Generating ideas has never been easier

Brainstorming is the only known way to come up with new and creative ideas. In these meetings, people gather to think openly and come up with lots of different ideas.

However, old-style brainstorming has some drawbacks. Things like not having much time, everyone thinking the same way, or everyone being in the same place can stop new ideas from popping up.

Now, imagine a brainstorming tool that doesn't have these limitations, a tool that truly empowers teams to contribute great ideas whenever inspiration strikes. This tool would boost collaboration, as people wouldn’t be bound by physical constraints or geographical locations. It would allow team members, whether they are in the office, at home, or even halfway across the world, to contribute their ideas seamlessly.

And what if this brainstorming tool wouldn't just stop at idea generation, but it would also help keep these ideas organized and easy to access? It would function as a knowledge repository, storing all the creative concepts from various team members for easy reference. Wouldn't this make the brainstorming process more efficient and productive?

This type of tool already exists and it’s called Idea Morph. More than just a simple tool, it's a complete idea generation system that works quickly and efficiently, regardless of location or time zone. The process is guided and automated, making organizing and generating ideas a piece of cake.

Idea Morph helps people be creative and is great for teams that want to work together better. It's also perfect for companies that want to involve customers in making campaigns, products, or new features, helping with an active process of co-creation.

What’s the deal with co-creation

While co-creation might sound like a complex term, it’s really pretty simple. It's all about working closely, whether that’s within your team or with potential clients and users, to come up with as many ideas and concepts as you can. Co-creation is key to embracing a modern work system where teamwork and open innovation are becoming more and more critical.

Usually, ideas are sparked in brainstorming sessions where teams get together to throw around different directions and viewpoints. In tight-knit groups or smaller teams, these sessions can be incredibly fruitful. When everyone is actively participating, showing respect, and really listening to each other, even without rigid structures, brainstorming can hit the mark.

However, there are also times when brainstorming sessions just drag on without leading to any great ideas, or worse, they might even upset the team’s vibe. The success of these meetings hinges on good teamwork and sticking to a well-defined creative process that helps avoid any snags. Often, if brainstorming isn’t working out, it’s because there’s no clear process in place to guide the generation and discussion of ideas.

5 steps to make co-creation your secret weapon

Let’s break down co-creation and idea generation into easy steps. While it would be wonderful if inspiration and creativity just popped up on their own, they usually need a bit of structure to really flow. Here's how you can make it happen:

1. Understanding the problem

Getting to the heart of the problem boosts your chances of coming up with good ideas. The clearer you see the issue, the better your creative thinking will be.

2. Inspiration

Ideas don’t just magically appear; they often come from digging into existing solutions, seeing what others have done, following trends, and recognizing the limits of what’s currently possible.

3. Individual idea generation

Everyone has their own way of sparking creativity, whether that’s taking a stroll, unwinding with some downtime, or doodling ideas quietly. The key is having enough time to let your brain do its thing and make new connections.

4. Choosing the best ideas

After you’ve got a pile of ideas, the next step is to pick the most promising ones. An anonymous voting system can help keep things fair and remove any bias.

5. Developing concepts

Then, take those top ideas and polish them into detailed concepts that are ready to roll out.

Idea Morph is the perfect tool for steering this whole co-creation process. It lets everyone fully understand the challenges and pitch in with their ideas. Every project is set up with resources that fire up creativity, plus ideation exercises that push you to see things differently and boost your ingenuity. And the best part? Idea Morph works asynchronously. You don’t need to sync up meetings or calls, making it super accessible for anyone on the team, no matter where they are.

Advantages

Getting lots of people involved in the co-creation process does wonders. It boosts the diversity and quality of the ideas that come up and it also brings in valuable perspectives from both internal teams and clients or end-users.

Take, for example, the development of a new product solution. It's good to involve as many people as possible who have direct interactions with customers, as well as colleagues who will be working on the actual implementation of the product. This integrated approach doesn't just secure early buy-in. It also strengthens a sense of responsibility and loyalty towards the project, since participants are involved right from the ideation phase.

Being a digital tool that works asynchronously, Idea Morph allows for participation without the constraints of time or location, enabling practically an unlimited number of people to join in, whether they are company members or potential clients. Having clients involved in the co-creation process is incredibly valuable. The ideas they contribute are directly tied to their real and specific needs. This interaction has the potential to uncover new opportunities and it can also set the product apart in the market, giving the company a nice competitive edge.

Putting co-creation into practice

Starting something new, like co-creation, comes with its own set of challenges. So having some expert help can be a real game-changer to make sure everything goes as planned. For your team to easily adopt new working methods, seeing good results early on is very important. That's where Idea Morph comes in. It’s great for streamlining the co-creation process. Acting like a virtual facilitator, Idea Morph makes sure all the necessary steps are covered right from the start for a successful outcome.

Take the case of a major bank in Romania, for example. They kicked off a co-creation process with their customers by inviting 4,000 participants. In just two hours after launching, 800 of them had signed up, and half of these folks had already generated 900 ideas. Within two weeks, the number of users had soared to 2,300, and the total number of ideas reached 5,000.

Idea Morph is a project co-financed within the "SME Growth Romania - Support for Startups" program, with the Innovation Norway fund as the program operator.