Honestly, I did not think I would enjoy the Ideation phase. Before our two classes on Ideation, I mostly thought of ideation as technology focused. Which I guess, it can be. However, I really enjoyed the Ideation process. I think that the work with the post it notes was really productive. It forced us to think outside of the box, especially with the “this would get you fired” ideas. Those really got the creative juices flowing, and it really brought up the mood of the group. Most of our ideas were community focused, which was not what I had in mind when thinking of Ideation, but I think those ideas work well with our company.
Even though I enjoyed the Ideation work more than I thought I would, it was still difficult. Coming up with new ideas is hard. During the process, it was easy to get down on myself when I felt like my ideas weren’t good or that I didn’t have enough ideas. Even though those feelings didn’t last long, I thought it was important to note them. With the way that the process as a whole was set up, those brainstorming sessions were followed up with “silly” ideas which helped push those thoughts away.
The articles that we read before Tuesday’s class were really informative. I particularly enjoyed the article titled “Your First Thought is Rarely Your Best Thought.” As William & Mary students, we can get used to things coming easier to us, and that can sometimes make brainstorming frustrating. This article reminded me that good ideas will take time, but those first ones are important too because they can help get us to great ideas. I also liked the idea of scheduling time to think. I have been trying lately to incorporate more introspection into my daily routines. While I don’t use this time to think of ideas for our group project, it is really helpful in other areas of my life. It helps me understand myself better, which I think is very important as I am graduating college and looking to start a career.