Let’s face it – the idea generation process is not always a smooth one. How many times have you and your team found yourselves jumping from idea to idea because they all seem good and you just can’t make a decision as to which idea is best? It’s easy to get trapped in the idea generation process; this causes projects to never get completed. Here are some of our favorite idea generation strategies.
Focus on opposites
Innovation often occurs when something different enters the market. According to this article, “the opposite of a great idea can often be another great idea. Think of how you could retain the great aspects of your favorite ideas, while doing something that’s completely opposite. For example, so many web apps are about engaging with the largest possible number of people – why not create an app about engaging extremely closely with a small circle of friends? So many gaming websites are filled with short news articles and humor – why not create a site that publishes long, serious articles only?”
Involve everyone in the idea generation process
It’s important to get ideas from all sides, meaning from employees, customers and business partners. The most successful businesses recognize that it’s important to get ideas from as many different sides as possible, not just from customers. By involving everyone in the idea generation process, you will have a better idea as to what the market wants, and therefore, will be able to develop innovative products or services that will stand out from your competitors.
Listen to the social web
The social web is always swarming with new ideas. People are Tweeting, Facebooking, and blogging about their ideas, interests and dislikes. Tune in to these channels and monitor your brand, industry and competitors to understand what the market is looking for.
Set goals
People can get creative with idea generation. Therefore, it is important to set goals and have a system that will help you determine which ideas align with your business goals. This will make idea implementation much easier, especially if hundreds of ideas are generated.
Use an idea generation software…like OneDesk
If you are going to get both internal and external team members involved in the product or service development process, software like OneDesk will help you maintain a continuous conversation and provides a place where all responses can be centralized; this keeps everyone on the same page.
OneDesk also comes with a built-in social media monitoring tool that allows you to listen to your customers, engage with them, directly respond to them, and turn social media comments into actionable items and automatically tie them to the development process.
OneDesk also features comprehensive requirement analysis tool that allows you to easily visualize and prioritize your requirements across different metrics. this makes it easy to see which ones align with your business goals.
We want to know: Do you have any idea generation tips? Share them with us!