Thinginess of AI

Generative design software, both 2D and 3D, is increasingly overcoming its perceived lack of thinginess, the tangible reality or objectivity of the proposed design. Moreover, AI image generators are rapidly advancing producing artistic imagery based on text prompts, such as DALL-E 2. That is, the generator allows the ideator to type in a description of what they want, and the generator will create the image as close as possible to the prompt. Text-to-image AI art generators, then, can be regarded as another ideation tool to help generate, represent and communicate ideas. AI image generators, however, are only the latest development of generative design. CAD and CAM software already presents designers and engineers with an array of design options that best meet their requirements. That is, designers choose the best design, or, if none of the options meet their needs, they can begin the generative process again, this time offering slightly different inputs. The development of generative design software, then, reflects the changing form and character of the design process itself. This rapid change, however, may pose the question; what has been gained or lost in the technological evolution of designing not just in terms of skills, habits and modes of representation but also in our understanding of contemporary design culture, including teaching and learning design.

Habit of ideation

The ideation workshop reflects design as a thought, idea or plan as well as a hands-on practice. A process, or moment (or a series of moments) of choice and thoughtful decision-making that involves the making of design decisions which can range from size, shape, material and fabrication technique to colour and finish that establishes how an object is to be made. The object can be a city or a town, a building, a vehicle, a tool or any other object, a book, an advert or a stage set*. In this broad meaning of what design is, both as noun and verb, and when contextualised as a social and cultural activity, ideation can be regarded as habitus - a term borrowed from sociology. That is, socially-ingrained habits, skills, and dispositions through which individuals perceive the social world around them and react to it. These habits shape both the body and the mind and, according to French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, relate to a sense of place that allows individuals to find new solutions without calculated deliberation, based on their gut feelings and intuitions. The ideation workshop also relates to a sense of place, a place that makes social and cultural space for creative problem solving and innovation. Such space making, then, shapes the habit of ideation - as part of design practice. *Pile, John (1979) Design: Purpose, Form and Meaning. NY: Norton and Company.

Experiencing ideation

The purpose of the workshop is to raise awareness of ideation tools in the design process. In this, the workshop gives designers the opportunity to explore a wide rage of ideation tools - from words to sketching and modelling - in order to help generate and communicate ideas. An agreed task or theme starts the ideation process in which the participants are encouraged to follow their creative impulse that goes  beyond educational tradition and normative interests. Through excursions into the realm of ideas, the participants try out and reflect on ideation tools that are not just a function of language or technology (analogue and/or/both digital) but tools that stimulate, and facilitate non-hierarchical and non-linear design thinking. Ideation tools that have, at least potential power of denuding the esthetic cloak of the everyday, or enabling ways of seeing beauty, or ugliness in mass-fabrication or consumption, where "good design" cohabits the market of "kitsch". The participants, then, having experienced the intoxicating faculty of ideation, reflect on the tools used and the outcomes created. In other words, they learn, and appreciate the ideation tools they most enjoy, and get the most from.

3D printed ideas

3D printers are now commonplace in design studios, both in practice and education - in the latter as an educational technology. Although 3DP technology is mainly used for prototyping (physical modelling) to demonstrate near-final projects, 3DP is also used for small-scale prototyping at the research or ideation stage of design (exploration models), or for ideas communication (presentation models). But how do outcomes of direct creation of objects from 3D computer-aided design files, when used as a conceptual tool compare to hand-made sketch modelling? Research has shown that 3DP for prototyping stimulates and faciltates more geometrically complex and accurate designs in comparison to traditional model-making methods. Howver, ideation is an iterative process and so, it is argued, there is a risk ideators may get locked in to a single idea at a too early stage of the design process when using CAD software and 3DP, which might restrict the creative development of ideas. Or, as observed by architect Peter Cook: 'I've noticed the computer sometimes lead to rather bland decision making; now anybody can do a wobbly, blobby building'. Yet contemporary design processes are increasingly technology-driven, knowledge-intensive and collaborative. And so ideators must remain openminded to new ways of doing and thinking and balancing these mindsets of converging and diverging. Source: Greenhalgh, S. (2016). The effects of 3D printing in design thinking and design education. Journal of Engineering Design and Technology 14(4):752-769

