test new ways of doing things – even if the old ways work just fine. This can lead to innovative paths and new perspectives that can be very beneficial to the final result.
Put to Another Use
Think of previously unimaginable ways in which the product can be used, i.e. in different contexts and for reaching different goals. This can unleash new possibilities for the project at hand.
Eliminate
Sometimes simpler = better. It is often worth identifying unnecessary steps in the process, and eliminating them.
Reverse
Product ideation doesn’t have to be confined to linear logic. Try changing the order of the tasks and see which benefits and insights arise, if any.
Read Next:
8 Innovative Product Packaging Tips That Boost Sales
Rindx Team
Sonia Orji
