Skip to main content
ideation

ideation

6 7.9
To think of new plans or solutions for a problem
  • noun
  • /ˌaɪdiˈeɪʃən/
  • Jargon
translation icon : ideación
  • We quickly create empathy for the clients, and we move rapidly into the ideation phase by use of sketches, lists, and prototypes.

Design is not just that initial ideation stage, OK?

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • And now she is involved from the ideation and pitching all the way through to art direction.

  • But they also in addition to that, have a plan of rapid implementation, rapid ideation to improve the system.

  • Design is not just that initial ideation stage, OK?

  • A decade or two ago, we would have spent many hours together discussing your ideation.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • And so we're entering a whole nother level of, you know, ideation and ultimately development.

  • Well, and I feel like I've watched this whole thing unfold from the ideation of the podcast through the life changes.

  • The five components of Design Thinking (IDEO 2012) can be summarized as discovery, interpretation, ideation, experimentation or prototyping, and evolution.

    Academic text (2013)
  • In our workshop, we focus on the ideation process to generate innovative solutions for everyday problems.

  • The team dedicated several hours to ideation before finalizing their product design.

  • Effective ideation often requires collaboration and diverse perspectives to build on each other's ideas.

Synonyms

thought
vsideation
1.4

The process of thinking or an idea that comes from thinking

is the extended process of forming and refining many such thoughts
thinking
vsideation
872 1.8

Careful use of your mind to consider something

is specifically about producing and developing new creative ideas
conception
vsideation
59 4.6

An idea or plan someone forms in their mind

focuses on ongoing development rather than just initial creation
thought process
vsideation
43 3.7

Mental steps used to consider and solve a problem

is focused on creative generation and development of new ideas rather than general reasoning
brainstorming
vsideation
14 3.0

A group meeting to think of many ideas quickly without judging them

includes individual idea development beyond group generation activities
imagining
vsideation
12 3.5

A thought or picture you make in your mind

is the structured development and refinement of those mental images into solutions
conceptualization
vsideation
  • Specialized
5 7.5

Forming a clear idea of something in your mind

is a wider creative process that develops and expands ideas
gestation
vsideation
  • Formal
2 6.8

The time when an idea grows in the mind before it is ready

is the whole creative process, not only the early development stage
envisionment
vsideation
6.8

A mental picture of a plan or future result

is broader, covering idea development beyond picturing future outcomes
divergent thinking
vsideation
6.3

A way of thinking that comes up with many different ideas to solve a problem

is the whole process of shaping and developing those multiple ideas
inflow of new ideas
vsideation
3.5

New ideas coming into a group or place to help it change

is the internal process of producing and shaping new ideas rather than arrival

Antonyms

12 3.5

A period of time with no movement or action

1 6.5

Still water that does not move in pipes or lakes, causing poor quality

How Developed

invention
111 3.2
plan
1.0
ideation
  • Jargon
6 7.9
concept
4.5
idea
1.0
notion
653 3.7

Surface Forms

ideation singular
ideations plural

Morphology

ideation = idea (semi-transparent) = idea + ation

The word is clearly built on 'idea', but the abstract sense of a process of forming and developing ideas is somewhat specialized rather than fully literal.

Etymology

The word ideation comes from the common word idea, which comes from a Greek word meaning 'form' or 'to see'. So, ideation is the process of forming and developing ideas.