Prototyping as an ideation tool

Ideas can be abstract, concrete or visual and are generated and expressed in various mediums using a range of ideation tools. So, for example, concrete ideas can take many forms but what they have in common is that they are all tangible forms of ideas. Such a tangible form is the prototype, which can be anything, from a roughh sketch to a simple version of a final product, say, a mock-up. Prototyping, then, is a way of ideating, or about bringing conceptual ideas to life and exploring their real-world impact so that the designer(s) involved can make appropriate refinements or possible changes in direction. In other words, protyping helps turning abstract ideas into concrete ones.

Workshop, not talkshop

Brainstorming is a widely used group activity whereby the participants generate spontaneous ideas which are gathered and shared on, say, Post-it Notes. The ideation workshop, however, doesn't begin with brainstorming. Instead the partcipants start ideating alone, on their own initiative, and share their ideas at the end of the workshop. The workshop, moreover, in contrast to brainstorming, is more inclusive in that it allows a level playing field beween the participants. That is, in groups, the more extrovert participants, at ease with expressing themselves verbally, tend to drive brainstorming whereas the quiet ones are at risk of being overshadowed. Also, brainstorming sessions may be biased towards "groupthink" and as a result the outcome may not be representative of the full range of the group's ideas. Another difference is that in the workshop participants engage with a range of ideation tools, from sketching to rough modelling - not just words. The outcome of the workshop, then, produces more thoughtful and genuine ideas, and the ideas presentation becomes a shared learning experience.

Learning by doing

The ideation workshop reflects the notion of learning-by-doing, or experiential learning, a pedagogical approach that highlights the general idea that hands-on experiences favour the development of the creative individual than those brought about by uniform second-hand knowledge. In other words, self-initiated and self-directed thinking and doing rather than activities where the individual is being told what to do. This approach, moreover, implies the using of eye-hand coordination, and the other senses where necessary, to govern tools within the context of generating and communicating ideas (ideation tools). Such an approach, which allows the individual to excercise choice and judgement is core to ideation. That is, the workshop allows trial and error, the application of individual imagination and experience and, crucially, feedback. In short, learning by doing.

Tools for ideation

Ideation may reflect a complex system of thinking and behaviour that is so unpredictable as to appear random. Yet everyday ideation also suggest that there is a risk of getting ovewhelmed or lost in the modishness of design, as, say, found in the plethora of print or online media. So this is where ideation tools may help create meaning out of what may at first appear a rather chaotic situation. Now, there are plenty of such tools around, from pen and and paper to screen based devices, such as mobile apps. The point is though you have to work for the ideation tools to work for you. That is to say, if you really want a tool to work for you with which to tackle a project, then you have to put it through some tests and tasks (the ideation workshop provides such opportunity). If it holds up to those, then you can keep it as your go-to ideation tool. Or tools rather, because there is intellectual pleasure as well as sensuous delight in having the skills, and therefore the creative prowess of a range of ideation tools.

When is an idea ready for presentation?

Often the set deadline for idea presentation, or the motivational power of time pressure ("up against a show deadline") determines not only the amount of time that can be devoted to idea generation but the outcome itself. But whether the generative phase lasts a few hours or several  days, the shape and form of the idea must be such that its content is carried with both bravura and conviction. So how do we know when the idea is ready to launch? First, ideation is not about perfectionism. If we want to share the ideas with the outside world, there comes a point at which we must be done with the ideation stage, at least for the time being. So how to let go of the idea? Because there is a risk with launching an idea that is half-baked as well as with an idea that has been overworked.This is where pre-presentation preparing kicks in. That is to say, to let people we trust have a look at the idea before its presentation because they may be better placed to see the idea in the nude, as it were, rather than clothed in the ideator's vision yet to be denuded. Or, a kind of reality check. Ultimately, however, the clue to knowing when an idea is ready to be launched may have less to do with the idea itself than to know that, in the context of creativity, trying is everything.

