WO2019113706A1 - Ideation platform system and methods - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an aspect, a method for collaborative ideation is provided. The method can be carried out using a plurality of network-connected processor-based devices having display screens. The method can include providing individual idea creation modules and collaborative idea creation modules allowing user to describe ideas using the processor-based devices. Ideas created individually can be displayed on an individual idea creation graphical user interface (GUI) of the processor-based device having created the idea, and ideas created collaboratively can be displayed on a collaborative idea creation GUI synchronized across all the devices. A corresponding system and computer readable medium are also provided.

Description

IDEATION PLATFORM SYSTEM AND METHODS

RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

[0001 ] The present application claims priority from US provisional patent application no. 62/599,099, filed December 15, 2017, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of ideation and more particularly, to tools for capturing the results of an ideation process and the ideation process itself.

BACKGROUND

[0003] Ideation is the creative process of generating, developing, and communicating new ideas. Many software products exist for this purpose, in order to solve key business challenges efficiently. They are sometimes called idea management software, social-collaboration software, innovation management tools, mind-mapping tools, or business innovation software. They are designed to add structure to the ideation process, to encourage greater participation, to improve the quality of ideas generated, and to support an innovation culture.

[0004] There is a need to improve on the available tools for ideation in order to allow individuals more facility with regards to collaborating and assembling information into a coherent whole that may be viewed as an idea.

SUMMARY

[0005] According to an aspect, a method for collaborative ideation is provided. The method can be carried out using a plurality of network-connected processor- based devices having display screens, each processor-based device being operated by one of a plurality of collaborators. The method includes the steps of: a) providing an individual idea creation module allowing collaborators to describe individual ideas through creation of facets in a plurality of expression formats via their processor-based devices; b) providing a collaborative idea creation module allowing collaborators to describe collaborative ideas through creation of facets in a plurality of expression formats via their processor-based devices; c) receiving facets created via the individual and collaborative idea creation modules, and storing the facets on a server, at least some of said facets being associated to define the individual or collaborative ideas; d displaying individual ideas and/or facets created using the individual idea creation module on an individual idea creation graphical user interface (GUI) provided on the display screen of the processor-based devices, said individual ideas and/or facets being displayed on the individual idea creation GUI of the processor-based device from which said individual ideas and/or facets were created; e) displaying collaborative ideas and/or facets created using the collaborative idea creation module on a collaborative idea creation GUI provided on the display screens of the plurality of processor-based devices; and and f) synchronizing the collaborative idea creation GUI on the display screens of each of the plurality of processor-based devices in real-time, thereby displaying the collaborative ideas and/or facets in the same manner on all of the processor-based devices.

[0006] According to an aspect, a system for providing a collaborative ideation platform is provided. The system can be configured provide the platform on a plurality of network-connected processor-based devices having display screens, each processor-based device being operated by one of a plurality of collaborators. The system includes a server having a processor and memory including: an idea creation module configured to allow collaborators to describe individual ideas through creation of facets in a plurality of expression formats via their processor- based device, said individual idea creation module providing an individual idea creation GUI on each of the processor-based devices for displaying individual ideas and/or facets created using the processor-based device; a collaborative idea creation module configured to allow collaborators to describe collaborative ideas through creation of facets in a plurality of expression formats via their processor- based devices, said collaborative idea creation module providing a collaborative idea creation GUI on each of the processor-based devices for displaying collaborative ideas and/or facets created using any of the processor-based devices; an idea storage module configured to receive facets created via the individual and collaborative idea creation modules, associate said facets to form individual or collaborative ideas, and store the individual or collaborative ideas and/or facets in a database; and a synchronization module configured to synchronize the collaborative idea creation GUI on the display screens of each of the plurality of processor-based devices in real-time, thereby displaying the collaborative ideas and/or facets in the same manner on all of the processor-based devices.

[0007] According to an aspect, a non-transitory computer readable medium is provided. The computer readable medium has instructions stored thereon which, when executed, cause a computer to perform the steps of: a) providing an individual idea creation module allowing collaborators to describe individual ideas through creation of facets in a plurality of expression formats via processor-based devices; b) providing a collaborative idea creation module allowing collaborators to describe collaborative ideas through creation of facets in a plurality of expression formats via the processor-based devices; c) receiving facets created via the individual and collaborative idea creation modules, and storing the facets on a server, at least some of said facets being associated to define the individual or collaborative ideas; displaying individual ideas and/or facets created using the individual idea creation module on an individual idea creation graphical user interface (GUI) provided on the display screen of the processor-based devices, said individual ideas and/or facets being displayed on the individual idea creation GUI of the processor-based device from which said individual ideas and/or facets were created; e) displaying collaborative ideas and/or facets created using the collaborative idea creation module on a collaborative idea creation GUI provided on the display screens of the plurality of processor-based devices; and f) synchronizing the collaborative idea creation GUI on the display screens of each of the plurality of processor-based devices in real-time, thereby displaying the collaborative ideas and/or facets in the same manner on all of the processor-based devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Further features and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in combination with the appended drawings, in which:

