Tag Archives: group ideation

Ideation is for INDIVIDUALS, not groups!

Group brainstorming is not a good way to generate innovation ideas. In the Preface to Sprint, Jake Knapp discusses his missteps using group brainstorming at Google.

He notes that the brainstorming sessions were “a lot of fun,” , but… did not generate successful ideas. The best ideas were generated by individuals “sitting at their desks, or waiting at a coffee shop, or taking a shower.”

This matches what I found in a study of 50 years of research on group user research. Continue reading

Posted in Customer Research Methods, Ideation, NSD Process, Service Design | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

More Zombie Theory

In my previous post I talked of two theories/ideas that are popular in marketing despite having a preponderance of evidence that they are inneffective or untrue: Group brainstorming or focus groups for idea generation Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Several readers … Continue reading

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Brainstorming groups still kill ideas

I was surprised to find an article in a leading innovation journal that summarized a recent research paper on brainstorming. The summary stated that in contrast to most past studies this one showed that group ideation may reduce the number of ideas … Continue reading

Posted in Customer Research Methods, experiential innovation, Ideation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Online Communities — Replacements for Focus Groups

A recurring theme of postings on customer involvement methods is that traditional market research methods such as focus groups and brainstorming  kill ideas and creativity; there is a need for better ideation techniques that truly engage users. J. Scott Armstrong … Continue reading

Posted in Co-creation or User collaboration, Customer Research Methods, Ideation | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment