brainstorm within framework

We are all familiar with brainstorming but do we know how to brainstorm for ideas systematically? I guess most of us will surely utter that we do know the process, the tool and techniques. Personally, I prefer to brainstorm within a framework that I will conceive from the very outset of the brainstorming session.

A framework is just like a set of parameters or boundaries - it gives you ample open space for creative maneuver while at the same time enables the team to be more focus in the brainstorming session. What do I mean by that? I will illustrate with an example.

A team of students of mine is currently doing an Open House project for the school. Their job in this semester is to conceptualise for a creative idea for our Open House and to execute it in the following semester should their concept be approved. The team presented their concept in a concept pitch and it looked good.

The key success factor for this project boils down to one word: experience. How will the visitors of the Open House leave with a memorable experience? For flight experience, it seems to be that fliers want relaxation and comfort. What is that experience we could provide to the Open House visitors?

The starting point as I always advocate in designing experience for users/visitors is to identify the possible types of visitors and stakeholders, and understand their goals, needs, wants, and behaviours (see my post on design from persona). This can be achieved by approaching people who have experience with Open House to gather information from them.

A brief on the Open House project so that you could follow my thought process. Open House is a yearly event organised by the school and polytechnic for the Secondary School pupils to give them a feel of the polytechnic experience as well as understand the various courses offered. The objective of the Open House is to enable Secondary School's pupils make an informed decision on a course they would like to apply for during the yearly Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE).

In this project, the team is tasked to generate a best concept that would give Open House visitors a good experience. A simple project brief but ... tough.

A couple of questions: What is in it for them to visit the open house? Will they come? How would they know the event? Why should they visit? What makes them click with the Open House and leaves with a good memory?

Let's identify the types of visitor first. I will not consider other stakeholders as it will likely complicate the matter. I will classify the visitors - the secondary school pupils, be it current "O" level school leavers or lower secondary school pupils, into the following four groups:

1. Pupils who have already had an idea which course to apply for - i.e., they have a clear career goal;
2. Pupils who do not know our courses - i.e., those who are still indecisive of their career goal at this stage in their life and have no specific inclination;
3. Pupils who have little idea of what our courses about;
4. Pupils who are skeptical about our courses due to the career prospects;

I find it easier to understand the situation and manage the project if I put things in a table (see Table 1):

TABLE 1: Types of visitor of the Open House, their goals, needs and behaviours.

Types of Visitors	Goals, Needs & Behaviours	Design Consideration
Familiar with our courses	They have a clear career goal. They like the modules offered. They are looking for the right course to enrol in. They may or may not come to the Open House but often will visit the course website to find out more.	Course comparison among polytechnic; Value of course;
Do not know our courses	They have no idea what our courses can offer to them and they may not even bother to find out from the website. They often don't have a clear career goal. They could be easily attracted to the atmosphere or learning environment of the polytechnic/school, or they may just follow their friends' foot path or advice. They may come to the Open House but may or may not visit the booth and/or the school.	Information on the course and modules offered; Information on the learning environment and students;
Little knowledge in our courses	They may have an inkling of the kind of courses they think they may have an interest in, but they are yet to decide. Their decision may be influenced by friends, teachers, family members or course counsellor that they interact with. They may like some of the modules offered in the course but may not necessary all.	Information on the areas that they like to learn more but avoid those they don't like; Career options;
Skeptical about our courses due to career prospects	They like our courses but they are skeptical about its career prospects.	Professional and past graduates testimonial;  Industry;

We may ask a question: Should we merely focus on the design of the Open House, i.e., design of the facade, exhibits, activities, etc?

We learn from Table 1 that there are people who may not even visit the Open House, and there are people who are skeptical about the courses. How to get them buy-in is first and foremost important question.

We can surely brainstorm from a blank slate and just let the ideas flow. What if we brainstorm within a framework, such as the following, will it be better?

• Invitation (beginning): Challenge the audience, captivate and invite them to visit the Open House;
• Engagement (middle): Welcome and orientate them, support, interact, engage their five senses, and surprise them when they visit the Open House;
• Memory (end): Help the visitors leave the Open House with a long-lasting memory, facilitate them to share their experience, and spread the words around.

The brainstorming framework is based on the basic structure similar to the three-act structure in scriptwriting, namely any process is made up of beginning, middle and end.

FIGURE 1: An Open House design framework for brainstorming.

With a clear understanding of the visitors' profile, I can now generate a first pass of design concept. I will focus on the human side of the story, student.

In the Invitation stage, I will create a game-based website to tease and challenge the would-be visitors to find their friends who plan to visit or have visited our Open House, and their seniors who are already a student of our courses.

In the "Engagement" stage during the actual Open House, I will engage them by surprising them when they first enter into our school. One such idea is to create a 3D illusion art on the floor and wall when the visitors first step out of the lift to our level four learning environment. This will likely create the WOW factor.

When the visitors are about to leave, we can have a friend and family photo shoot and provide ample workstations nearby for them to upload their photos to facebook or other social media website. This is the "Memory" stage where visitors leave and share experiences.

Since Open House is likely a polytechnic- and school-wide activities that may disrupt the normal classes, a more sophisticated idea is to involve all current students and have one student follows or tag along with the visitors from the start till the end of the visit with a video camera on hand capturing their trail of activities and package it with a storyline during the "Engagement" stage, and have it available for the visitors to upload at the end of the visit and share their experiences through a social media website. These are just a sample of ideas brainstormed from within the framework in Figure 1.

The design concept that I have just described encompasses from "me" to "we". It is the "we" that will help create a buzz.