Innovation in Design Pt3: An exercise in being more innovation
So, You Want to Be More Innovative?
If you’ve been following my posts, you know I’m passionate about this topic—and you’ve hopefully read my previous post about common blockers to innovation/ when we should innovate. Now, you might be wondering, “That’s great, but how do I actually become more innovative?”
I believe in learning by doing. I prefer hands-on demonstrations over abstract advice, and I can’t stand design influencers and thought leaders who talk endlessly about what people should do without ever showing how to do it. So, let’s change that. Here’s a step-by-step guide—along with a concrete example—to help you put innovation into practice.
Step 1: Step Away from the Screen
Disconnect from the internet as much as possible. Aside from using Figma (or another tool) to document your work, try to avoid your computer. The internet is the ultimate distraction—it can also unintentionally shape your ideas before you’ve had a chance to explore them freely. True innovation happens when you allow yourself to think independently, without external influence.
Step 2: Define the Problem
Start by writing down the problem you're trying to solve. If you haven’t done thorough research yet, go back and conduct a discovery session first. This step assumes you’ve already completed the need-finding stage and deeply understand the issue at hand.
Once you’ve written down the problem, ask yourself: Why is this a problem? Clearly defining both the what and the why will help you break it down further in the next step.
Step 3: Break Down the Problem
Breaking the problem into smaller parts helps you understand it more deeply. Take your problem statement and break it down into a list of key sub-problems.
For example, in the previous step, I took the main problem and identified three underlying issues, then highlighted them. This process makes it easier to tackle each aspect individually and uncover potential solutions.
Step 4: Create “How Might We” Questions
How might we (HMW) questions help you articulate the problem and explore potential solutions. A broad problem statement can feel overwhelming, but by breaking it down into 3–4 focused HMW questions, you can tackle each challenge individually before bringing everything together.
To generate HMW questions, revisit the pain points you identified in Step 2. Try finding their antonyms or opposite meanings—this shift in perspective can spark new ideas and uncover unexpected solutions.
Tip: Use a thesaurus or dictionary to help pinpoint the right antonyms and refine your thinking.
Once you've identified your antonyms, it's time to start crafting your HMW questions. Here's how I break it down:
Take the antonym and use it as the starting point of the sentence.
In the second part of the sentence, describe how that antonym will help solve the problem.
This structure helps you frame solutions that directly address the core issue by focusing on its opposite.
Step 5: Start Ideating
The first part of this exercise—writing out your problem statements and HMW questions—can take time, and that’s completely okay. In fact, I encourage you to spend as much time as needed. The better you understand your problem, the easier it will be to generate ideas, evaluate them, and make informed decisions.
Once you've completed the previous steps, it's time to start ideating. In the example below, I’ve broken down HMW questions into three focus areas for ideation. You can decide how you want to approach this process in a way that works best for you.
Tips for Effective Ideation:
Use Different Mediums – Try brainstorming on a whiteboard, sketchpad, or any medium that helps you think freely. You can write out ideas in text or sketch them—there are no limits, so experiment and have fun.
Collaborate with Others – Bring in teammates or friends, make it a creative session, grab some snacks, markers, and sticky notes.
Seek Inspiration Outside – If you’re feeling stuck, step away from your workspace. A change of scenery can spark new ideas.
Focus on Concepts, Not Just Ideas – Think bigger than individual solutions—explore overarching concepts that can evolve into multiple design directions.
Step 6: Build Ideas in Context
Once you have a few ideas, start building simple workflows around them. This will help you understand their complexity and evaluate their feasibility. As you go through this process, you’ll naturally identify which ideas work and which ones may not.
Tips for Prototyping Ideas:
Keep It Low-Fidelity – Avoid jumping straight into high-fidelity designs. As I mentioned in a previous post, one major blocker to innovation is getting caught up in too many details too soon. Stay loose and exploratory.
Set a Time Limit – Don’t spend too long on a single idea. Give yourself a constraint based on complexity. For example, if the workflow is fairly straightforward, you might limit yourself to 20 minutes per idea, keeping the total time to around an hour.
Don't Let Feasibility Be a Roadblock – One of the biggest killers of innovation is dismissing ideas too early because they seem impractical. Avoid shutting down concepts just because you think engineering might not be able to build them. You’d be surprised—what seems impossible at first might actually be achievable with the right approach, creative problem-solving, or evolving technology.
Instead of assuming limitations, explore possibilities. Collaborate with engineers early, experiment, and push boundaries. Innovation often comes from challenging what’s considered feasible.
Step 7: Test and Listen
One of the most effective ways to evaluate ideas—especially in digital design—is by testing with real users. Get feedback from people who would use your solution daily. Testing helps you understand which ideas resonate, which are the easiest to use, and which ones fall flat. It also provides an opportunity to merge elements from different ideas—for example, if users gravitate toward a particular feature, you can integrate it into another concept.
Tips for Effective User Testing:
Avoid Asking If They "Like" It – Simply asking users if they like an idea is not a meaningful way to evaluate design. Instead, observe their behavior and ask open-ended questions, such as:
"I noticed you clicked that button—what made you choose that?"
"Can you walk me through your thought process as you navigate this?"
Don’t Ask Users What They Need – Instead of relying on direct responses, pay attention to their emotions, comments, and behaviors. The real insights come from reading between the lines.
Step 8: Refine & Repeat
Design is rarely a linear process. After testing, you may need to refine existing ideas, develop new concepts, or merge elements from different solutions before testing again. The key here is to stay flexible—don’t get too attached to any single idea. This phase is about trusting the process, embracing iteration, and letting user insights guide the direction.
Step 9: Present & Document
Depending on your team structure, you may not need a formal presentation—especially if decision-makers have been involved throughout the process. However, documentation is still crucial. Keeping track of what worked (and why) ensures clarity for anyone reviewing the project later.
If you do need to present your ideas—whether to a client, stakeholders, engineering, or executives—structure your presentation strategically. Focus on the most impactful concepts and use supporting data to strengthen your case.
Tips for Presenting Ideas:
Start with the strongest concept – Open with the most successful idea, then follow up with supporting qualitative and quantitative data.
Include an idea that worked but wasn’t as exciting – This helps provide context and contrast. People will often ask if you explored a particular idea, and most of the time, the answer is yes—but it simply wasn’t the strongest solution. By documenting and presenting these alternatives, you can show that you considered multiple directions and made informed decisions based on what worked best.
Save the least successful concepts for last – This allows you to show what was explored and why those ideas didn’t work, reinforcing the strength of your final recommendation. You might not even show these at all and only bring them up if someone asks.
Final Thoughts
Innovation isn’t a straight line—it’s a messy, looping ride of brainstorming, testing, and tweaking. Step away from the screen, break down the problem, and ask the right “How Might We” questions. Throw ideas at the wall (preferably a whiteboard), test them with real users, and don’t let “that’s not feasible” kill a great concept too soon. Most importantly, stay flexible, document your wins (and fails), and trust the process. The best ideas come from those willing to push boundaries—and maybe ignore a few “that’ll never work” comments along the way. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!