Idea Generation Part 2

Ian Shepler
Nov 6 · 8 min read

Timeline

10/30- Outline due. Get supplies for brainstorming

10/31- Plan Brainstorming Session activities. Prep HMW statements

11/1- Create Warm-Up activity

11/2- Brainstorming Session

11/3- Work on Blog Post

11/4- Work on Idea Presentations

11/5-Work on Idea Presentations

11/6-Presentation due

How Might We Statements

To choose my “how might we statements” I chose the two user research statements that I felt worked best for creating solutions. The two I chose did not mention any sort of pillboxes. The reason for this is that through my research I found that many of the more interesting and useful ideas came when the idea of a box was abandoned so I wanted that to be an option in brainstorming.

  • How might we help daily medication users bring their medications with them while on the go?
  • How might we help daily medication users better remember to take their medications?

Brainstorming Session Set up

Originally I had planned to have four other people in my brainstorming session and had a fairly tight time slot available to everyone. In the end my friend Ian had a prior event that ran late and he was not able to make it to the session.

The three people who could make it where Clay, Sophia and Cecilia.

Clay, Cecilia, Sophia

Background

Clay: A freshman CSE student studying mechanical engineering from Minnesota. He enjoys making music, Super Smash Bros, and puzzles.

Sophia: A freshman CFANS student undecided major from Wisconson. She enjoys ping pong, running, and essential oils.

Cecilia: A freshman student studying Pre-Med from Illinois. She enjoys The Phantom of the Opera, playing the saxophone, and essential oils.

Materials

I used large sticky notes and permanent markers for my idea generation. I presented some slides from class and some original slides on my laptop. I also had a small ball for warm up games

Warm Up Games

For the warm up games I decided to start with zip zap zop. Several minutes and laughs later I had us play word ball. I began with the word association version then moved into the word disassociation version which most found much more difficult. I then had us play my original game described in the following section.

Organization

The entirety of the brainstorming was approximately one hour. I broke the session up into two major parts the first being warm up activities. I began with several improvisation games that we had used in class along with one game of my own creation. After people seemed to be comfortable I switched the group into idea generation mode beginning by introducing the topic of pill organizers. After a few minutes of general brainstorming on this I brought out the first of the what if statements. Using the slides from class (brute think, negative brainstorming, etc) I would try and give the group a new way of thinking if the ideas began to flow more slowly. After a few minutes I introduced the second what if statement.

In order to try and generate as many ideas as possible I stressed one thing: quantity over quality. I wanted every single thought in these peoples minds no matter how great or terrible.

The actual brainstorming in the session totaled about 25 minutes. I acted as a facilitator and participant in the meeting. I would make sure ideas were always shared and placed them on the wall, I would introduce new ways of thinking when generation began to lull, and I came up with ideas of my own.

I think one of the most important acts in leading the group was allowing myself to have several outlandish or wild ideas as it seemed to lead the others to come up with a larger range of ideas whether they were realistic or not.

Original Warm-Up Activity

For an original warm activity I decided to try a game of words. It is similar to one we played in class but a bit more archaic. The idea is that someone would have the ball and say a word. Then the next person would say a word and the next etc and in doing so the group would create a story. When the first person says their word they would toss the ball to someone to determine who would say the next word. The image below shows the process in a circle, but it can go in any way or direction depending on the players.

As a group we attempted to form sentences while throwing and catching a ball, the most difficult part being ending one sentence and moving onto the next. This game was meant to get people working together and most importantly it was a bit goofy. Moving around and coming up with random ideas does make for a fun filled time. The most insane stories were created. It both required some creativity and it made people feel more comfortable with each other.

Key Elements Of Session

After brainstorming for approximately 25 minutes my group had come up with a total of 92 ideas, 3.68 ideas per minute on average.

We then silently shifted every card into some sort of category. We then named the categories and voted. I gave each person 6 stickers and told them to place them on the best/their favorite ideas. In voting I laid out little criteria other than picking their favorite things. I had them stray more towards the realistic ideas but I also wanted to get a sense of what was wanted in an ideal world.

Categories

I ended up with 13 categories that where Household, Foods, Common Items(Realistic), Common Items(Unrealistic), Self Care, Franchise, Advertising, Miscellaneous, Implants, Animals/Living, Service, Stations, and Crazy Dangerous.

Common Items(Realistic) Catagory

The largest of the categories ended up being the Common Items(Realistic) with 26 ideas. The smallest category was miscellaneous ideas having only the idea of a sort of tarot cards that could tell you when you need to take your pills. In interesting one that might have fit into another category but was strange enough to not get put with anything else.

Ideas that got votes
Top 10 Ideas of Brainstorming

Ideas Voted On

Above all the ideas that got votes. Most are feasible while maybe not practical. All are good or interesting in their own ways. I started here when choosing a top 10.

Top 10 of Brainstorming

Here I took all the ideas that got votes and took out any that did not seem possible or realistic. I ended up with a pill-pattern carpet to remind you to take your medication. A contact case with built a in pill container, a Velcro roll closing case, a backpack strap case, a watch that holds pills and tells you when to take them, a service that brings the pills to you, a pill holding bracelet, a pill holding toothbrush, and a pill candy necklace. A few of these ended up being ideas that I had previously thought of and some where completely original.

Top 10 Ideas

These are my final 10 ideas. A combination of what I liked the most and believed could be valuable to a user of the product. I gave each one a novelty, value, and feasibility score out of 10 to give a general idea of if this could be a good product to produce. These scores are completely my opinion on the matter. (10 = most novel, highest value, most feasable)

1. Suction Cup

Can be stuck to any smooth surface such as a mirror to help build taking pills into a daily routine.

Novelty: 3

Value: 9

Feasibility: 10

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2. Velcro Pouch

Two fabric pieces with a lining of Velcro to hold pills securely in a very portable and durable fashion.

Novelty: 8

Value: 7

Feasibility: 7

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3. Glow in the Dark

A glow in the dark standard pill organizer allowing the user to easily spot it even in low lighting conditions.

Novelty: 3

Value: 5

Feasibility: 9

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4. Backpack Strap

Pill container built into the strap of a backpack to allow for easy access and medicine on the go.

Novelty: 7

Value: 6

Feasibility: 5

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5. Water bottle Container

This is an organizer built into the lid of a water bottle, allowing easy portability and access to water when the pills are taken.

Novelty: 7

Value: 8

Feasibility: 8

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6. Fabric Zip Bag

A fabric bag that zips closed with separate compartments on the inside for daily medication. Fabric provides for high durability and little to no damage when dropped.

Novelty: 5

Value: 7

Feasibility: 9

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7. Light and Sound Alarm

A pill organizer that has a built in light and speaker that can be set to go off when an alarm activates to remind the user to take their pills.

Novelty: 6

Value: 8

Feasibility: 6

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8. Bracelet

A bracelet with built in containers to allow for medicine on the go and an easy place to help the user remember to take their daily doses.

Novelty: 8

Value: 6

Feasibility: 6

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9. Toothbrush Case

An organizer built into the toothbrush of the user allowing the organizer to be built into the daily routine on the user.

Novelty: 9

Value: 9

Feasibility: 7

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10. Screw and Unscrew

This is a container that screws into and out of a container. Along the screw itself is several spots to place medication.

Novelty: 10

Value: 8

Feasibility: 6

Ian Shepler

Written by

Hello friends and neighbors. My name is Ian, I am from this great state of Minnesota, enjoy a good game of chess or a well made grilled cheese.

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