My Design Journey (Part2)-Navigating the Challenges of Brainstorming and Idea Generation
Brainstorming serves as a powerful tool for sparking ideas, solving problems, and fostering creativity, whether done alone or in groups. Despite its allure, encountering mental blocks is not uncommon. 4
In my own brainstorming sessions, past and present, I’ve found it surprisingly easy to veer off topic. Embracing both sensible and unconventional ideas without judgment helped me overcome creative obstacles, although I often found myself prematurely critiquing my own suggestions. Over time, I learned the value of unleashing creativity without restraint. However, after generating several wild ideas, I worried about having enough practical ones for later use, leading to a dilemma between staying grounded or going wild.
In grappling with self-doubt, I neglected a fundamental brainstorming rule: prioritizing quantity over quality. Yet, the creative block sometimes made achieving even quantity a daunting task.
As the process unfolded, I faced multiple challenges beyond creative blocks and self-criticism. In this particular assignment, I had to narrow down initially to just one “How might we…?” statement and later to three final solutions. Choosing a single problem statement proved difficult as I debated the merits of each, often defending the relevance of alternative ideas. Eventually, I made a selection. The subsequent task of generating ideas, followed by narrowing down to three final solutions, presented its own set of challenges.
Throughout this process, grappling with questions of relevance and sufficiency was constant. Despite this, I managed to generate ideas to the best of my ability. I recognize that there’s always room for improvement, and as I continue my journey in UX, I’m confident in my ability to refine and enhance my skills.
