What strategies might students engage in during the ideate phase of the design- thinking process?

- **Brainstorming** Students generate a large number of ideas without judging them, ensuring that creative and even seemingly outlandish ideas are captured. This nonjudgmental approach encourages free thinking and helps uncover unconventional solutions. - **Mind Mapping** Students can create a visual diagram where the central problem is placed at the center, and related ideas branch outward. This technique helps in visually organizing thoughts and identifying connections between different concepts. - **SCAMPER Technique** This strategy involves asking questions based on the SCAMPER framework: - **S**ubstitute: What elements can be replaced? - **C**ombine: Can ideas be merged to create something new? - **A**dapt: How can the idea be adjusted to serve a new purpose? - **M**odify: What small changes can be made to improve the idea? - **P**ut to another use: How else can the idea be applied? - **E**liminate: What parts of the idea are unnecessary? - **R**earrange: Can the idea be reorganized for better effect? - **Sketching and Visual Prototyping** Drawing quick sketches or diagrams allows students to visualize their ideas. Even rough drawings can clarify concepts and help communicate ideas to teammates. - **Role-playing and Scenario Testing** By acting out how a solution might work in real-life situations, students can explore different perspectives and identify potential challenges or enhancements. - **"How Might We..." Questions** Framing problems as open-ended questions, such as “How might we improve user engagement?” encourages innovative thinking and invites multiple solutions. - **Analogical Reasoning** Students might compare the problem to similar challenges in different contexts to spark insights that could be adapted to the current challenge. These strategies help create a rich pool of ideas during the ideate phase, setting a strong foundation for subsequent stages in the design-thinking process.