10 product design ideation methods to reel in big ideas
Boost your team brainstorming sessions with these creativity-sparking ideation methods from Zalando product design community members.
Creative people understand that the ideas we seek are already within us — or, indeed, between us. The true essence of creativity is not coming up with ideas but knowing how to bring them to the surface. To paraphrase the famous filmmaker, David Lynch, ideas float in the subconscious like fish, and to catch them we must go fishing.
In product design, innovation depends on solid ideation. Ideation methods help us navigate the ambiguity of the initial stages of the design process so we can reach a solution faster. If the desire for an idea, as Lynch says, is like the bait on the fish hook, then in product design, ideation methods are the skill with which we cast our line into the murky waters and the strength that reels in our catch.
In Zalando’s product design community, ideation is commonly done collaboratively as part of dedicated brainstorming sessions and vision workshops, multiplying speed and brainpower. One of the benefits of ideating together is that it separates ego from solution. As an ideation guide by our inspiration-sparking team The Studio notes, “Problem-solving requires creative leaps rather than solving one equation, so cultivate your creative confidence!” Using divergent thinking to explore many possible solutions helps us lure in unique ideas. Grounding this playful approach within a non-judgemental, fair, and focused setting that enables us to build on each other’s input is the key to success.
What are some of the top ideation methods Zalando’s product design community uses to coax out solutions to tricky problems? From industry classics to some lesser-known tactics, read on for ten ways to boost your ideation process.
Crazy 8’s
Quick sketching to stimulate creativity
This core design sprint method asks a group of designers to sketch eight ideas on paper within eight minutes. It encourages us to push past our first, often least innovative, idea and generate various solutions to a problem statement.
“Ideation is a muscle, and some people need to warm it up first,” says Product Design Manager Matias Ferrero. “Crazy 8’s is the simplest and fastest way to get that going.”
“I like how rapid and accessible Crazy 8’s is,” says Product Designer Kolianey Ang. “The participants can immediately get into it and be spontaneous and creative. My team used this method last year to find outside-the-box ideas to appeal to a certain type of user. So many inspiring ideas came out of this exercise that I often go back to them. I check to see if there are any low-hanging fruits when we are planning the next quarters or if we can prioritise some of them in our roadmap.”
SCAMPER
Applying different lenses to elevate ideas
Often, the key to surfacing a great idea is applying different lenses. This activity forces the mind to think in a specific flow to uncover innovative solutions. SCAMPER is an acronym for substitute, combine, adjust, modify/magnify/minify, put to other uses, eliminate/elaborate, and reverse. Each of these angles is a prompt to rework a potential product or solution.
‘Substitute’ asks what part of the product or solution we could replace with another. ‘Combine’ analyses how we might merge two ideas or stages of the product. ‘Adapt’ focuses on potential tweaks and adjustments. ‘Modify’ explores wider changes to the whole process or product, including magnifying or minimising its scope. ‘Put to other uses’ applies the product or process to a different purpose, such as a different market or customer. ‘Eliminate/elaborate’ considers what could be removed or built upon to improve the product. Finally, ‘reverse’ reorders all or part of the process to see how it could impact the output.
“Constraints help us to ideate,” says Matias. “This approach is especially useful for people who might not have much ideation experience. I like to use it in conjunction with Crazy 8’s. I ask each group member to pick one of the ideas they came up with in the sketching exercise. Then to transform it in relation to questions like, ‘What if the idea could be implemented tomorrow?’ and ‘What if it was going to be a co-creation with another company?’. This reworking process is often where we find the gold.”
Cover Story
Starting with the big picture to clarify the vision
If a project were a newspaper, what would be on the front page? Coming up with a cover story helps us conceptualise the big picture, a desired outcome to elaborate on later.
“I have a Figma template with a newspaper cover,” shares Senior Product Designer Fabiana Alegrio. “Depending on the topic, I change the name of the publication. My team uses this template to envision how we would frame a project. It helps us avoid getting too quickly into the solution space, allowing us to step back and think about what we want to achieve in the end.”
Round Robin
Collectively evolving an idea through free expression
The Round Robin method gives ownership of an idea to the entire group, harnessing multiple perspectives to spark solutions. It’s also a great way to ensure everyone’s voices get heard equally and that we can all express ourselves freely without fearing judgement.
“Imagine you are one of five people around a table,” Matias explains. “You start by noting down a problem. But instead of trying to solve that problem, you pass the paper to the person on your right and receive a paper from the person on your left. Now you have a new problem to solve. You have a few minutes to write down the first idea for a solution. Then you move it to the next person. When you receive the next paper, you have to iterate on a prior idea. One of the best steps is when you have to challenge the prior idea, giving a reason it could fail.”
6–3–5, otherwise known as brainwriting, works in a similar way. Six people come up with three ideas each in five minutes. Then they pass their sheet to the next person, who adds three more ideas, and so on. This exercise typically focuses on written ideas but can be customised to include drawings.
“The 6–3–5 brings out robust ideas,” says Kolianey. “It’s also a great way for the team to bond as everyone contributes to solving the problem.”
Worst Possible Idea
Unlocking insight using the power of opposites
When we are stuck for ideas or want to get them flowing, thinking of what we definitely don’t want to do is a fun and effective way to reveal the opposite.
