Idea Brainstorming

An idea always starts with a problem. An idea is, essentially, admitting that something's wrong. That something needs to change. And, trust me, even in this day and age, there are plenty of problems to solve. You might think that, all the ideas have been taken, so what's the point in inventing? Well, inventing doesn't necessarily mean creating a completely new idea from thin air. Sure, it does include creating new ideas. But it can also be improvements to existing ideas. So, don't be afraid to think outside of the box.

Below are some diagrams of the design process most people follow when making new ideas. This is just a guideline, but it will help you greatly, and is certainly more professional.

Its not a set process for ideation. It's very fluid, and open to changes and re-routing. Its not like: "Oh, you made an error, your idea is now useless". Wrong! Even big errors can be fixed, as long as they are in the early stages.

Most processes differ slightly, in the keywords, and the number of steps, but they agree on the basics:

First (Empathize): Find what you need the idea for, get data, what's the problem that needs a solution. "Empathize", meaning what is the problem, empathize with your potential customers. Figure out what the restrictions are, so your idea cant balloon out of realistic scale. 

Example: I created the HelpWeb both out of an unusual merge in two ideas I'd seen, and the reason I kept going with this initiative instead of discarding it, is because I saw the potential of this idea to help students find the resources they need in one big place (the problem was that the resources existed, but they were all scattered). Also, I wanted to combat the isolation the digital world can have by ironically using digital technologies to create an online community for students.

Second: Figure out product ideas that fit your parameters, brainstorm. Use your creative mindset, and don't worry about "bad ideas" just yet. Just have a rough guide for your ideas and don't go too overboard.

                Example: When making the HelpWeb for Students, I used to get new ideas for the HelpWeb almost on an hourly basis, to the point where I had to get a file folder for all the ideas for the HelpWeb for Students. The new ideas did give me a sort of rush, an adrenaline rush, almost like "oh man I have so many ideas, the HelpWeb is gonna be amazing!" I just needed to make sure to fit all the ideas together.

Third: Narrow down your ideas  (critical "editor" mindset), to the best of the best, refine your best ideas

                Example: At some point, when creating the HelpWeb for Students, I realized, "Wow. I have waaaay too many ideas. And at this rate, I'm never going to actually build the HelpWeb because I'm too busy coming up with new ideas". So what I did was, I kind of (reluctantly), stopped the flow of new ideas directly into the HelpWeb, wrote down all my new ideas, and stored them as potential upgrades. I took all my existing ideas and combined them into the first version of the HelpWeb, and I decided to implement my incoming new ideas into future versions of the HelpWeb. Boy am I glad I did that.

Fourth: Take the final idea, and prototype it. Send it out for testing, and get feedback

Fifth: Loop between feedback and improvements until you're satisfied with end product, and your test audience is too. Start alpha, beta, bets 2, etc. versions of your products. If you're creating a software, make sure to use a good version control platform like GitHub. Be patient here. This kind of step is used in Agile methodology.

                Example: Currently, the HelpWeb for Students is in version 1.05, version Alta. Funny thing about the name: I had planned to release the alpha version by February of 2022, but by around late September of 2021, I realized I overshot the Alpha version in many ways, so by February I'd actually end up with something in between the alpha and beta stages

Sixth: Finally: release your product. Don't be afraid to improve on it after it has released

There are two ways you can go about designing your idea. 

Waterfall: 

The waterfall method, which is a very linear, and closed approach is one of the methods you can use. As you can see in the diagrams below (obtained from Google Images lol), the waterfall method is very plan oriented, and proceeds in stages. You have to complete the first stage, before completing the second stage, etc, all the way until the last stage. There is one solid end outcome, and this process usually is not too much influenced by customers. The end outcome usually is not changed, it is just maintained

Waterfall method created products are more rigid and structured, as they operate to a fixed plan which is fully defined beforehand

Examples: Video games which are commercially released to non-mobile platforms usually are waterfall method. For example, Sonic Colors Ultimate is a video game recently released to non-mobile platforms. Video games like that are released once, and never edited, unless there are major flaws, at which point the game is usually delisted.

Agile:

The agile method is a cyclical system, and open to customer feedback. This system is notable for using versions. Anything which has versions, like lets say an app with a version 1.0.3, for example? That was created using agile method. These kind of products usually have a prototype like an alpha version or a beta version, then a release version, then multiple upgraded versions added later, usually based on consumer feedback and recommendations.

In this method its a lot more resource intensive, in a way, because unlike waterfall, you cant just make the product, finish it, and ignore it. You have to update the product to keep the consumers happy. You go through the same processes multiple times to release versions of a product.

However, agile-ly created products generally have more room for new ideas and creativity.

Examples: Many mobile games are developed in agile method. For example Sonic Dash, the mobile game has version updates, and iterations, which you need to download when the new version is ready. This HelpWeb is also an example of a product constructed using agile method. It is currently at version 1.05 (Alta version), and relies on feedback surveys to improve.

For more information on waterfall vs agile: https://www.macadamian.com/learn/when-to-use-waterfall-vs-agile/