[0009] Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary set of expression formats;

[0010] Figure 2 is a schematic of the basic concept of the ideation platform;

[001 1 ] Figure 3 is a flowchart of an exemplary method for providing an ideation platform;

[0012] Figures 4A to 4D are exemplary screenshots of an idea creation GUI, allowing users to describe individual ideas in different expression formats through the creation of facets;

[0013] Figures 5A to 5F are exemplary graphical elements for entering data to create facets of different expression formats;

[0014] Figure 6 is an exemplary screenshot of a facet toolbox, allowing users to access and use previously created facets;

[0015] Figures 7A and 7B are exemplary screenshots of the idea creation GUI, showing exemplary visual summaries of facets which represent an expressed idea;

[0016] Figure 7C is an exemplary screenshot showing a user interface element for displaying the contents of an enriched parent facet alongside visual summaries of its child facets; [0017] Figures 8A and 8B are exemplary screenshots of the idea creation GUI, showing an exemplary visual summary of an individual idea; Figure 8C illustrates a visual summary including a skeleton or wireframe representation of an idea;

[0018] Figures 9A and 9B are exemplary screenshots of an idea enrichment GUI, allowing users to enrich the ideas of others through the addition or modification of facets;

[0019] Figure 9C is an exemplary screenshot of a facet evaluation GUI, allowing users to vote on a pertinence of facets of an enriched idea;

[0020] Figures 9D and 9E are exemplary screenshots of an idea evaluation GUI, showing the display of a visual summary of the enriched idea, including the display of the idea as a geometric shape, and allowing users to vote on predetermined qualities of the enriched idea;

[0021 ] Figure 9F is a schematic illustration of a semi-transparent geometric shape synthesized to represent an idea;

[0022] Figures 10A and 10B are exemplary screenshots of an idea modification

GUI, showing the display of visual summaries of enriched ideas created by members of a team, and allowing users to modify those enriched idea;

[0023] Figures 1 1 and 12 are exemplary screenshots of an idea selection GUI, allowing users to rate ideas holistically, and select a final idea for submission;

[0024] Figure 13 is an exemplary screenshot of a combination page in the idea modification GUI, for creating a new idea by combining existing ideas;

[0025] Figure 14 is an exemplary screenshot of a facet combination page in the idea modification GUI, showing selection of facets from submitted ideas;

[0026] Figures 15A and 15B are exemplary screenshots of an animator GUI, allowing animators to have a high level view of the ideation process in progress by different teams, and allowing animators to communicate with teams;

[0027] Figure 16 is an exemplary screenshot of the animator GUI, allowing an animator to explore an enriched idea created by one of the teams;

[0028] Figure 17 is a block diagram of an exemplary system comprising the ideation platform;

[0029] Figure 18 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the ideation platform; and

[0030] Figure 19 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an application running on a processor of Figure 18. [0031 ] Figure 20 is an exemplary screenshot of a GUI for presenting an idea using an explanatory element comprising a storytelling component;

[0032] Figures 21 A to 21 FI are exemplary screenshots of a GUI for creating ideation spaces and for scheduling brainstorming sessions;

[0033] Figures 22A to 22D are exemplary screenshots of a GUI for creating individual ideas in an ideation space, prior to or during a brainstorming session;

[0034] Figures 23A to 23C are exemplary screenshots of a GUI having shared and private workspaces on a user’s processing device during a brainstorming session;

[0035] Figures 24A to 24C are exemplary screenshots of a GUI allowing for a user’s ideas to be shared with a team during a brainstorming session;

[0036] Figures 25A to 25C are exemplary screenshots of a GUI allowing ideas to be imported and used during a brainstorming session; Figures 25D to 25H are exemplary screenshots of a GUI allowing ideas to be created collectively during a brainstorming session, and allowing existing facets to be imported therein;

[0037] Figures 26A to 26D are exemplary screenshots of a GUI allowing facets to be imported during a brainstorming session to enrich an idea;

