A Comprehensive Framework for Rigorous Product Thinking -- Step 4: Ideation & Solution Exploration
From 'Aha!' Moments to Innovative Products
Welcome to part five of our ten-part series on rigorous product thinking. If you’re just joining us, here are links to previous posts, and a sense of what’s ahead:
Step 2: Market & Competitive Analysis
Step 3: User Segmentation
Step 4: Ideation & Solution Exploration ← This post
Step 5: Validation and Prototyping
Step 6: Value Proposition and MVP
Step 7: Measurement and Learning
Step 8: Iteration and Refinement
Step 9: Scaling, Monitoring, and Continuous Improvement
The main question we’ll be answering in today’s post: How (and Why) do you leverage diverse ideation techniques while reducing risks?
Let’s get right into it.
Sarah's reached an exciting stage! Validated problems, market insights, and clear user segments. She's energized! She's zeroed in on specific target users and understands how her fitness solution can provide unique value... Now it's time to unleash her product manager's creativity.
But remember, our framework isn't about restricting innovation. It's about channeling that energy in the most impactful direction.
Now comes the exciting part: dreaming up those "aha!" solutions that will change lives. But how can she make sure she's generating ideas that are truly valuable and feasible?
Our framework now encourages her to open up the doors of possibility! How can she brainstorm diverse ideas to address the needs of those busy professionals, stressed parents, and weekend warriors?
Don't underestimate the value of unrestricted brainstorming. This is the time to get playful and encourage surprising solutions. Tech giants like Google are famous for allowing employees dedicated "innovation time" to work on personal projects – sometimes these lead to major breakthroughs.
To ensure Sarah comes up with the best ideas, our framework sets some guidelines for her brainstorming sessions:
Quantity over Quality (At First): Focus on generating as many ideas as possible, the wilder, the better.
No Judgement: Embrace a "yes, and..." mindset, building on each other's ideas without shutting them down prematurely.
Visuals Welcome: Don't just talk; sketch, draw, or even act out ideas to spark new concepts.
Diverse Team: If possible, involve people with different backgrounds and perspectives.
While excitement can lead to a flurry of ideas, it's important to avoid these pitfalls:
Scope creep: Losing sight of the core problem you're trying to solve.
Limited Perspectives: Getting stuck in a rut, thinking only of solutions you'd personally like.
Feasibility Blind Spots: Cool ideas that are impossible to implement with current resources.
Sarah then used some of the following techniques to generate ideas and solutions:
Brainstorming (with a twist): Don't just go for obvious solutions. Encourage wild ideas by using prompts like "If there were no budget constraints..." or "What if we partnered with a company in a different industry?"
Mind Mapping: Visualize connections between problems, user types, and potential features.
Competitive Teardowns: Analyze competitor features in detail—what can you make better or radically different?
User Interviews: Directly involve users in the ideation process for fresh perspectives.
Worst Possible Ideas: Flipping the script to generate awful solutions can lead to surprisingly good ones by highlighting what not to do.
Mash-Ups: Combining elements from unrelated products or services (Think: what if Uber Eats met fitness tracking?)
Concept Evaluation Grid: Provide a simple tool to score potential solutions against criteria like:
Feasibility: Can we build it?
Viability: Is there a sustainable business model?
Desirability: Does it address user needs in a compelling way?
Case Study: Dyson's Problem-Driven Innovation
Dyson is known for disrupting home appliance markets with its unique tech solutions. Their focus isn't just on new features but also on understanding user frustrations with existing products. Their hand dryers were born from noticing the hygiene issues of traditional dryers, and their bladeless fans addressed safety and noise complaints.
Armed with her user personas, Sarah organized ideation sessions focused on each segment. She gathered a small team, including a personal trainer, a tech-savvy colleague, and a friend who fit her busy professional user profile. Their jam session yielded ideas like:
Micro-Workouts: Squeezable into any short break, focusing on achievable goals.
AI-Powered Adaptations: Adjusting plans based on the user's available time and energy levels each day.
Gamification: Rewards and challenges to keep motivation high.
And these translate into the following for each user segment:
The Stressed Exec: Short, high-intensity workouts, mindfulness integrations, progress tracking synced with health apps.
The Busy Parent: Workout snippets to fit into stolen moments throughout the day, childcare swap options for parents to get workouts in, gamification for kids and adults.
The Weekend Warrior: Motivational tracking features for weekday consistency, location-based outdoor workout suggestions, links to weekend events like races.
Now, it's time for critical thinking. Sarah used the framework to assess her ideas based on:
Feasibility: Can it be built with available resources and technology?
Viability: Is there a sustainable business model for this feature or product?
Desirability: Does it truly address pain points for her target users?
Data & Alignment: Which features best reflect insights gained from research and support the overall product vision?
To ensure focus, the framework encourages Sarah to apply ruthless prioritization.
Sarah may employ methods like:
MoSCoW Method: Categorizing features into Must-Haves, Should-Haves, Could-Haves, and Won't-Haves.
Must-Have: Core features non-negotiable for her solution.
Should-Have: High value, but the product could launch without them.
Could-Have: Nice additions if resources permit.
Won't-Have: Ideas that get rejected for now.
Impact vs. Effort Matrix: Plotting features for a visual representation of which provides the biggest bang for the buck.
Before investing too heavily, the framework reminds Sarah about low-fidelity prototyping. This could involve:
Storyboards: Sketching out how users would interact with the app.
Basic Wireframes: Creating simple screen layouts to assess flow and usability.
User Testing: Even with rough prototypes, getting feedback from target users is essential.
Up Next: Product + Company Alignment
With a prioritized list of potential solutions, Sarah's ready to get feedback! Brilliant ideas are worthless if they don't align with a company's overall mission and strengths.
Our framework reminds her: even the best-laid plans can benefit from testing with real users, so before committing fully to a solution, Sarah needs to take a step back.
Does this align with her company's mission, resources, and the broader market gap she's looking to fill?
Join us for our next post to see how she designs experiments to validate her assumptions and how Sarah makes sure her solution fits strategically within her organization.
Let’s discuss:
What's your go-to ideation technique for generating out-of-the-box solutions? Share your experiences in the comments!