Idea Vendor
Drawing inspiration from spontaneous randomness refreshes creativity 🦖
IdeaVendor is a random-word app inspired by Gashapon machines, designed to spark creativity for designers, writers, educators, and students by exploring a wide range of possibilities.
Concept Design
Mobile Platform
What does inspiration usually come from?
It all started with something I noticed: creative professionals often draw inspiration from their personal experiences. These ideas might first connect with a small group, but they can eventually reach a much larger audience. However, social media’s widespread influence tends to make ideas more similar, which makes it harder for creators to find truly original inspiration.
1
Timeline
Sep-Oct 2020 (~1 month)
2
My Role
As a personal project, I am working on this as the sole product designer and presenting the concept to my fellow designer friends to gain feedback and have fun exploring it.
3
Deliverables
Mobile App / Motion Design
What I found..
I collected some responses through social media and online community, and I found out that creative individuals often find seeking inspiration time-consuming, with online resources being overly filtered and lacking diversity.
So it presents an opportunity…
How can we empower creatives to consistently access unique and fresh sources of inspiration, allowing them to break free from the social media echo chamber and improve both their creative output and its commercial success?
Why is this a problem?
While social media and online platforms offer convenient access to a wealth of information, their inherent limitations underscore the need for more deliberate and discerning approaches to finding inspiration, ensuring that creativity remains both original and meaningful.
From a psychological standpoint:
We encounter something online (Perception).
We form an opinion about it (Judgment).
We consider possible actions or creations inspired by it (Action).
This traditional thinking path is familiar and comfortable, leading us to seek inspiration through these channels, even when they may not foster the most original or creative outcomes.
What I proposed:
What if I just shift a way of thinking? A different thinking method that embraces multiple possibilities stemming from initial perceptions, and this method is called parallel thinking, focusing on the thinking process itself rather than rushing into action to test feasibility.
A simple tool?
What if there is a 'creativity stimulant’ that you can embed yourselves with ideas instead of browsing social media? I envision a concept with a regenerative list of random words that can be accessed instantly for inspiration. This tool caters to various creative pursuits, from fiction writing and innovative projects to brainstorming life’s possibilities, promoting open-mindedness and adaptability in creativity.
The tool should be something like:
Simple and efficient
Diverse and engaging
Fun & aesthetically appealing
Potential user journey map
Ideation
Leveraging the features outlined above, I created a Gashapon Machine Interface (toy machine).
This digital experience allows users to interact with a virtual gashapon machine, receiving a unique capsule toy with each click, inside which lies a randomly generated word. Additionally, users are provided with a personal cabinet feature, where these random but inspiring words can be stored and integrated into their unique design projects.
Final Prototypes
Incorporating the engaging function of a gashapon machine, this design allows users to select their "capsule toy" to receive random outputs, transforming the user experience into something interesting and playful for various audiences.
A bit of reflection
Since this is my first product design project based on my own concept and inspiration, I’d like to refine my research methodology. The initial interview sample was small. Additionally, the secondary research focused too heavily on designers, which may not represent other creative professions. I also plan to conduct more user testing on the entire gashapon interface experience or more gamify elements to identify areas for improvement and to enhance engagement. Even if it doesn’t work out, at least I’m creating something fun :)
Idea Vendor
IdeaVendor is a random-word app inspired by Gashapon machines, designed to spark creativity for designers, writers, educators, and students by exploring a wide range of possibilities.
Concept Design
Concept Design
Mobile App Design
Mobile App Design
What does inspiration usually come from?
It all started with something I noticed: creative professionals often draw inspiration from their personal experiences.
These ideas might first connect with a small group, but they can eventually reach a much larger audience. However, social media’s widespread influence tends to make ideas more similar, which makes it harder for creators to find truly original inspiration.
Timeline
Sep 2020 - Oct 2020
1
My Role
As a personal project, I am working on this as the sole product designer and presenting the concept to my fellow designer friends to gain feedback and have fun exploring it.
2
Deliverables
Mobile App / Motion Design
3
What I found…
I collected some responses through social media and online community, and I found out that creative individuals often find seeking inspiration time-consuming, with online resources being overly filtered and lacking diversity.
Why this is a problem?
While social media and online platforms offer convenient access to a wealth of information, their inherent limitations underscore the need for more deliberate and discerning approaches to finding inspiration, ensuring that creativity remains both original and meaningful.
So it presents an opportunity…
How can we empower creatives to consistently access unique and fresh sources of inspiration, allowing them to break free from the social media echo chamber and improve both their creative output and its commercial success?
So why don't we think in another way instead?
What if I just shift a way of thinking? A different thinking method that embraces multiple possibilities stemming from initial perceptions, and this method is called parallel thinking, focusing on the thinking process itself rather than rushing into action to test feasibility.
A simple tool?
What if there is a 'creativity stimulant’ that you can embed yourselves with ideas instead of browsing social media?
From a psychological standpoint:
We encounter something online (Perception)
We form an opinion about it (Judgment)
We consider possible actions or creations inspired by it (Action)
This traditional thinking path is familiar and comfortable, leading us to seek inspiration through these channels, even when they may not foster the most original or creative outcomes.
A tool can be something like:
Simple and efficient
Diverse and engaging
Fun & aesthetically appealing
I envision a concept with a regenerative list of random words that can be accessed instantly for inspiration. This tool caters to various creative pursuits, from fiction writing and innovative projects to brainstorming life’s possibilities, promoting open-mindedness and adaptability in creativity.
Potential user Journey
Ideation
Leveraging the features outlined above, I created a Gashapon Machine Interface (toy machine).
This digital experience allows users to interact with a virtual gashapon machine, receiving a unique capsule toy with each click, inside which lies a randomly generated word. Additionally, users are provided with a personal cabinet feature, where these random but inspiring words can be stored and integrated into their unique design projects.
Prototype
Incorporating the engaging function of a gashapon machine, this design allows users to select their "capsule toy" to receive random outputs, transforming the user experience into something interesting and playful for various audiences.
A bit of reflection:
Since this is my first product design project based on my own concept and inspiration, I’d like to refine my research methodology. The initial interview sample was small. Additionally, the secondary research focused too heavily on designers, which may not represent other creative professions. I also plan to conduct more user testing on the entire gashapon interface experience or more gamify elements to identify areas for improvement and to enhance engagement.
Even if it doesn’t work out, at least I’m creating something fun :)