[0038] Figures 27A and 27B are exemplary screenshots of a GUI for creating a project on a project administration device in a project management platform;

[0039] Figures 28A to 28C are exemplary screenshots of a GUI for building a timeline in a project;

[0040] Figures 29A and 29B are exemplary screenshots of a GUI showing created projects and options for managing said projects;

[0041 ] Figures 30A to 30C are exemplary screenshots of a GUI showing how ongoing projects can be viewed on a project management device;

[0042] Figure 31 is an exemplary screenshot of a GUI allowing for the comparison of deliverables;

[0043] Figures 32A to 32D are exemplary screenshots of a GUI for allowing ideas to be clustered; and

[0044] Figures 33A to 33F are exemplary screenshots of a GUI for allowing ideas to be evaluated during a brainstorming session.

[0045] It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] There is described herein an ideation platform and method which facilitate the expression and refinement of ideas in a collaborative environment. The platform allows for multiple users to work together in order to collectively create and enrich ideas, in some cases within a predetermined timeframe such that the ideation process can be viewed as a challenge for the users. Users (also referred to as collaborators or participants) work individually in order to describe ideas in various different manners. Once an idea has been fully described, the idea can be visualized, enhanced, and evaluated by teammates. The same process is repeated for ideas created by teammates, to eventually select the best idea for submission. In some embodiments, different teams participate to an ideation challenge at the same time (concurrently). The platform can not only provide tools to create ideas, but also allow users to enrich, select, and submits ideas, and also allows other users (such as facilitators or managers) to monitor, control, animate, and/or facilitate the process.

[0047] Briefly described, the platform allows for ideas to be expressed by means of facets having various expression formats corresponding to different types of digital media. As illustrated in Figure 1 , an idea may be expressed using a plurality of expression formats 102. Each expression of the idea using one of the expression formats 102 is referred to as a facet 200 and can be represented as a widget (such as an icon, a tile or a graphical representation) on a user interface of the platform with which users can interact. In the present embodiment, the facets 200 are represented as tile widgets. In other embodiments, other types of icons could be used. As can be appreciated, users can define and reshape ideas through the creation and manipulation of customizable facets 200. As illustrated, these facets can include one or several text facets 202, picture facets 204, document facets 206, audio facets 208, video facets 210, or link facets 212, among others.

[0048] A general concept of the ideation platform is schematically illustrated in Figure 2. The platform provides workspaces, also referred to as graphical user interfaces (GUIs), on a plurality of processor-based devices 250, 250’, 250”. The GUI allows a plurality of collaborators (which can be grouped in one or more teams) to interact with the platform to carry out tasks individually or collectively as part of a team or group. Broadly described, the tasks can include: Creation 252, Enrichment 254, Modification 256, Selection 258 and Submission 260. The Creation task 252 can involve creating an idea on one of the devices 250 using facets 200. The Enrichment task 254 can involve having others contribute to the idea, for example through the addition of more facets 200’, 200” using their devices 250’, 250”. The Modification task 256 can involve making changes to the idea as a team, for example through changing or removing facets. The Selection task 258 can involve ranking the idea among ideas created by other teammates, and selecting a best one of those ideas. Finally, the Submission task 260 can involve submitting the selected idea to a jury for evaluation among ideas submitted by other teams.

[0049] In some embodiments, a time restriction can be imposed on the ideation process. For example, a global time restriction can be imposed, requiring all participants or users (of one or more teams) to complete the entire ideation process within a certain time frame. Additionally, time restrictions can be imposed for each individual task. For example, a certain amount of time can be imposed for completing the Creation task, the Enrichment task, etc. In so doing, collaborators can be encouraged to submit their ideas quickly and efficiently. Moreover, the use of the platform by many different collaborators and many different teams can be synchronized.

[0050] As can be appreciated, tasks may require actions to be carried out by several different users. In other words, several collaborators can work concurrently, each by operating their own processing device 250, 250’, 250”. The collaborators are said to work concurrently in that they can operate their processor- based devices at any time during the time allotted for a task, to complete the tasks at their own pace. Similarly, each team of collaborators are said to work concurrently, in that each team has the freedom to carry out their actions at any time during the time allotted for a task.

[0051 ] The ideation process will be explained in more detail below with the help of exemplary user interfaces, and with reference to the process 300 illustrated in Figure 3. For the purposes of the present example, the full ideation process will be illustrated from the perspective of a team having three collaborators: User 1 , User 2, and User 3. As can be appreciated, the process can work in a similar manner with more or fewer users. The method and platform can also allow to have multiple teams developing ideas concurrently. Moreover, although not illustrated, it should be understood that the same process can be carried out concurrently by other teams comprised of other collaborators.

