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.