Ideation

Early Activities

1. Sales Safari
2. Lean Canvas
3. Molecule Map

In-Between Activities

1. PR FAQ
2. Keyword Research
3. Trends Research
4. DVF Template (I have not found a good resource for this yet, but it stands for Desirability Viability Feasibility, which is approximately a Design Product Tech triad, respectively.)
5. The Heilmeier Catechism is a series of questions created by a former DARPA director, paraphrased below:
   • What are you trying to do? (Articulate your objective using absolutely no jargon.)
   • How is it done today? (What are the limits of the current practice?)
   • What is new in your approach and why will it be successful?
   • Who cares? (If you are successful, what difference will it make?)
   • What are the risks?
   • How much will it cost?
   • How long will it take?
   • What are the midterm and final exams to check for success?

Later Activities

1. User Research
2. Google Design Sprint

Final Activity

Define and build the MVP.

Other

1. Double-Diamond Design Process
2. Solution Prioritization is a variant of 2x2 Prioritization

Example Process

Given 15-30 ideas, for each idea, spend 2-4 hours building a Lean Canvas, DVF document, and going on a Sales Safari in order to develop an articulation of the personas and problems involved in the idea. This will help refine the potential solutions.

Using the initial research, prune the list down to 2-4 ideas. For each of the remaining ideas, spend 4-8 hours further developing the DVF document and Lean Canvas, as well as build a PR FAQ, and spend the remaining time continuing the sales safari research. If it is a consumer facing product, keyword research and trends research can be conducted as well.

Using the previous research, select one idea and one backup idea. Spend a week running a Google Design Sprint. If the sprint fails, run one again on the backup idea.

Having selected the initial idea, generate an MVP backlog or begin pursuing early adopters.