Face-to-face versus virtual ideation

The Covid pandemic meant that many creatives were obliged to work virtually or online, away from offices and colleagues. And while some design businesses found that online working was more cost-effective than working face-to-face, or provided an opportunity to link up more resources geographically allowing for more flow and application of new ideas,.the return in 2022 of the annual events of London Crafts Week, and Clarkenwell Design Week, witnessed how creatives had much missed the face-to-face and collaborative aspects of design. In fact, reseach has shown (see source, below), and whether in practice or education, that designers typically find face-to-face teams more successful than virtual teams when working on a new product or service. This is so because generating new and practical design ideas is the process of interpersonal, face-to-face discussion that leads to discovery and innovation and is a part of a complex social and cultural system. Indeed, ideation is knowledge and new knowledge is best created when existing knowledge is shared amongst team members. Source: https://www.sesp.northwestern.edu/masters-learning-and-organizational-change/knowledge-lens/stories/2014/are-face-to-face-teams-more-creative-than-virtual-teams.html

Ideation ways

A multisensory approach to ideation, using a range of tools, materials and methods, as facilitated by the workshop, enhances the transformative experience of the creative process. Driven by curiosity, designers get a buzz out of  tactile, hands-on ways of ideation that embrace traditional artisanal practices while acknowledging digital technologies resulting in new insights and actions. But, also, transformative experiences, and broadening understanding, within the ideation framework, may be achieved through allowing the mind to simply wander, with or without tools and materials immediately at hand. Key, though, to ideation ways, is that the idea is made visible, or concrete, through imagery, artefacts or words - not that dissimilar to how craft work is actualised, as shown both in production (outcome) and process (communication).

The Hedgehog and the Fox

Take an actual design problem, find its obvious solution and eliminate it. Now think of an alternative solution. Repeat, and set in motion a chain reaction of ideas. Remember, though, sometimes being creative requires just a small alteration of what’s been done before. Also, the better you understand the problem you want to solve, and the more experience you have in you're field of new ideas, better solutions are likely to emerge. Indeed, carrying erroneous assumptions, or misunderstanding the problem itself, may limit or hinder your ability to ideate and therefore find a solution to the problem. So, ideators, and to evoke the fable of the hedgehog and the fox, should transform themselves to foxes rather than hedgehogs. That is, in Isaiah Berlin's version of the fable, foxes, who draw on a wide variety of experiences and for whom the world cannot be boiled down to a single idea, in contrast to hedgehogs, who view the world through the lens of a single defining idea. Or, in Richard Serras' reading of the fable: The hedgehog, being resistant to change, is intellectually dead; the fox's adaptability is the correct strategy for intellectual development and survival.

Innovation equation

In the beginning was the idea. Which was followed by another idea. And so on and so forth. But which idea, out of many, is worth taking further, towards realisation? Elon Musk, the US entrepreneur and investor, in discussing the pursuit of innovation, reveals what matters in his decision-making process, which he breaks down to three questions: Time; how how long will it take you to build? People; have you access to the right network or team? Materials; have you access to the materials necessary to make your innovation a reality? In short, Musk's innovation equation: time plus people plus materials equals the ability to innovate. But whereas design ideation does not evaluate the idea per se, or predicting what chances of success (ideas are proposals, not final outcomes), Musk's approach to innovation may nonetheless be helpful to ideators in that it highlights input factors to be considered for innovation - and particularly in the pursuit of a startup. After all, it won't matter much if you have a brilliant idea but lack resources to realise the idea. Source: https://www.inc.com/kelly-main/elon-musk-reveals-his-innovation-equation-its-an-easy-way-to-gauge-if-a-business-idea-is-viable.html?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB

Why workshop?

