For me, the most fascinating part of the process is ideation and design. Everything is new during this time. The mechanisms, the shapes, the textures and the colors are just beginning to emerge. This is the time when a product is truly being born. Its conception occurs during a brainstorm where all ideas are fresh and have some sort of potential. Someone once said that the best ideas start out mediocre until a group of smart people add to it until it's right on the mark. This technique is similar to a shark attack.
The sharks swim around the potential victim, not doing much of anything until one brave soul jumps in and takes a big bite- usually kicking off a chain reaction amongst the others. It is during this frenzy that the good stuff happens- good ideas like adding EL lights to the display, or getting the detent sound and feel for free, or getting another use out of a feature. In my opinion, the brainstorm is the genius in the design. This is the stuff that separates the mediocre engineer from the exceptional engineer. This paper is an attempt to explain what I've learned about brainstorming. Brainstorming is nothing more than an organized approach to development. You think of an idea and add to it logically, taking into consideration all facets of its existence, manufacturing, price, use, environment, impression etc...
If this step is taken correctly, it can be the best meeting all year. If it is done incorrectly, it can ruin the design, fragment the team and potentially harm future brainstorming sessions. Make sure you use brainstorming not only to generate new ideas, but to combine and add to already existing ideas. Always spin negatives into positives, and always record every idea, even if you don't understand it or if you don't think it has legs. Participating in the Shark attack is very exciting. When it occurs it is a very fast paced conversation that typically engages everyone in the room. Be competitive- In a good brainstorming session, people feel the need to show off. This is effective and beneficial. Each member will want to show off their knowledge of a particular subject, be it injection molding practices, or material behavior issues, or machining techniques or even mechanism conception. Allow the members to exhibit their strengths. You want the members of the group to get to know each other and learn to defer to those with specific training and resources. This is very important to the health of the entire company. This brainstorming session should not lead to a one person design.
Remember - being competitive is a great way to get maximum contribution. The mission statement should be a concise version of the question, problem or task. Always take your time to create this. It should be kept as short and sweet as possible, preferably one sentence, i.e. "Lets design a better mouse trap." If you feel it's not quite right- ask a colleague for help. See if he or she can envision this statement shorter, easier to understand etc... Bounce it back and forth a few times to make sure it's as good as it can be. When inviting persons- Make sure to also invite people who are not professionally involved in this sort of interaction. For example, I invited an assembly line worker to one brainstorm session. Her line experience was instrumental to the ideas that came about that day. She had firsthand knowledge of good practices vs. not so good, and ultimately, it was her core idea that defined the mechanism.
In addition to inviting Designers and Engineers, I always like to involve individuals that aren't familiar with the task or even the overall project. Often a group of engineers can be so entrenched in the project on a daily basis that they become blind to new observations. They might miss obvious shortcomings or lack the ability to utilize a fresh approach. Hence the need for outsiders. There is also a need for veterans to be involved in the brainstorming. They often provide the backbone for the meeting. When a newcomer brings up an idea, the veteran will more easily recognize the potential for success or failure. However, there are a few caveats to be wary of during these interactions. Watch out for pessimism. Now is not the time to be overly critical or disparaging of an idea (and veterans should know this!).
If an idea is off the mark, refer back to the mission statement. Make sure the idea is on target or at least headed towards it. After all, it is up to the group and facilitator to adhere to the rules. One of the most important rules - Defer Judgment. If you are the facilitator you must keep your eyes open for a few types of brainstormers that could stifle progress. Floor gazers - these are the people that aren't getting involved for whatever reason. Could be that they are embarrassed, could be that they are afraid, could be that this is their first time, or even that they don't like speaking in groups of people. Whatever the reason, it's your job to pull them through this knot-hole.
Get them jazzed - start off with someone's idea and show them how it's done. Watch the group and select someone seasoned and ask for input. Create some small dialog and watch how everyone reacts. Maybe the floor gazer will jump in or maybe they need a few more minutes to mull it over. Whatever the case, get them moving. Quiet veterans - The older, experienced person, who, for some reason chooses not to speak up with starter ideas in the beginning. This is the person who offers great additions, but rarely creates the initial seed. These designers/engineers are great, but often add luggage to the majority of the meeting. They have probably sat in on quite a few brainstorms and spoken up and been squashed in one way or another. So now they sit quietly, arms folded, waiting to approve someone else's idea. I always make sure this person isn't quiet for the wrong reasons, i.e. fear or anger towards a person or persons in the group. Try to get these veterans actively involved.
Size of Group - If the group is to be large, about 10 or more people, often it is easier to divide into sub-groups. Assign a leader for each sub-group and let them go off into their own corner. Make sure they adhere to the rules and remain focused on the mission statement. After a certain amount of time, approx- 30 minutes, re-group and have the leaders present the ideas. Often two or more groups can have the same idea - no worries, just record it and move on.
