Figure 1-12. A simple prioritization scheme looks at value to the customer and feasibility to deliver.

Figure 1-13. Prioritization of ideas by feasibility and value to the customer can be done on a simple grid. Articulate

Innovation often comes without epiphany. Don’t expect to be able to recognize an innovation as such immediately. You’ll have to first develop your ideas iteratively.

As quickly as possible, articulate the ideas you want to test. Even within a few hours you can create representations of your leading ideas for evaluation. This “debugs” your thinking and can prove or disprove the value of an idea quickly. Here are a few techniques:

Write scenarios

Write out the details of a concept in prose. Be as detailed as possible in terms of the anticipated experience. Even the simplest of concepts can easily fill multiple pages of text. Let others read and critique it.

Create storyboards

Represent the intended experience in a series of graphic panels. Then critique the idea as a group. Figure 1-14shows an example of a series of storyboards created during a workshop, with comments from the team surrounding it. In this case, we decided to put one concept on hold based on this initial assessment.

Figure 1-14. Storyboards represent ideas visually.

Draw a flowchart

Quickly express the steps of your idea as steps in a flowchart. This will help you make connections and see all of the moving parts at once.

Sketch ideas

Quickly draw an image of the product or service to share with others.

Wireframe solutions

Create simple greyscale versions of screens for interaction (Figure 1-15).

Build a prototype

With easy-to-use online prototyping tools such as InVision, it’s very simple to simulate working software. You can create a convincing prototype in a matter of hours (Figure 1-16).

Even physical products can be prototyped in a day-long workshop. In one workshop I conducted, we targeted an idea for improving the shipping experience with a large ecommerce website. We went to the local postal supply store, bought a box with the approximate dimensions we needed, and mocked it up to look like we had envisioned it. This was then used to get immediate feedback from potential customers.

Figure 1-15. Wireframes created during an alignment workshop quickly bring ideas to life.

Figure 1-16. Create a clickable prototype quickly for testing with potential users. Test

Get feedback on your ideas as quickly as possible, even during the workshop. This will not be controlled, scientific research. Instead, the aim is to understand your assumptions better. Are you solving the right problems? Does your idea address the problem in the right way?

Once you’ve articulated and represented your ideas, there are many lightweight ways to evaluate it, including some of the following.

Hallway testing

Get feedback from people close by who are not part of the workshop. Colleagues in other departments can provide quick, initial reactions on your concepts, for instance.

Online tests

There are many online services that provide feedback on concepts and prototypes—for example, Usertesting.com. You’ll usually get results within a matter of hours.

Focus groups

Recruit people in advance of the workshop to give direct feedback. Present the concepts to a small focus group of two or three people and watch how they react.