Do you, for instance, have a routine where you sit down and think about new ideas every so often? Or do you just wait for one to hit you?
How do you get your ideas? (Also, please note if you think you're effective in how you do so. Have you had - and implemented - great ideas?)
1) There is a problem, and current solutions are ugly. Think how to fix it and sell your fixture, and you have an idea. Many programmers when faced with some problem will quickly solve it with some script/whatever magic and not even consider that they could turn that solution into a service/product. How to get such ideas: use more stuff, always look out for problems / poor experience.
2) Those ideas that start with "It'd be cool to do X". Think twitter. I've no idea how to filter out good ideas of this form from bad ones, but with enough iteration I think a lot of even dumb ideas can fly.
I've started game dev recently. http://chopperdefense.com is my first game. I did not know what kind of gameplay or graphics I wanted when I started it. There even were no helicopters in the game initially. But with enough iterations I think I made a pretty decent game. While I was doing it I got a lot more game ideas which I duly noted and also iterated on. "To a game developer, everything looks like a game". Top idea in your mind, as PG says.
Did you ever notice that some of your best ideas show up when you're in the shower? It's because your mind has nothing to distract it.
When you're going from one place to another, turn off your MP3 player or car stereo (if you're walking / driving). Put your phone on airplane mode so you're not interrupted by texts and calls.
When you're at home, do one thing at a time. If you're doing the dishes, just do the dishes. If you're talking with other people, just talk, don't put on the TV in the background, turn off the radio.
Cultivate as much stimulus as possible overall - but do it one at a time. You should watch the movies you like, read that books you find exciting, explore just to explore. But you also have to take time to focus and just be.
The other important thing is to always have something to write on. Get yourself a tiny notebook that can fit in a jeans pocket, and even a golf pencil if it means you'll always carry it around. No idea is too small to jot down - they all add up.
However, if you're looking for useful idea, the solution is to have a problem. And then fix it in a way that other people can benefit from. And then charge them for it. They'll thank you.
It's difficult to turn everything off and just go out in the world without anything to entertain or distract you.
http://www.amazon.com/Technique-Producing-Advertising-Classi...
is short and sweet.
Bascially,
1. ideas are novel combinations
2. immerse yourself in information from many disciplines
3. think of combinations
4. Go away from it -- do something else
5. An idea comes to you
6. refine it
Changing environments/motion. I find that I'm really creative when I'm travelling (mostly by train, driving a car is too distracting and flying is too shitty).
Write your idea down, start your sentence with "What if..."
Then try to forget about it. Great ideas tends to come back and haunt you every day and night.
When they do, you know what to do (or find out how!).
Sorta both. I don't exactly have a routine that's dedicated to "new idea generation" but I have routines around reading and studying... and I find that a lot of my ideas occur when I'm reading (whether reading a book, or a website, or a magazine, whatever). So, I tend to read in bed before going to sleep, and - a lot of times - after I put my book down and turn the light out, some idea will come to mind. So I keep a notebook by my bed just for jotting this stuff down.
The other scenario is when I go up to Barnes & Noble, order myself a nice caffeinated beverage and sit back and read / listen to music / think of ideas. I also keep a notebook with me on those occasions.
One thing may be to become aware of when you have ideas - I've found I have my best ideas when I'm not sat at my laptop.
The ideas for my two startups came when I built something for myself and found that others wanted it too. These were little problems (at first).
I think a final important thing that comes to mind is that if you have even a twinkle of an idea, then grab onto it with both hands, and work with it. My latest app was a tiny idea and I developed it in just over a month and a half into something of value and I've now just had my first customer. Work with the ideas and eventually you'll find yourself swamped with things to build upon that single idea.
Hope that helps.
IIRC the process was something along the lines of...
1) Decide on a task or something that you do regularly (e.g grocery shopping) 2) Detail all the steps involved in completing the task (e.g walking round the store, finding items, comparing prices, putting items in cart, queueing up at checkout etc etc) 3) Rate each one in terms of annoyance/difficulty level 4) Start to brainstorm how the high annoyance steps could be easier.
I can't remember the exact steps - there was a bit more to it than that, but as a team of 4 we had some pretty cool ideas after an hour.
To document my ideas, I just type them in Notes on my iPhone.
Ideas are often born via cross-pollination. Do stuff and read books, beyond your narrow field of expertise.
Internet/libraries are full of books about idea, creativity & thinking. You'll have to do several iterations to find a routine that works for you.
It's also a really good place to start for people that are interested in creating information products.
Walking 2h daily used to be my main creative time. Now that I live in a big city is a bit more complicated to do.
Get a good note-taking app on your phone. Whenever you get an idea, write it down there. I use catch.com.