How To Run An Effective Ideation Workshop: A Step-By-Step Guide
UX design is all about finding creative solutions to real-world problems. It sounds simple enough, but good ideas don’t just happen. Often, we need to actively facilitate the innovation process — and that’s where ideation comes in.
As per the Nielsen Norman Group, ideation is the process of generating a broad set of ideas on a given topic, with no attempt to judge or evaluate them. In other words, it’s the perfect opportunity to explore all sorts of unusual and seemingly crazy ideas!
Ideation constitutes the third step in the Design Thinking process, but this technique is not only useful for designers. All teams can benefit, and an ideation workshop will encourage collaboration and innovation across different departments.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to plan and run a successful ideation workshop. First, though, let’s consider what exactly an ideation workshop is and why it’s so useful.
What is an ideation workshop?
An ideation workshop is a dedicated session for coming up with new ideas. Unlike traditional brainstorming, ideation workshops are unique because they take place in unusual settings and introduce new stimuli.
Ideation usually takes place once you’ve conducted sufficient user research and have a clear problem statement; a design challenge that you need to solve. You’ll use various ideation techniques to come up with a diverse range of ideas — both individually and as a multidisciplinary group. You’ll document these ideas as you go along, ready for analysis in a follow-up session.
The main goal of an ideation session is to spark innovation. Lateral thinking is key, and the focus is on quantity rather than quality of ideas. The ideas generated in an ideation workshop aren’t evaluated until later on, so participants are free to explore novel ideas without getting hung up on whether or not they are plausible. This judgement-free aspect is critical to running a successful ideation workshop!
In a nutshell:
- Ideation workshops introduce new stimuli: it’s important to choose a location outside of your normal working space.
- Ideation is all about coming up with as many ideas as possible — at this stage, it doesn’t matter if they’re technically feasible or not!
- Ideation workshops are a judgement-free zone: participants must feel free to explore and share novel ideas.
Why run an ideation workshop?
Ideation sessions are highly beneficial to the design process. First and foremost, ideation keeps you focused on your users; rather than fixating on what’s technically viable, you can focus solely on the user experience and how you might improve it.
Then there’s the benefit of group thought. An ideation workshop presents the ideal opportunity to bring people together from different teams — not just designers. By leveraging a diverse variety of perspectives, you’re much more likely to think outside the box and explore new ideas.
Perhaps the biggest advantage of an ideation workshop is the judgement-free element. When you assure participants that there is no such thing as a bad idea, you automatically open up the realm of possibility. The focus on quantity over quality encourages freedom and creativity, leaving participants open to more adventurous ideas. Ultimately, this is what leads to innovation!
A successful ideation workshop will bring you one step closer to the optimal solution. You’ll cast your net wide, explore new angles, and come away with a broad pool of ideas to work with.
How to run an effective ideation workshop: A step-by-step guide
So, you’ve conducted plenty of user research and have a clear design challenge in mind. Now you’re ready to start coming up with ideas and potential solutions.
There are several things to consider when holding an ideation workshop. The participants, the location, your problem statement, and the ideation techniques used will all have a significant impact on how the session plays out.
Here are the key steps you’ll need to follow to ensure your ideation workshop is a success.
1. Invite the right people
It can be tempting to keep things within the design team, but effective ideation requires a diverse mix of perspectives. When planning your workshop, consider not only who will be working on the project (designers, content writers, developers) but also those who know your target audience.
Your colleagues from marketing and customer service may not be experts in the design process, but they will be able to offer crucial insights into your target users. So, when curating your guest list, think outside the box. Who can add a fresh perspective to your ideation session?
While you want to invite a diverse group, it’s important to stick to a reasonable number of participants. Around 8–10 “ideators” tends to be optimal; if the group is too big, people might not feel comfortable speaking up and sharing their ideas.
2. Designate a facilitator
To make sure the session runs smoothly, you’ll need a designated facilitator. The facilitator is in charge of leading the workshop and keeping everybody on track. They’ll start the session with a brief opening statement, explaining what the workshop is for and providing a quick overview of the itinerary. It’s the facilitator’s job to put everyone at ease and emphasize that the workshop is a judgment-free zone!
The ideation facilitator will need:
- A short opening statement.
- A clear itinerary with timings: e.g. introduction (2 mins), ice-breaker activity (5 mins), framing the problem (2 mins), ideation technique 1 (10 mins), ideation technique 2 (10 mins), and so on.
- A stopwatch to time each activity.
- Pen and paper for making notes and recording ideas.
