The Design of Everyday Things

by Donald A. Norman

IDEA GENERATION Once the design requirements are determined, the next step for a design team is to generate potential solutions. This process is called idea generation, or ideation. This exercise might be done for both of the double diamonds: during the phase of finding the correct problem, then during the problem solution phase. This is the fun part of design: it is where creativity is critical. There are many ways of generating ideas: many of these methods fall under the heading of “brainstorming.” Whatever the method used, two major rules are usually followed: • Generate numerous ideas. It is dangerous to become fixated upon one or two ideas too early in the process. • Be creative without regard for constraints. Avoid criticizing ideas, whether your own or those of others. Even crazy ideas, often obviously wrong, can contain creative insights that can later be extracted and put to good use in the final idea selection. Avoid premature dismissal of ideas. I like to add a third rule: • Question everything. I am particularly fond of “stupid” questions. A stupid question asks about things so fundamental that everyone assumes the answer is obvious. But when the question is taken seriously, it often turns out to be profound: the obvious often is not obvious at all. What we assume to be obvious is simply the way things have always been done, but now that it is questioned, we don’t actually know the reasons. Quite often the solution to problems is discove...