Day 9: Ideate Solutions

[Day 9/30: Product Manager to CEO 30 Day Challenge] Welcome to the ideation process! Ideation is the first step in getting our product off the ground. It's where we take all of our ideas and research, and turn them into something tangible that can be made into a prototype. This is also where we start to work out what we'll need to do next—whether that's making a prototype, or testing it out with users.

Step 1: Find the problem you want to solve.

If you went through our earlier exercise, you've already arrived at your most important problems you want to solve. This is the most important step in ideation. If you don't know what problem you want to solve, how can you possibly come up with a solution? Start by identifying a problem that you personally face and is affecting your life in some way. Make sure it's something you're passionate about, because solving a problem for yourself will be easier than solving a problem for your company or clients.

Step 2: Brainstorm solutions.

Once you've identified the problem, start brainstorming potential solutions. Try different approaches to see what sticks—don't get stuck on any one idea until it feels like it would work perfectly for your situation! It's okay if some of these ideas seem silly or unrealistic at first; the point is just to get all of your ideas out on paper so that you can start narrowing them down later. We're not looking for something that sounds cool or revolutionary, we're looking for something that solves a problem. What problems do you think it should solve?

Step 3: Evaluate each solution using criteria like feasibility, cost effectiveness and other factors that matter most to you personally (or your customers). You might want to ask yourself questions like "Is this realistic?" or "How much would it cost?" while evaluating each