Stop Hindering Your Ideation Process

Here are 3 mindsets that will poison your team's creativity during ideation phases:

1) Stop focusing on function:

I'm going to make the argument that it's a waste of time. This frame of mind keeps the designer and product team stuck within the current state of the product. The assumptions about the user and the environment will be similar to what is currently done. This is a supporting element not a design driver. You will only see incremental gains.

Focus on use cases.

2) More is not better:

We tend to assume that improving features or adding new features will inherently make a product experience better and improve the value proposition. This is a half truth. It can but more than likely, you're diluting the experience. The additional features become an inconvenience or the product loses the essential part of the value proposition. The NutriBullet would not be a better blender by adding more features and functions. The user that loves it for it's simplicity and minimalism, wants it to stay that way.

Understand the identity of your product experience and improve that.

3) Less is not better:

We also assume that MVP is the best. That removing not essential features and functions will only improve the product and increase efficiency for the business. This is a half truth as well. While some products rely on the simplicity for its value proposition, a stripped down product could completely lose the essential part. The non-essential, superfluous parts of a design are necessary for certain experiences. Think about Uber and the ability to see the driver's car on the map relative to your location. It's completely unnecessary. You have confirmation on the time, the driver, and your pickup location. Why do you need to see exactly where the driver is at the exact moment? You don't. But seeing where they are reassures the person being picked up that the car is actually on the way. It validates everything that they've been told with a simple image. All of that development and design for something not essential is actually, essential for the experience.

Improvements to your user's psychological well-being can be more important than the improvement of the product.

You have to know who your market segment is, what their desires, and pain points are. This will give you clarity to create meaningful features, functions, and experiences. You have to know the identity of your product experience. It is the North Star of the process.