[0052] In the present embodiment, as part of the Creation task, the platform provides an idea creation GUI (step 302 of Figure 3) on the display screens of the processor-based devices in a team, allowing collaborators to individually describe their ideas. Separate idea creation GUIs can be provided on each of the processor- based devices, allowing each of the collaborators in a team to work independently. In this configuration, collaborators can create their ideas simultaneously with other collaborators in their team. For example, a User 1 can use their processor-based device to create a first independent idea, while User 2 uses their processor-based device to create a second independent idea. In some embodiments, during the Creation step, the idea creation GUI only allows collaborators to see the ideas that they themselves are working on, without showing the ideas currently being created by others. It is understood, however, that in some embodiments, the idea creation GUI can be configured to provide special privileges to some users. For example, a team leader or an administrator/animator may be provided with an interface which updates in real time to show ideas currently being worked on by other collaborators. In some embodiments, collaborators can be provided with the option of sharing their ideas with other collaborators.

[0053] With reference to Figures 4A to 4D, several screens of an idea creation GUI 400 are shown according to an embodiment. In the present example, an idea creation GUI 400 shown on the device of User 1 is shown, but it is appreciated that similar idea creation GUIs 400 can be shown on the devices of User 2 and User 3 as well. On an idea creation screen 402, the user is asked to individually describe their idea. A button 404 is provided allowing the user to create a new idea. When creating a new idea, the user can be prompted to provide a name, brief description and/or keywords. This information can aid in summarizing the idea and can also help in searching for the idea among many different ideas. When an idea is created, the user is led to a facet creation screen 406 which asks the user to express their idea through the creation of facets. A facet creation button 408 allows the user to create a facet and leads to an expression format selection screen 410 where the user can select an expression format for the facet. In some embodiments, for example as shown in Figure 4D, the format selection screen 410 can visually display each of the expression formats as a face of an unfolded cube. In the present embodiment, each facet corresponds to digital media in one of a plurality of expression formats including text, photos, videos, documents, audio and hyperlinks. Each of these expression formats is represented on the screen, and the user may select which expression format to use for submitting the description.

[0054] As can be appreciated, each of the expression formats can correspond to digital media comprising files or data. When the user selects an expression format, graphical elements are presented allowing the user to input data to define the facet. Figures 5A to 5F are exemplary illustrations of graphical interfaces that may be presented to the user for entry of data, should the corresponding expression format be selected. In the case of a text facet, the user can be presented with graphical elements 502 allowing the user to enter text to describe their idea. In the case of an audio facet, the user can be presented with graphical elements 504 allowing the user to upload an audio file (such as an MP3, WAV, etc.), or create a recording, for example captured using their device’s microphone. In the case of a photo facet, the user can be presented with graphical elements 506 allowing the user to upload an image file (such as a JPEG, GIF, PNG, etc.), or create a photo, for example captured using their device’s camera. In the case of a document facet, the user can be presented with graphical elements 508 allowing the user to upload a document (such as a DOC, XLS, PDF, etc.). In the case of a video facet, the user can be presented with graphical elements 510 allowing the user to upload a video file (such as MP4, WMA, etc.), provide a URL to embed an online video (such as YouTube, Vimeo, etc.), or create a video, for example captured using their device’s camera. Finally, in the case of a hyperlink facet, the user can be presented with graphical elements 512 allowing the user to input a hyperlink to an online or network resource, for example.

[0055] In each case, the graphical elements 502, 504, 506, 508, 510, 512 can include an input allowing the user to provide a descriptive summary of the facet and/or an input allowing the user to associate keywords to the facet. The descriptive summary and keywords can, for example, be used to search help search through the facets and/or to create a visual summary of the facet (as will be described later in more detail). Once the user has inputted the necessary data, the graphical elements 502, 504, 506, 508, 510, 512 can allow the user to publish the facet to their idea immediately, or save the facet for later use. In some embodiments, the user’s can be presented with an option to share the facet with other members of their team/group. In some embodiments, each time a user creates a facet (whether it is published or saved), it is received on a remote server and saved in a database, which can be referred to as a facet database. With reference to Figure 6, this allows for created facets to be accessible through a facet toolbox 602 or vault. From the facet toolbox 602, the user can browse their facets and individually add facets to the idea that they are currently working on, if that facet is not already part of the idea. In some embodiments, the facet toolbox 602 or vault can allow the user to browse and add ideas created and shared by other users in their group. As can be appreciated, when there are a large number of facets in the facet toolbox 602, the facets can be navigated more easily for example by ordering them or filtering them according to expression format, or by using search keywords. The stored facets are thus available for the current ideation challenge in which users are participating in, but also for future challenges. The stored facets may also be simply searched and accessed at a later time by users and/or administrators of the platform.

