Concept ideation. Perhaps one of the most broadly used terms in design. Appropriately so as well, as it refers to a process that is most successful when it is begun by thinking as broadly as possible. To clarify it for this discussion though, it will be isolated from an even broader definition ... that of ‘design’ itself. Extended from earlier discussions, ‘design’ might be defined as ‘the process of creating possibilities for tangible interactions that allow experiences intended to fulfill desires’. In this way, ‘design’ refers to nearly all creative efforts, of which, the development of physical product concepts will be focused on here. Concept ideation refers to the development stage in which the design research is molded into tools that sculpt the possible expressions of the final product.

In further explaining concept ideation, the word ‘ideation’ will first be revealed in more detail. Ideation is ‘the process of creating’ in the above definition of design. It is the product development womb ... that magical place where desires begin growing into forms. It is a verb describing the process of generating ideas, through one’s internal comparison methodology that relates known objectives to one’s past experiences. It is nonlinear thinking, talking, sketching, dreaming, playing and pretending. It can be seemingly chaotic at times, but is not without a purpose, a center (a ‘strange attractor’ in the study of chaos theory). It is a process applicable to any situation, in various stages of product development or in life.

The mind’s ideation method is that of creativity itself. It involves accessing the totality of one’s past experiences, whether directly associated or not with the known objectives. It consciously and unconsciously connects various aspects of the experiences, creating solutions through new combinations of those aspects. New combinations ... rarely new ideas themselves. This is the perhaps the most powerfully innovative quality of ideation thought. It is recognizing that the aspects of one idea can have their context changed, to then be applied to another idea. It is typical that the greatest innovations born, come from the most greatly unrelated ‘parent’ ideas.

The computer as we know it today, for example, had its beginnings in someone recognizing that the aspects of electricity, its inherent quality of being either ‘on’ or ‘off’ could be used to duplicate the action of adding numbers. In fact, if you look up the word ‘computer’ in a pre 1945 English dictionary, it will likely read ‘One who computes’. Someone changed the context of electricity being used for lights, heat, motors and communication, and applied it the human thought process of mathematics (not quite so unrelated perhaps when one understands the electrochemical function of the human brain).

‘Concepts’ then, relative to the introductory definition of design, are the ‘possibilities for tangible interactions’. The ‘possibilities’ are the ideas, the concepts describing the ‘tangible interactions’. Products don’t emit experiences (unless they are radioactive of course), they simply exist. It is one’s interaction with a product that transforms their intangible desires into experiences that fulfill those desires. This transformation is the goal of the designer, and their ideas on how to possibly achieve this transformation are their concepts. They are ideas about the general, tangible qualities the product might have, and scenarios of how one might use the product. This makes a clear distinction then between the visual and electromechanical aspects of the product, and the pure concept of how people will relate with it.

Although it can be tempting, it is in fact dangerously limiting, maybe even a ‘design crime’, to begin designing the appearance and the electromechanical function of a product before considering its concept. Even as in our own biological creation, conception always must happen before the shaping of our physical appearance or bodily functions. If the exploration of the product concept is passed over, the most that the new product can be is an evolutionary one, not a revolutionary one. It will have only a fraction of the potential for success that was actually possible in the beginning.

This is because it is in the beginning, in the concept ideation phase of a project, where possibilities are created for choosing the most influential aspect of the final product, its foundation concept. This is the stage of product development where the design research is incubated, begins to gain life and take form. Consequently then, it is the time when the research most strongly influences the final product’s success. How thoroughly the final product provides the experiences desired, as interpreted from the research, is largely determined by its foundation concept. This relates the importance of the research providing the most accurate definitions possible of the user’s desires ... and therefore, the specifically high value of the designer having the experience of being the user, to be able to relate directly to those desires themselves.

How one transforms that research into effective concepts, is nearly infinite. With a limited amount of paper however, only a few of them are discussed here. That opens the topic though, of the most critical aspect of concept ideation ... initial infinity. Remember when you were a kid and the only limits were your imagination? I hope so. That is the idea if initial infinity, initially not setting any limits, keeping the possibilities infinite. What if you could pick the solution off a tree ... or out of the clear, blue sky?

The word ‘initial’ requires that the time spent at that level be managed effectively. One way to direct the ideation can be to think from the most intangible solutions towards the most tangible, moving from the absolute simplest solution to the more complex. What if there was no product at all, and the experience just happened? Okay, too intangible ... what is the next level of possibility? Can the experience be created with just a spoken word? No, still not enough ... Can the experience be created with only a single material? Yes, but not very well ... What about two materials? Better ... Maybe two materials and a simple mechanism?

With this method, one starts with infinity and naturally flows the ideas towards reality. To guide this flow, one periodically looks back to the experiences they are intending to create. Identify how a concept allows a deeper experience than existing products, what new experiences a concept creates that don’t yet exist, and what other related experiences a concept allows. The realities of manufacturing are being kept in mind at a distance at this point, but not so much as to become ‘design crimes’.

As far as communicating the concepts, it is naturally an individual choice. There are advantages to expressive doodles in rapid succession, as not to forget the next idea in one's mind. Yet eventually, the concepts need to be communicated to others, so they are best done at that level initially. It again must be remembered though, to not get distracted with the appearance or electromechanical aspects. Simply writing a list of word associations is one way to avoid these distractions, while still leading to unexpected solutions.

It is the unexpected solutions that can be most appealing to consumers, since the experience of a pleasant surprise is always welcomed. Ideating the unexpected requires asking unexpected questions. But never avoid the obvious either ... question everything! Here are a few of the basic beginnings:

1.    Physical orientations ... What other postures could it have? A stapler for paper that stands

vertically, picture frames in landscape or portrait positions, a computer mouse is just a trackball upside down.

2.    Ergonomic alternatives ... How can it be more comfortable or safer? A handle on top of a desktop computer, flexible suspension mountain bikes, automotive airbags.

3.    New context or combined context ... How else can it be used? A gaming joystick became a notebook computer keyboard pointing device, roller skates and ice skates combined to become ‘inline skates’.

4.    Material and technology ... How could it be made? Many products now use translucent plastics, new carbon fiber bicycle forms, electricity, flight, internal combustion engines were once new technologies. How can materials common in one industry be brought into a new one?

5.    Bodily senses ... How can it appeal to all the senses? The perfect ‘click’ sound of a computer mouse, greeting cards that play music, now there are internet ‘fragrance’ boxes that emit smells.

Ideation is the questioning, concepts for creating experiences are the possible answers, and design research provides the clues. Question anything and everything, and answer with confidence of intentions, based on experiential wisdom. Be a sculptor of possibilities. If designers are artists, then be an ‘escape artist’ ... break free from the bonds of past expectations and create possibilities from what the future could be. To quote Morpheus from the movie The Matrix ... ‘Free your mind!’