Never did I thought much about design nor design process and the big influence design can make before I started studying interaction design. In the past I always thought about design as making things aesthetically pleasing and enjoyable but now I notice that design is much more than that, it helps to solve problems, it changes behaviour. Design can make an impact on people’s behaviour, feeling and attitude. It can affect how people interact, communicate and behave. It can be really powerful and influential to our everyday life. As a designer, you always need to come up with new ideas but where and how should you start? Today, I would like to talk about what I have learnt in my university courses and personal experience regarding how do I get my inspirations and ideas. Here are the 8 things that I have been doing to generate new ideas.
1.STEAL
By stealing I do not mean copying the exact idea but stealing from various people, get the best part of their ideas and combine them into forming a brand new idea. For me, nothing is truly original. Every idea resembles some part of an old idea. People get inspired by others’ ideas, improve from that and build new concepts.
At this point, quantity is more important than quality. The first step is to search for ideas, lots of lots of ideas, good or bad, just get as much as possible. You never know that the idea which you first thought is bad may actually be useful at the end. Go to the library, go online, go outside and look at how people approach similar issues. Ideas are everywhere and you need to look for them. Steal from anywhere.
2. ALWAYS BE READING
Personally, I think that book is the worthiest investment that bring you the biggest return. You get a book for around 10 bucks but what you got from it is far more than that. You learn from people’s mistakes and experience. You can also read online, read journal articles or blog post. But personally, I like keeping a book because I can always look back easily and highlight inspirational quotes.
3. CARRY A NOTEBOOK
What I do is I often carry a notebook with me, a small one that I can carry around wherever I go. I jot down interesting ideas, inspirational quotes, stunning design and whatever interesting things that I see and hear. I also take a quick note when inspiration hits. Get a notebook and a pen, note down anything that strikes you and save for later use. When I need idea or inspiration, I often go back to see what I have got in my notebook.
4. STAY AWAY FROM THE DIGITAL WORLD
Sometimes, you just need to stay away from your computer, your phone, any social media. Get up, get out and move. When you are with your computer, you just sit there typing, moving your mouse and repeat the same action again and again. You get tired and can get stuck easily. Also, it is too easy to click the delete button, you may delete any potential ideas or thoughts that you want to come back looking. Get some pens and paper and generate your idea before going to the screen. Spend a length of time getting yourself away from the digital world.
Sometime, I think it’s good to think when you are taking a shower. I often comes up new ideas when I am taking a shower. May be because there is no distraction in the bathroom. And taking a shower often get people refreshed and get a clear mind. One problem is I can’t get the ideas down immediately when they come up to my mind and sometimes I will forget about the details afterwards.
5. GO OUTDOORS
Get out from your home, from your working desk. Go outdoors, go to places that you have never been to, go to unfamiliar place, go to the beach, go up to the mountains, step out of your comfort zone. Sometime, you can just sit there, relax and observe the world, observe how the water flows, how the bird flies, observe what people is doing and how they do. Go watch a movie, grab a coffee, listen to some live music, try something new and get inspired.
People get influenced by the surrounding environment. Try working in a different environment can help you generate new ideas.
6. USE POST-IT NOTES
Don’t go back to your computer right away, write down your ideas on post-it notes. Use lots of lots of post-it notes and use different colour of post-it notes. Writing out your ideas help you to think and organise better than having them all inside your mind. The advantage of using post-it notes is that you can easily arrange and re-arrange them like arranging them into different categories, different hierarchy and see how your concepts relate with each other. It helps to visualise your ideas.
7. TALK TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE
Go to different places and talk with different people. Everyone has something good, something better than you that you can learnt from even a kid. By talking to people face-to-face, you get to hear real stories, experience and it broadens your view. Talk to your strangers, talk with people who come from a different background, who is not from your country, your generation, your gender, who work in a different field. You will be able to hear about intriguing things. This is also a good way to learn from the people that you may be designing for. Aside from talking to different people, work with different people to get multiples perspectives.
8. TRY WORKING ON SOMETHING ELSE
When you are stuck or you can’t come up with any ideas. Try working on your other works. Don’t stay there sitting looking at your computer and getting yourself frustrated. We get all tired. It’s ok not to get all things done at once. Leave aside what you are doing and work on something else. You may get inspired by your other work, other projects which may be in other areas which can you a different thought.
That’s what I have been doing. Of course, they are much more different ways than that. After all, one important point is that your first idea won’t be your final idea. You never get the best idea right from the beginning. Explain your idea to people, get feedback, evaluate and iterate. Keep on repeating the same cycle. Iteration is one of the most important processes in design. Your final product may not be the perfect or the best but it’s already better than your initial thoughts. Okay, now the first thing that I would suggest you doing is get a notebook and go outdoors.