[0056] With reference now to Figure 7A, as the user adds facets to their idea, a visual summary 220 of each of the facets is displayed. Preferably, the visual summary allows the user to understand the content of a facet at a glance. In the present embodiment, the visual summary 220 is in the form of a tile, but other types of icons could be used instead. The tile includes an indication of the type of expression format. In the illustrated embodiment, the type indication comprises an icon 226 in a header portion 222 of the tile, but other indications are also possible. For example, facets can be color-coded according to their expression format, and the header 222 portion can be colored accordingly. In the present embodiment, the header 222 further includes initials 228, providing an indication of which user created the facet, but it is appreciated that in other embodiment other indicators are also possible, such as a profile picture of the user having created the facet. A body portion 224 of the tile can include a content summary 230, visually summarizing the contents of the facet. As can be appreciated, the content summary 230 can display an identifiable portion of the contents of the facet. For example in the case of a photo facet, the content summary 260 can comprise a portion of the photo, or a scaled version of the photo. Similarly, the content summary 230 of a video facet can comprise a still image of a frame of the video. In the case of a text facet, the content summary 230 can comprise an excerpt of the text. In the case of an audio facet, the content summary 230 can comprise a visual waveform of the audio. Additionally or alternatively, the visual summary can include summary text and/or keywords as described above. In some embodiments, the visual summary 220 can allow the user to consult the full contents of the facets. For example, in the present embodiment, if the user clicks on the header 222 or body 224 portions, an overlay is presented which displays the full contents of the facet. The facet contents can be displayed in many different ways according to the expression format. For example, in the case of a photo facet, the overlay can display the photo; in the case of a document facet, the overlay can display the full description of the document and a link to download the document and/or preview pages of the document can be rendered; in the case of a hyperlink facet, a link can be provided which the user can click to access the contents of the hyperlink; in the case of a video or audio facet, a player can be provided in the overlay to allow the user to play the audio or video; etc.

[0057] As shown in Figure 7B, the facet creation screen 406 can further allow users to edit, hide, duplicate and/or enhance existing facets. As can be appreciated, these functions can also be made available for facets which are not part of an idea, for example in the facet toolbox of Figure 6. In embodiment illustrated in Figure 7B, these functions are accessible by clicking on a menu button in a lower corner of the body portion 224 of the visual summary 230 of a facet. The edit function allows the user to modify the contents of the facet, for example using the same graphical elements shown in Figures 5A to 5F. The hide function allows the user to remove a facet from their idea. In the present embodiment, a removed facet is still retained in the facet toolbox of Figure 6, and can thus be added again by the user. In other embodiments, however, removing a facet can delete it altogether. The duplicate function allows the user to create a copy of the facet, thereby creating a new facet with the same data as the original which can be modified independently. Finally, the enhance function allows the user to nest sub- facets into a selected facet. When a facet is enhanced, it can be referred to as a parent facet. When enhancing a parent facet, the user can be prompted to add children to the parent facet by creating new facets or selecting existing facets from their facet toolbox. The child facets can, for example, serve to better express the idea of the parent facet, and their expression format can differ from that of the parent facet. As can be appreciated, a visual summary 230 of an enhanced facet can contain a visual indication to this effect, for example in the form of an icon in the header portion 222 of the tile. As illustrated in Figure 7C, when a user clicks the tile to view its contents, the contents of the parent facet can be displayed in a main window 702, while also showing visual summaries of the child facets adjacent thereto 704. The user can then click the visual summaries of the child facets in order to view their contents. In the present embodiment, nested facets are limited to a depth of one level (i.e. child facets cannot themselves have children). In other embodiments, however, nested facets can continue to further levels.