“In this negative brainstorming exercise,” Matias explains, “we try to come up with some terrible ideas. It can be a little more challenging to facilitate within a group as it can lead us quickly into stereotypes. However, it’s an easy and accessible way to pick our brains that takes the pressure off being super creative and innovative.”
Senior Content Designer Rachael Bundock likes to use this method for individual ideation. “I usually create a few potential versions of the content, one of which is purposefully very bad (I keep it to myself at all costs!). This contrast helps me ensure the other versions say the right thing.”
Mash-Up
Switching up the context to strike a chord
Mash-Up is another way to explore unconventional perspectives. In this exercise, we ask unreasonable questions to quicken our thinking. For example, someone who wants to determine how to make financial services more social might ask, ‘What is the Facebook version of buying shares?’.
First, consider the quality you want to design into your solution. Next, identify a real-world example of that quality. Then, layer the example onto what you are designing.
“In the initial concept phase of our customer loyalty programme, Zalando Plus, we took inspiration from experiences of pampering or community like flying first class, having a personal assistant, or belonging to an exclusive club,” explains Head of Product Design Lana Criggs. “We brainstormed potential benefits of the loyalty program by mashing it up with these experiences from outside our industry. This ideation technique resulted in varied outside-the-box ideas that we used to spark customer conversations, see what strikes a chord, and glimpse into unmet customer needs.”
Similarly, Senior Content Designer Andrew Hodges likes to find inspiration in other industries. “Rather than looking at competitive brands, benchmarking outside our bubble can trigger new ideas. For example, I found the approachable FAQ page of a banking brand particularly inspiring.”
Source of Truth
Looking back to see the way forwards
Every product design team at Zalando utilises one or multiple sets of design principles as a guiding “source of truth.” Consulting established principles during the ambiguous ideation stage can give us a helpful sense of direction.
“Clear principles about what the experience means to our customers, and how it should align with our messaging, provide a great starting point for Content Designers,” says Andrew. “But even if there are no defined principles for a certain project, I like to establish the product reality, which can act as the confines in which I ideate. Rather than getting stuck in nice-to-haves, I look at what we can really offer, which leads to outcomes with fewer holes in them to pull in stakeholders.”
Similarly, Product Designer Mary Michel Rizk begins ideation for B2B product design by looking at industry best practices. “I start by researching common rules and resources one can follow for creating a certain experience. Then I look at companies considered the best in that area. Playing the role of the customer, I rate my experience with them from one to five and use that insight to think of potential improvements.”
Bodystorming
Embodying customer needs through role-playing
There is a nuance between deeply caring about the customer and empathising with them. To ensure we are coming up with ideas that truly serve the customer, rather than those we think will work, we must put ourselves in their shoes. Role-playing is an effective way to embody customer needs and uncover novel approaches to problems.
It can be as simple as giving each member of the ideation group a role and asking them to try out different interactions to a given solution. Depending on the nature of the experience, as Fabiana explains, it could also involve setting up a physical space.
“In Zalando’s Helsinki office, we have a mock-up of a small store with a cashier and clothing racks. Since some of our B2B partners operate from physical stores, this space is used to ideate for that setting. When we create ideas, we often talk about how we would do things in theory. However, ‘bodystorming’ encourages us to get out of our heads. We can play out how things would happen in real life and figure out how to optimise that for our partners.”
Fishbowl
Breaking through patterns with active listening
The Fishbowl method encourages a balanced group dynamic in which everyone contributes and listens. It helps individuals and teams step outside of themselves, recognising, discussing, and breaking through established patterns and conventions.
“This is probably my favourite ideation method because it is super inclusive,” says Fabiana. “Within a small group, half of the participants talk about their ideas while the others listen, and vice versa. The listeners take notes and highlight points they would like to build on. I find this balances the input of different personality types, allowing everyone to express their ideas and receive considered feedback.”
Cross-functional ideation
Combining expertise to increase impact
Pooling cross-functional expertise is not only a powerful way to generate novel and diverse ideas. It also helps us align on desired outcomes from the outset of the product development process. For cross-functional ideation sessions to run smoothly, an inclusive approach that encourages participation and creativity, no matter the skill set, is crucial.
Close collaboration between Product Designers and Content Designers is increasingly pivotal at Zalando. “Sparring with Content Designers quickly surfaces strong ideas as they know what kind of information it makes sense to include in the experience,” Mary explains. “When Rachael and I ideate together, we get straight into it without overthinking, discussing our research and playing around with ideas on an open canvas in Figma.”
“We are very productive in these sessions,” says Rachael. “It’s nice to contribute my ideas at the start of the design process rather than later when things are less flexible. I throw out an idea, the Product Designer mocks it up quickly, and we immediately see if it works.”
For Kolianey, who works closely with Software Engineers in a B2B team, cross-functional ideation sessions are the norm. “Ideating with engineers is beneficial as they deeply understand the user from a technical perspective. Conversely, I can familiarise them with the user flow. I often visualise it on a whiteboard with sticky notes and open it up for discussion. Through this approach, we form a combined sense of purpose and are all accountable for creating the best possible user experience.”
Do you have a favourite ideation method that you would love to share? Please leave us a comment! Next, read these practical tips and exercises on how to (re)introduce feel-good emotions into digital products.
