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Entrepreneurship, Innovation, & Commercialization: Ideation

Ideation

The Ideation Phase

In this phase, you're in the creative process of exploring and generating new ideas. There are many ways to ideate effectively. This section of the guide will propose a few strategies for your ideation process, as well as some resources that can support you as you brainstorm. 

Understanding Your Problem Space

A key part of the ideation process is learning about how your idea fits into the work already being done by others. Consider: 

  • What are local strategies being used to solve this problem? 
  • What are global strategies being used to solve this problem? 
  • Who else is already doing this work? (Individuals, groups, businesses, governments?)
  • If others are already tackling this problem, why does the problem persist? 
  • What is the history of the problem? 

The resources below provide frameworks for you to better understand the context surrounding your idea.

Campus Resources

There are many supports around Waterloo campus who can help you get started in the Ideation Phase. Here are some suggestions: