IDEATION — HAVING MORE IDEAS THAN YOU NEED
What if the secret to having one great idea is... having twenty bad ones first?
CORE CONCEPT
IMPORTANCE OF IDEATION — HAVING MORE IDEAS THAN YOU NEED
KEY KNOWLEDGE
1
Ideation = generating lots of ideas quickly, without judgement, in high volume
REAL WORLD EXAMPLE
When you order at a restaurant with a 10-page menu, you don't read the first dish and order it immediately. You scan everything — starters, mains, desserts — and THEN choose. Ideation is the same. You generate lots of ideas first (the full menu) and choose later. If you stop at the first idea, you might miss the best one hiding on page 7.
2
The goal is quantity first, quality later — the best idea rarely comes first
REAL WORLD EXAMPLE
When you squeeze a tube of toothpaste that's been sitting for a while, the first bit that comes out is always a little dry and crusty. You squeeze past it to get the good stuff. Ideas work the same way. Your first 3-4 ideas are the obvious ones — the dry toothpaste. Push past them. Idea number 8 or 12 is usually where the fresh, unexpected, brilliant ones are hiding.
3
The first ideas are usually the most obvious — push past them to find original, unexpected solutions
REAL WORLD EXAMPLE
Ask 30 students to draw a house, and 25 of them will draw the same thing: a square with a triangle roof, one door, two windows, and a chimney. That's the first idea — the one that comes automatically because everyone has seen it. But house number 6 or 7 that the student draws? That might be a treehouse, a houseboat, a house inside a cave. Push past the obvious and you find the interesting.
4
Key ideation techniques: brainstorming, mind mapping, word association, 'what if' questions, and random stimulus
REAL WORLD EXAMPLE
Think of ideation techniques as different doors into the same room. Brainstorming is the front door — just throw ideas out fast. Mind mapping is the window — draw connections visually. Word association is the side door — follow surprising word links. "What if" questions are the skylight — imagine impossible things. Random stimulus is the secret tunnel — use a random image to spark something new. Different doors, but they all lead to more ideas.
5
The only rule during ideation: NO judgement. Don’t evaluate ideas while generating them — that kills the flow
REAL WORLD EXAMPLE
Imagine playing antakshari and after every song, someone stops to say "that was a bad choice." The game would die in two minutes. The fun of antakshari comes from speed, spontaneity, and no judgement — just keep going, keep singing, keep the energy up. Ideation works the same way. Judgement is the brake pedal. During ideation, keep your foot on the gas. You can sort the good from the bad later.
6
After ideation, THEN you evaluate: which ideas are strongest? Most original? Most on-brief? Most exciting?
REAL WORLD EXAMPLE
At a mango stall, you first look at ALL the mangoes — pick them up, smell them, check for bruises. Then you choose the best four. You don't judge while you're still browsing the pile. You browse first (ideation), then judge (evaluation). Creative work follows the same two-step rhythm: generate everything, then pick the winners. Mixing the two steps is like buying the first mango you touch — you'll probably miss the better ones.
7
Having 20 ideas and choosing 1 produces a much better result than trying to perfect your first and only idea
REAL WORLD EXAMPLE
If you only try on one outfit before a family function, you'll probably keep wondering: was there something better? But if you try on five outfits and pick the one that looks best — you walk out confident. The same logic applies to ideas. One idea gives you doubt. Twenty ideas give you confidence, because you KNOW you explored the options. The chosen idea isn't just good — it's the BEST of twenty.
8
What if every time you felt stuck, you just generated 10 ideas in 5 minutes — with no pressure for any of them to be good?
REAL WORLD EXAMPLE
Next time you're stuck on a homework answer, a drawing idea, or what to cook — grab your phone's notes app and write 10 ideas in 5 minutes. No filtering. "Bad" ideas are welcome. You'll notice something strange: by idea 6 or 7, your brain starts surprising you. Ideas appear that you never would have found by thinking harder. The trick isn't to think better — it's to think more, faster, and without brakes.
Pro Connection
Creative directors say “don’t fall in love with your first idea — push further.” Design teams practice “diverge then converge”: generate widely (diverge), then narrow down (converge). When someone says “we need more options,” they’re asking for more ideation before choosing a direction.
PROFESSIONAL TERMINOLOGY
CLICK TO REVEAL and CLICK TO COVER
The process of generating many ideas quickly and without judgement — quantity before quality
What is
IDEATION
A rapid idea-generation session where all ideas are welcomed and none are evaluated during the session
What is
BRAINSTORM
A visual diagram that connects ideas radiating outward from a central topic — shows relationships between thoughts
What is
MIND MAP
A formed idea or direction that could become the foundation of a creative project
What is
CONCEPT
An ideation technique: Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, Reverse — ways to transform any idea
What is
SCAMPER
Generating many different ideas in many directions — the opposite of narrowing down
What is
DIVERGENT THINKING
THE 10-IN-5 CHALLENGE
Five minutes. Ten ideas. Zero judgment. The only challenge is not stopping early.
what TO DO
Pick any creative problem: name an imaginary café, plan a dream trip, write a story opening, or create a social media series concept.
Set a timer for 5 minutes. Write down 10 different ideas — don't judge any of them. Speed matters more than quality right now.
Keep going even when you feel stuck — the ideas after Number 6 are usually the most interesting.
When the timer ends, circle the 2 ideas you like best.
Write one sentence: were either of your top 2 ideas your very first idea? What does that tell you?
CHALLENGE
DISCOVERY
You can use these SOFTWARES for this Discovery Challenge
FREE SOFTWARE : Phone Timer / Clock, Google Keep, Apple Notes / Samsung Notes
PAID SOFTWARE : Notion, Day One Journal