Individual Brainstorming - When you brainstorm on your own you will tend to produce a wider more spread out range of ideas than in group brainstorming. One major advantage is the lack of other egos or opinions - Often this helps an individual be more creative. You might run into trouble with the lack of outside opinion - sort of a "not seeing the forest for the trees" issue. When Brainstorming on your own, it can be helpful to use Mind Maps to arrange and develop ideas. We will explore Mind Maps in a later publication. There has been some fairly extensive research on individual vs. group brainstorming activities. Some research shows that individual brainstorming is far more effective than a group setting - Stating that a person's mind can be somewhat like a moving car - load it up with too much extraneous ideas and it begins to slow down. A person's peek brainstorming occurs when they are adding to their own ideas, evolving the idea as they see it in a more natural, flowing fashion. A poorly managed brainstorming session can have an adverse effect. The individuals or the group must focus on expanding around the mission statement properly.
When scheduling a brainstorm - Set the time allotted up front and stick to it. Usually 30-40 minutes is best. Don't go over and don't set the time too long. People can become exhausted and often become distant, bringing down the group. If you don't finish in the allotted time, no worries, set up another meeting for another day. Personally, I do my best thinking while driving or just before sleep. So saving or continuing a problem for the next meeting is sometimes beneficial. When inviting people to your brainstorm make sure you inform them of the goals. If people are informed beforehand they may arrive prepared. I've held many brainstorms where people have created huge lists of great ideas before the meeting. Use the power of individual brainstorming to your advantage. If clients are to be part of the session, ask them to arrive ahead of time to prep. Explain the project if they are not familiar and catch them up on the information that the employees are already privy to.
The meeting space - After working with great people like Doug Field of SEGWAY, Barye Hall from Northstar, and Kevin Kellar while at Bleck Design, I have found the best place to brainstorm is an open, blank room with a lot of white board space, sketch paper and good lighting. This type of environment is critical. If you are crowded around someone's desk staring at his 19" screen, looking at a cross section, you will be shooting yourself in the foot. Print out your cross sections, COLOR, COLOR, COLOR- BIG, BIG,BIG. Really kick it off right, bring refreshments. If it's Friday afternoon, bring beer, get the group jazzed! However, do be careful of over stimulating. I advise not to take the meeting outdoors. Find a quiet, empty room with no other groups within earshot. It is the facilitator's responsibility to get everything organized, as well as set the tone and mood. Keep your energy up while you are facilitating - Everyone will take their cue from you.
Remember - part of your job is to be the group cheerleader. Encourage the brainstormers to listen and respond to every idea. Here are a few rules for a brainstorming session written by IDEO-Rules of Brainstorming
1. Defer judgment This is the hardest rule to follow, in part because our cultural values usually steer us the other way - to make a quick judgment (will this fly or not?). The tendency to judge and prejudge tends to block our own flow of ideas. It also dampens the spirit of the session, making other people uncertain about bringing out an idea. Remember- Later, after this meeting, you can have another meeting to weed out the risky or expensive ideas.
2. Build on the ideas of others One thing we learn after just a few brainstorms is that you don't really need a whole idea to keep things going. Half an idea will work just fine, because someone else will pick up on what they thought you meant and turn it into something else. The secret of this rule is to be generous with your own ideas during the brainstorm and not be shy about picking up on half-baked (or even fully baked) ideas from someone else.
3. One conversation at a time You can tell when somebody's got an idea steaming in their head: they start squirming in their chair and can't wait to get it out on the table. It's exciting when this starts happening with more than one person At this point, the facilitator reminds everyone else to let the first one get their idea out before going on to the next one. This way nobody feels frustrated that they didn't get heard and the energy keeps flowing.
4. Stay focused on topic The thrill of the chase can often lead far from the topic - the design problem at hand. Don't hold back on an idea just because it seems off the topic (defer judgment about it!). Just be agile and turn it around into something that relates. These unplanned force-fits can be a surprise.
5. Encourage wild ideas Get radical, improbable, unrealistic, impractical, dangerous, and even primitive in your thinking. Wild ideas open up new avenues of thinking in a way that nothing else can.
6. Quantity, not Quality The purpose of a brainstorm should be to generate as many ideas as possible, not just "good" ideas. Ideas that seem impractical or impossible may spark another idea from someone else. The best ideas ever, started out as mediocre ideas that were fed attention by smart people like us in this room.
7. Draw it A picture is worth a thousand words. No, really, it is. Color helps- If your up at the white Board- switch Pens often- especially drawing cross-sections!
8. Lack of wind If you're the facilitator- Have a few ideas up your sleeve for dead spots- When the energy dries up, throw one or two out there and let the group chew on it to re-spark ideas.
Another good re-starter is to select someone to re-explain an idea or give reasons why they like it. - Typically this will engage the group and might re-start the engine. After the session is over- Type the session notes and ideas and attach numbered JPGs of photos etc... Create a spreadsheet with everyone's name on it (you're more apt to get a response this way). Ask each group member to select their favorite top five ideas. Some times Pugh charts are very effective for narrowing a list. Make sure you include the dead line for when the document must be returned. Ask everyone to look for similar ideas that could possibly be grouped together.
After you have narrowed the list down a bit, ask if there should be a second, refining meeting. Keep in mind- The Brainstorm is the birthplace of innovative ideas. It is the place where two persons that normally do not converse will take equal part in development. This meeting should be treated as if there are no bosses, or VPs, or Sr. Managers. In this place everyone is equal - Equal to say the crazy ideas that pop into his or her mind. One can never predict how crazy might be transformed into ground-breaking.
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