Co-creation – in particular, ideation or CrowdWeaving® as we like to call it – is not always cut and dry. There’s a lot of magic that goes on behind the scenes, in order to conduct a successful ideation session.
Here are some of the things we like to keep in mind when conducting an ideation session to ensure its success.
Good Things Come to Those Who Wait
You never get the strongest ideas right out of the gate. With online ideation, typically the ideas that come in the first few hours are more “statements” than anything else. The better ideas start to come as participants/members have had some time to think through the problem they are presented with and come up with some innovative, creative solutions.
Collaboration is Important
Maybe even more important than the initial idea generation. For many, collaboration is when those who want to play but aren’t comfortable posting an initial idea, can offer their suggestions and help to make a good idea great. Collaboration offers those who still have something to offer to the challenge, a chance to weigh in on what can be added to improve the original ideas.
Curate, Not Moderate
While a moderator’s job is to talk to participants to truly uncover insights in their feedback, a curator is different. As the name suggests, a curator is simply there to guide participants/members and move them along through each part of an ideation session. The curator does not ask questions to gather more feedback or influence responses in any way. Rather, the curator helps to keep participants focused on ideation and collaboration, as well as encourages them to offer robust, constructive feedback to flesh out ideas as a group, with no outside influences. A curator then reviews all ideas and comments, distilling this information to identify elements of inspiration for the client, as well as overarching themes that can help inform new products and services.
Ranking & Rating
Ranking and rating are key to identifying top ideas and themes. By asking participants/members to vote for their favorite ideas, and then ranking the ideas in order of which they liked best, you can see what resonates with the group as a whole and which ideas have key elements that appeal to different customer segments. This helps lead to the identification of themes and unmet needs that can be addressed in future initiatives.
It’s All About the Inspiration
It’s not just about the ideas; it’s about the inspiration the suggestions may provide. All the feedback can be used to not only inform product/service lines but to inspire your team to build something great. You can build something based on what the consumer truly needs, not just what you think they want. Key themes and elements identified throughout an ideation session can inform multiple initiatives.
Everyone is Creative
Whether through ideation, collaboration or evaluation, any customer can add value to an idea. By putting the customer in the driver seat, you are tapping into the wisdom of the crowd and inviting them to use their knowledge of your products and competitive products in a way that gives them a stake in the game.
True Collaboration
A true ideation session allows for collaboration on multiple fronts. This includes collaboration between participants/members in the ideation session – or CrowdWeaving® Challenge, as trademarked by KLC, but also between participants/members and client. The Curator acts as the voice of participants/members or liaison between participants/members and client. It’s interactive and iterative.
Different Experiences for Member and Client
While the participant/member is working to come up with a great idea for a new product or service, for the client, there’s more to do. Through CrowdWeaving®, not only can you get great ideas created by your customers and your team, but you can also identify unmet needs by analyzing the ideas and the reasoning behind them. These themes can be even more important than the final ideas themselves, as they inform and inspire future products. The result is a true collaboration between you and your customers.
