Getting started with ideas…

Getting started with ideas… Problem or Opportunity Definition Possible Brainstorm Topics How to get ideas? 7 useful rules How to generate some ideas with your class How to run the process The output?

Where do you start? Problem or Opportunity Definition There are a number of good starting points for any project, but often the most important is the Problem or Opportunity Definition. Think about what are you trying to solve or create – and for whom? In general, teams can start with a capability or a problem/opportunity Capability: if starting with a capability (a new technique, approach, analytical process) the problem definition might be " what could we do with XXX” Need: if starting with a human need, a good problem statement might be "people need to do X because Y. We believe we can make capability Z bring that about” A key part of this work is to keep in mind who this is for? What do they need? What skills and resources do they have that the solution should match?

Where do you start? Possible Brainstorming Areas Good starting points make for very effective Brainstorms. Good areas to explore are: What problems do communities need solving? Focus on things you do in every day life. This often begin with ‘Wouldn’t it be great if you could…… ‘. Are there everyday activities that are onerous – or desirable to do? What subjects do the students like – group the students by their preferred subjects and let them choose the topic based on that (similar to skills) What stakeholders and content experts can we reach out to to help us understand, such as past pupils, student guardians and relatives, friends of the family etc… You could choose one of the categories technology, biology, social & behavioural or chemical, physics and mathematical sciences Focus on hobbies or skills within the class Further idea generation work may be required to distill into relevant opportunities

BTYSTE – How do you get ideas? Why not just get the right idea first? Getting ideas does not happen easily – and the ‘right’ idea often refuses to emerge for some time. Best to think that every idea is a definite viewing point and a possible starting point. Getting more and more ideas means more viewpoints to look at the problem/opportunity, and while some are obvious not good starting points (physically impossible, illegal, undesirable...), they do generate alternative viewpoints that can help reframe the problem and bring about a solution. So the more ideas the better. Individual team members benefit from guidelines and mutual understanding so they can each contribute according to their interests, skills and abilities. The best teams use standard techniques so they know what to expect. This does not stop ideas coming out – instead, it should help all team members contribute, whatever their inclinations and behaviours: shy, loud, experienced, novice. Overleaf are 7 idea generation principles that teams find very effective.

BTYSTE – How do you get ideas? Here are 7 great principles from IDEO – www.ideo.com Make everyone feel like they can say the idea on their mind Encourage wild ideas. Ideas that are wacky or out there we tend to think about what we really want without the constraints of technology or materials Build on the ideas of others. Being positive and building on the ideas of, in conversation, we try to use “and” instead of “but.” Stay focused on the topic One conversation at a time. It is far more likely to build on an idea and make a creative leap if everyone is paying full attention to whoever is sharing a new idea. Be visual - use post-its, draw pictures, use key words. Aim for as many new ideas as possible in a short period of time, Build on ideas

How to run the Brainstorming process with your teams STEP ACTION Put your students in teams of 3 to 5 Each team uses their chosen starting point (need/capability) to get at least 12 ideas per person in 30 minutes: 4 people in the team means 48 ideas or more To encourage everyone, you might give a prize for the team with the most ideas, by number Make sure each team finds ideas that are: fully relevant to the problem in hand partially relevant - maybe an example from another area that could have some use (50%) have only a very small relevance (<5%) but do give interesting, informative viewpoints

How to run the Brainstorming process with your teams STEP ACTION Cluster the ideas into related themes - 10 mins Brainstorm each theme to flesh it out further - 15 mins Each team votes on the themes that seem to offer them the most (top 3) - 5 mins Keeping two team members per team at the team's work, get members from other teams to help flesh out ideas for the top 3 themes - 10 mins

What is the output? This process will result in 2 to 3 themes that look interesting and could work as a project. Some further research, discussions and analysis is used to clarify the scope. An excellent way to test the scope at this stage is very early stage prototyping, putting very simple examples of the solution in the hands of users – and challenging their use and effectiveness. This often generates essential information about features that are either; This information helps the team reach the point where they can carry out a Work Breakdown Structure exercise to begin to understand What they should do – the scope How long it will take & cost (in money or time) – the schedule and the budget Desirable and value adding Confusing/hard to understand A waste of time