If you take on this role yourself, be sure to invite another designer to fill your spot on the team of ideators!
3. Choose a suitable location
Location is everything when it comes to running an ideation workshop. It’s essential to introduce new stimuli, so you need to take the group out of their usual environment. At the same time, your workshop participants must feel comfortable; make sure you choose a location with plenty of space, comfortable seating, good lighting, and ideally somewhere you won’t be disturbed. You could head to a local museum, hire a private room, or venture outdoors — this is your chance to get creative!
It’s also a good idea to bring props. Think about the context of the session and the design challenge you’re addressing. If you’re trying to come up with a name for your new app, you might bring word games such as Scrabble or Boggle. If you’re designing the interface for a cooking app, you might bring along some traditional cookbooks for inspiration. Anything that might stimulate the group and spark ideas is welcome!
4. Prepare a list of “how might we” questions
The goal of an ideation session is to generate as many ideas as possible. Although the focus is on quantity, not quality, it’s still necessary to provide some guidelines. This is where your problem statement comes in.
A problem statement outlines the design challenge you are aiming to solve. It focuses on the user and their needs: “Single over-50s need a hassle-free way of connecting with like-minded people in their local area”, for example, or “Users need a quick, easy way of monitoring their water intake on a daily basis.”
In the lead-up to your ideation workshop, prepare a list of “how might we” questions based on your problem statement. The “how might we” format turns the original challenge into something actionable, providing a list of questions you’ll seek to answer throughout the ideation session. For example:
“How might we attract single over-50s to a dating service?”
“How might we create a community of single over-50s?”
“How might we determine what constitutes a match?”
“How might we inform users that they have a new match?”
“How might we encourage users to chat and interact?”
These questions are specific enough to steer the ideation process, yet still broad enough to leave plenty of room for creativity.
5. Break the ice
The success of your ideation workshop will largely depend on how relaxed your participants are. Put the group at ease by kicking off the session with a few ice-breaker exercises. Some simple yet effective ice-breakers include:
- A quick game of Jenga.
- The one-word ice-breaker: Ask each participant to describe their current mood in just one word.
- Two truths and a lie: Participants share two true statements and one lie about themselves. Can the other participants suss out the lie?
- A quick game of charades using pre-written book and movie titles picked out of a hat.
You can be as creative as you like here — just be sure to consider who you’ve invited to your workshop and which activities they are likely to respond well to.
6. Select your ideation techniques
It wouldn’t be an ideation workshop without some tried-and-tested ideation techniques. Ideation techniques come in all different shapes and sizes, ranging from physical activities to verbal and cognitive exercises.
Bodystorming, for example, is one of the more physical ideation methods. During a bodystorm, you create a physical experience that represents the problem you are trying to solve. This can be done using a paper or digital prototype, real people, or props. The aim is to get your workshop participants to experience the problem first-hand, and thus make it easier to imagine potential solutions.
Another popular ideation technique is reverse thinking. Flip the problem on its head and ask your ideators to solve this new, “upside down” challenge. The original question “How might we encourage teenagers to go to the gym?” could be flipped to “How can we make the gym as unappealing as possible for teenagers?” Not only is this fun; you’ll also draw lots of inspiration from the “anti-solutions” you come up with.
In preparation for your workshop, spend some time researching all the different kinds of ideation techniques out there. Consider the size of the group, the space you have available, and the nature of the problem you’re trying to solve. Ideally, you’ll focus on two or three ideation techniques in one session.
7. Gather your ideas and outline next steps
Throughout the workshop, it’s important to document all ideas that are put forward. This is usually the facilitator’s job. At the end of the session, dedicate fifteen minutes to reading all the ideas out loud and making sure you haven’t missed anything.
While an ideation session is not the time to evaluate ideas or judge their plausibility, you can ask your ideators to vote on their favorite ideas simply by a show of hands. Wrap up the workshop by outlining the next steps: what will you do with the ideas your participants have come up with?
It’s also worth taking the opportunity to ask for feedback on how the workshop went — either in person or via an anonymous post-workshop survey.
What next?
Your ideation workshop should leave you with a pool of new ideas to work from. You’ll then need to evaluate which ideas are feasible and worth taking forward. Eventually, you’ll create prototypes and test them on real users. For more ideation inspiration, check out this Walt Disney case study on ideating for extreme users.
About the author:
Emily Stevens. Originally from England, Emily moved to Berlin after studying French and German at university. When she’s not writing for CareerFoundry, she can be found travelling, hula-hooping or reading a good book.
