Ideate
Ideate is a tool that streamlines the continuous improvement processes in organizations to help them embed innovation as a core function.
I designed this product as a student project to explore how it could fit into Microsoft's product ecosystem. It is intended for educational purposes only and is NOT affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft in any way.
Context
Project type
Case study
Duration
1 month (December 2023)
Tools used
Figma
Figjam
Microsoft Design System
My role
Researcher
Product Designer
Skills
User Research
Market Research
Product Strategy
UI Design
In all the organizations I worked with, continuous improvement was valued, but managing internal ideas was often scrappy, causing many ideas to fall through the cracks amid other priorities.
Why does it matter?
Higher ideation rates are correlated with growth and net income, most likely because companies with an innovation culture not only generate better ideas, but are organized and managed to act on them.
So, taking my own experience as a reference, I challenged myself to create a tool that helps organizations manage internal ideas effectively. I envisioned this tool within the 'Microsoft Office 365’ environment, for the wide reach, easy adoption, and accessibility it offers.
Is Microsoft Office really ideal?
Worldwide market share of office technologies is split between Google’s G Suite and Microsoft’s Office 365, with Office 365 holding around 46 percent on average. In some regions Office 365 dominates the market going up to 57%.
With this as a starting point, I proceeded with research to uncover insights that would inform my product strategy. I then designed the user interface and iterated on it multiple times to improve both the product value and design sophistication.
User research
I informally interviewed 9 employees from 3 companies of varying sizes to identify the current state of the idea management practices within their organisation.
Insights from my conversations proved that there are two (2) distinct user personas who collaborate for each idea.
And the goals and problems of these two personas are driven by their responsibilities and professional success indicators.
User personas
Innovator : Pitches ideas and makes iterations.
James, Financial Advisor at a mid-sized Company
Goals
Enhance the quality of their work.
Highlight their skills and contributions to the organization.
Progress professionally by demonstrating their potential for innovative thinking.
Findings and problems
Lack of clarity on next steps.
Complicated processes for obtaining resources and approvals.
Insufficient visibility into the status and bottlenecks of proposed ideas.
Time spent on documenting, testing, and gathering data for ideas that do not align with company goals.
Decision-Maker: Evaluates ideas and facilitates implementation.
Orla, Staff Engineer at an MNC
Goals
Achieve or surpass personal KPIs and metrics.
Make informed decisions and optimize resource allocation.
Advance professionally by thinking creatively and mentoring junior team members.
Findings and problems
Limited time for thorough evaluation due to other responsibilities and workload.
Challenges in assessing complex or innovative ideas.
Difficulty in allocating resources to promising ideas.
Struggling to provide constructive feedback while preserving employee morale.
Solution requirements
1. Create alignment
Communicate team’s priorities so that continuous improvement efforts align with the organization’s overall vision.
2. Improve visibility
Always clarify status, next steps, and accountability to improve process flow and reduce gaps.
3. Optimise efforts
Communicate minimum information requirements to standardize and optimize efforts.
4. Improve culture
Create an environment for innovation, collaboration, and communication, while normalizing feedback.
5. Recognize contributions
Create a framework to acknowledge contributions to increase motivation and participation.
I sketched wireframes of various product features that align with the solution requirements, prioritizing quantity over quality during the brainstorming phase.
I reviewed my sketches to identify elements that aligned with the solution requirements, then created low-fidelity wireframes in Figma. I arranged and rearranged feature placements to improve usability.
And now…
Solution walkthrough
1. Home page
Use cases:
James (innovator) visits the home page to reads about a successful idea submitted by a peer, which motivates him to explore current initiatives, contribute by sharing an idea, or contributing to discussions
Orla (decision-maker) visits the home page and reviews the tasks assigned to her.
Initiatives section: Communicates current business priorities to align innovator’s efforts with the business goals.
Pending tasks overview: Displays tasks assigned to individuals, providing visibility on next actions and timelines, ensuring accountability.
Innovator recognition: Features weekly blog articles that showcases an innovator’s efforts and contributions to foster a culture of recognition and motivate others to engage.
High-impact ideas showcase: Highlights notable ideas and engagements to inspire creativity across the organization.
Discussion boards: Encourages cross-team knowledge sharing, breaking down silos to promote collaboration.
2. Share Idea page
Use case:
James accesses the Share Idea page, quickly finds relevant initiatives, and starts drafting or submits his idea with confidence, knowing what information is necessary.
Initiative search functionality: Allows users to search for initiatives by organization and team, with a default filter set to the user’s organization for ease of access.
Updated initiative details: Decision-makers can provide context and expectations for initiatives, ensuring clarity for contributors.
Form preview: Clearly distinguishes required information, standardizing the submission structure. This optimizes the time for both contributors and decision-makers.
3. Idea Details page
Use cases:
Orla, as a decision-maker, reviews James’s idea and provides feedback directly through the platform, helping to refine the proposal while keeping morale high.
James, as the innovator can edit his submission, act on any changes requested of him, monitor the status of his idea, and respond to comments.
Review and feedback options: Decision makers can review ideas and provide feedback, whether approving, declining, or requesting changes.
Feedback interaction: Encourages constructive dialogue around ideas, normalizing feedback and enhancing the culture of innovation.
Status updates: Provides real-time visibility into the progress of submitted ideas.
Customizable reminders: Users can set reminders for person accountable for the next step to follow up on pending actions.
4. Dashboard page
Use cases:
Orla uses the dashboard to assess the performance of multiple initiatives, quickly identifying which ideas need more resources or support.
James can customize the charts on the Dashboard page to monitor the progress of a specific initiative in his team.
Editable charts: Users can visualize progress or compare various initiatives through customizable charts, allowing for data-driven decision-making.
File filtering: Files can be filtered by type, date, and contributors, streamlining the search process for relevant documents.
Collaborative editing: Multiple users can edit documents simultaneously, promoting teamwork and collaboration on ideas.
5. Idea Space page
Use case:
James collaborates with peers in the Idea Space, using integrated tools to gather data, and refine his proposal before submission.
Filterable views: Filters enable users to narrow down information based on specific criteria, making it easier to focus on relevant data.
Integrated productivity tools: Innovators have access to collaboration tools to brainstorm and refine their ideas before submission.
Next steps
Conduct further research
Idea plagiarism: Research the types and risks of idea plagiarism within organizations. Develop features to mitigate these risks, ensuring that contributors feel secure in sharing their ideas.
AI integration: Leverage AI to streamline the ideation process, like automating feedback or identifying trends in submitted ideas.
UI design for additional user flows
Create user interfaces for secondary user flows, like creation and publishing of blog articles, discussion boards, and innovator profile.
Incorporate UI features for decision makers creating and editing ‘Initiatives’.
Usability and accessibility testing
Conduct additional user testing sessions to identify usability and accessibility issues to inform design iterations.
End of page