the 5 minute desktop ideation tool
Like any design thinker, the post-it note is a core tool used in brainstorming ideas and synthesizing observations. Its just an unbeatable visual and tactile way to work with ideas and information.
Working at a startup means things happen pretty fast and not a lot of time is spent on ideation and frameworks, but, rather than implementing ideas shot from the hip, I find that spending some time building quick conceptual frameworks can quickly reveal good opportunities and insights when deciding the next product features.
Of course, the hurdles of doing something quick and fast is always…
1. whatever you need to setup and be ready
2. a blank canvas starting point.
To address this, I always have on hand at my desk an enormous amount of different colored and sized post-its. Since the postits are always there, its a constant reminder to use it if i’m stuck and because its so close at hand its actually easier and quicker to start using than firing up an app on my computer. Additionally, I created a default matrix of post-it notes as a structural element for placing postits just in case I’m at a loss for arranging my ideas at the start.
My process is very simple. I start putting down my thoughts, information I collect from our analytics, any qualitative user data from our forums, surveys or stories shared, and inputs from other team members that I think are useful. I bucket each statement I write down onto a different color postit and I start arranging everything until things start making sense. Its nice to be able to see relationships and perspectives and shift them around visually. Usually, I can find a compelling direction within minutes that I can then get developed right away. And what’s nice is that as I learn new things from what is tried, I can add it to my framework on the spot. And when I’m done, I just clear the postits into a pile. Design thinking at the speed of web development!
In the picture below, you can see me working through some viral marketing features for one of our games.
