Ideation!
Team Aquamarine kickstarted our ideation process by emphasizing our newly refined problem statement we devised at the end of the prior class: How might we support primary education during the transition to remote learning? The problem we’ve identified as a team is a lack of support, reduced engagement, and improper usage of technology. Noting our timely completion of the following week’s course work, we jump started our team deliverables by outlining our methodologies and noting the reviewed brainstorming techniques.
As individuals, we dived into our ideation process by brainstorming ideas centered around our idea generation question: [How may we] increase support, improve engagement, and encourage proper usage of technology? Referencing the user pain points our team arranged to devise our problem statement, I used Miro to create an independent brainstorming document where I generated ideas that tackled solving the various facets of the problem. A mildly flexible time cap was set for this stage of the process to heighten productivity, efficiency, and what – I felt to be – exhilaration. To maintain consciousness and consistent visibility of the problem throughout ideation, I highlighted the team’s statement on each medium utilized. While my independent brainstorming session induced a multi-dimensional environment, actively working between my computer, sketchbook, and whiteboard, I noted the shift to a primarily digital workspace when regrouping with the team.
To initiate the first part of our collaborative ideation process, we divided the team into two groups using Zoom’s breakout rooms. As my “mini-group” shared each of our individual work, we discussed our similarities, differences, and favorites amongst ideas while conversing possible iterations and merging opportunities. Maintaining mindfulness of time management and high-yielding benefits, we planned to regroup as a whole in approximately half an hour.
Balancing the array of opportunities with overload management, incentivized the decision to narrow in on the top three ideas created among the breakout group. When rejoined with the others, we followed a similar process of analyzing each of the top ideas’ strengths, weaknesses, team interest, and – most importantly – relevance to the problem statement. After outlining each idea with a general title and accompanying description, we voted on our top three ideas by tagging our initials to each idea and bolding those we favorited.
After some time away, we reevaluated and modified our ideas to diversify solution strategies and faithfully address the problem statement. Rejuvenated and restored, Team Aquamarine reached a consensus, solidifying our top three ideas:
The Virtual Think-Tank: A social platform for the educational community to exchange successful and unsuccessful tactics and techniques.
Learning Boxes: Weekly kits that deliver various subject materials and lessons to students.
Kid’s IoT Device: An interactive product for children to promote physical activity and support mental health.
