Objective
The goal of the Ideate stage was to explore possible solutions based on what we learned during our user research and Define stage. At this point in the design process, the goal is not to find the perfect solution right away, but to generate many ideas and explore different directions.
As a team, we created a creative matrix using several How Might We (HMW) questions. These questions helped us think about different ways our journaling system could support users. Some of the ideas we explored included gentle prompts to help users start writing, supporting multiple journaling formats such as voice or handwriting, and helping users recognize patterns in their reflections over time.
This stage was exciting because it felt like the point where our ideas started to come to life. After spending time researching and defining the problem, we were finally able to begin imagining what the system might actually look like and how users would interact with it.
AI Usage
During the ideation stage, I used a few different AI tools to help organize ideas and develop parts of the design process.
One way AI helped was through Figma’s AI tools, which helped organize the many ideas our team generated in the creative matrix. Since we brainstormed a large number of concepts, it became helpful to group them into themes so we could better understand patterns in our ideas and identify which concepts were most promising.
Figma’s AI features helped cluster and organize these ideas into categories, which made the brainstorming process easier to navigate.
I also used ChatGPT to help develop a scenario for my personas while creating my storyboards. The goal was to create realistic situations that showed how each persona might interact with the journaling system.
Example prompt:
“Create a short scenario for a user who wants to start journaling but struggles with knowing what to write.”
ChatGPT helped generate a starting point for the scenario, which I then refined to better match the goals and personality of the persona. This helped me visualize how the journaling system would support different types of users.
Benefits Realized
Using AI during the ideation stage helped in a few important ways.
First, AI helped organize complex ideas. Our team generated many potential solutions, and AI tools in Figma made it easier to group these ideas into themes and see connections between them.
Second, AI helped speed up parts of the design process. When creating scenarios for my personas, ChatGPT helped me quickly draft ideas that I could then refine and adapt for the storyboard.
Overall, AI acted as a helpful assistant that supported brainstorming and organization while still allowing our team to make the final design decisions.
Challenges
One of the biggest challenges during this stage was creating the user flow diagram.
Our design problem involves many layers, including multiple journaling formats, optional AI prompts, pattern recognition, and several different sections of the app such as the Journal, Reflect, Library, Community, and Profile tabs. Because of this, mapping out the entire system felt a bit intimidating at first.
However, creating the user flow diagram was also very important. It helped me step back and understand how all of the features connect and how a user would move through the system from beginning to end. Once the flow was mapped out, the design started to feel much clearer and more organized.
Reflection
The Ideate stage was one of the most exciting parts of the design process because it was when our ideas began to turn into real design concepts. After spending time researching the problem, this stage allowed us to explore solutions and imagine how the system might work in practice.
AI was helpful throughout this process, especially when organizing ideas and generating starting points for scenarios. However, it worked best as a support tool rather than a creative replacement. The most important parts of the design process still came from collaboration, critical thinking, and reflecting on what would truly support users.
If I were to repeat this stage, I would likely experiment with using AI earlier in the brainstorming process to explore even more design possibilities. I would also continue using AI tools for organization, since they were especially helpful when working with large sets of ideas.
Overall, AI helped make parts of the ideation process more efficient, but the most valuable insights still came from working through ideas as a team and connecting them back to our users needs.