In the digital age, and with so much stuff happening online, and accelerated by the Covid pandemic, why not focus on virtual ideation in cyberspace, or screen-based ideation, rather than in real space, or physical workshop-based ideation? However, design ideation, in the real world, is not just an exercise in the abstract that can be carried out online but involves concrete, hands-on activity too. Ideation, then, calls for imagination and analysis of both the abstract and concrete (material) elements of the problem identified, from contextual and cultural to technical and environmental aspects. In this endeavour, in the workshop setting, the participants try out and visualise their ideas using a range of ideation tools, from drawing and photographs to collage and 3D sketch models. The participants, then, reflect on, display, share and discuss the outcomes, which become the workshop learning experience.

Ideation workflow

Analogue ideation tools, such as pen & paper or modelling with craft materials, have their use in the ideation workflow but so do digital tools, such as CAD and 3D printing. Is the choice betwen the two tool categories down to personal preference, or horses for courses? That is to say, are the tools used influenced by or dependent on a particular task or activities and therefore require different skill sets? Or, is it the case that ideation is such a broad activity that engages both analogue and digital tools in ways that allow ideators the speed and ease of the digital world while also providing the analogue warmth and human touch aspect through the interaction with analogue tools? If so, any combination of digital and analogue tools suggests there is no right or wrong way of ideating. Ideation, then, depends on how designers can enhance the flow of ideas through experimenting and staying curious. Because in the ideation space designers don’t know what is going to happen. This makes them more aware of what is happening right in front of them and enable them to react to and interact with the materials and tools at hand. In this sense, ideation is as much about ways of thinking as application of tools and technique.

Do designers need a studio?

The workshop is based on the art and design tradition and the premise that the participants have access to studio space, that is, a workplace for conceiving, designing and developing new products or objects. Yet ideation takes place in many places, not just in the studio - so why the need of a studio at the ideation stage of the design process? However, the physical studio matters, notwithstanding the rise of virtual space denoted by the internet, and both as medium (VR) and place, as the studio provides designers with necessary physical space for hands-on practice where they can test their ideas and carry out real experiments, with real tools and real materials, in real time. Moreover, the studio provides a collaborative space where designers can be in close proximity to their fellow designers - a physical presence that encourages face-to-face communication and the building of studio culture. However, in the digital age, the physical space of the studio typically interacts with the virtual space of the internet, as exemplified by online tools or social networking sites. Such tools or sites can facilitate dissemination and sharing of information and ideas but also make virtual pushes into physical spaces. Yet virtual interaction cannot replace physical interaction when creating ideas and so the studio remains core to designer activity, and across disciplines. Or, to quote Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple: 'There’s a temptation in our networked age to think that ideas can be developed by email and iChat. That’s crazy. Creativity comes from spontaneous meetings, from random discussions. You run into someone, you ask what they’re doing, you say ‘wow,’ and soon you’re cooking up all sorts of ideas.'

Develop an ideation mindset

The workshop environment encourages immediacy of ideation - signifying creative thought and action. A transformative experience whereby ideas are generated not at arms length, or from a distance but in the here and now, in front of your eyes and in your hands. Ideation cannot be delegated so be curious and experimental, and ask questions. And, then, communicate and share effectively the idea(s) to all ready to listen - from next seat colleagues to next door neighbours or anyone within earshot standing by. Ideators adopt an iterative, experimental and ever evolving approach; from physical to online presence, from pen and paper to latest technology, devices and apps. Think, act and manage your ideation process!

Generation S

Baby boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Gen Z are generation labels used in order to explain the core ideas and beliefs of a generation, which ultimately shape the world in which the following generation will live. But what really determines a generation leap? Are we witnessing the birth of a new generation marked by the effects of Covid-19? Generational analysis was pioneered by the German sociologist Karl Manheim (1893-1947) and subsequent generational studies have focused on how to better understand trends in consumerism, political participation and preferences in the workplace that contribute to making each generation unique. Although generation labels can only partially explain what makes generations different from each other, they hold value in that they help us understand the place we occupy in a changing world. And so, in the context of design in a digital age, the ideation workshop could be a venue for demonstrating the importance of generations in the use of conceptual tools, and sketching in particular. Or, what Generation(s) S(ketch)?