[0058] Once a user has expressed their idea using various facets, the user can save their idea. When saving their idea, the facets which the user has selected to form part of their idea are associated in order to form an individual idea (step 304 of Figure 3). With reference to Figure 8A, when an individual idea has been saved, a visual summary 412 of the individual idea is displayed on the idea creation screen 402. In the present embodiment, the visual summary 412 is in the form of a tile, and displays the idea title, description, the total number of facets, and a facet summary 414. In the facet summary 414, facets of the same expression format are grouped together. The grouping of expression formats shows the total number of facets per expression format used to express the idea, and each grouping is preferably filled-in using the color of the corresponding facet type. The user can, for example, click on the grouping to view visual summaries of each of the facets in the group. As can be appreciated, in other embodiments, other information relating to the individual idea can be displayed as well, including information about the user who created the idea, an identification number, tag lines or keywords associated with the idea. More detailed information about the user who created the idea can be provided, such as pictures, job titles, company history etc. As can be further appreciated, in other embodiments, the visual summary 412 of the idea and/or the facet summary 414 can be displayed in different forms. For example, the individual idea can be displayed in the form of a geometric object, as will be described hereinafter, or the facet summary 414 can include visual summaries of the individual facets in a group instead of, or in addition to, showing the total number of facets in the group.

[0059] In the present embodiment, once an idea has been created by a user, the visual summary 412 can be configured such that there is an indication that the idea corresponds to an individual idea which has not yet been enhanced by other users. For example, an alternate visual summary 412’ configured to indicate that the idea has not been enhanced is shown in Figure 8C. The visual summary 412’ comprises a geometric representation of the idea, in this case in the form of a cube 415’. As can be seen, the cube 415’ is a wireframe cube. In other words, only the contours/edges of the cube 415’ are shown, in this case drawn using dashed lines. In other embodiments, other patterns can be used to draw the contours of the cube. For example, the lines can be dotted and/or faded. Moreover, the faces of the cube are empty/transparent and are not filled-in, but in other embodiments the faces could be filled-in with an appropriate color and texture, and may be semi- transparent. For example, as will be explained later in the context of an enriched idea, the cube 415’ can serve as a facet summary, and can group facets of each expression format on each face of the cube. For example, each face of the cube can represent a different expression format, and can include a visual indication of the number of facets of that expression format included in the idea. When drawn as a wireframe/skeleton, the indications on the face of the cube 415’ can also be drawn in a similar fashion, for example in dashed/dotted and/or faded lines. In some embodiments, ideas which are not enriched can be displayed as a cube whose faces are displayed in grayscale. In such embodiments, once the idea has been enriched, the sides of the cube can be displayed using the appropriate facet color, providing an intuitive visual indication to users that the idea has been enriched.

[0060] As can be appreciated, in subsequent steps, as will be described below, the idea can be enriched, and a visual summary of the enriched idea can be displayed. For the enriched idea, the cube representing the idea can be displayed fully (i.e. not as a wireframe/skeleton) and have its contours/edges fully drawn, and its faces fully filled in and/or filled in with color instead of grayscale. In this fashion, a user can easily distinguish between ideas that are enriched and ideas that are not yet enriched.

[0061 ] In the illustrated embodiment, the visual summary 412’ is a minimalized summary, and comprises the cube 415’, the title of the idea, and a facet summary 414’ which indicates only the total number of facets. In contrast to the facet summary 414, the total numbers of each facet format are not shown individually, thus making the visual summary 412’ more compact. It is appreciated, however, that when the individual facets groups are shown as in the facet summary 414, those groups can also be drawn as a wireframe/skeleton, for example using dashed or dotted lines, using lines which are be faded, and/or being filled in with the appropriate color which can be faded or semi-transparent.

[0062] In the present example, the user has only created one individual idea. Flowever, it is appreciated that in other cases, the user can create multiple individual ideas which will also eventually be displayed on the idea creation screen 402, shown in Figure 8B. As shown in Figure 8B, the user can continue to create more individual ideas, or tweak their existing individual ideas, for example by editing them and returning to the facet creation screen 406, or by deleting their ideas altogether. This can continue until the time allotted for the Creation task has expired, or if the team leader forces the team to move to the next task.

[0063] Once the team completes the Creation task, the platform will then move on to the Enrichment task. As part of the Enrichment task, the platform first provides an idea enrichment GUI on the display screens of the processor-based devices, displaying the individual ideas created by a team one at a time, and allowing the collaborators in the team to add or modify facets of those individual ideas to form enriched ideas (step 306 of Figure 3). In some embodiments, each of the ideas are displayed one at a time in a random order.

[0064] With reference to Figure 9A, an idea enrichment GUI 900 is shown according to an embodiment. For exemplary purposes, the idea enrichment GUI 900 on the processor-based device of User 2 is shown, but it is appreciated that similar idea enrichment GUIs 900 can be shown on the devices of User 1 and User 3 as well. The illustrated idea enrichment GUI 900 displays the first individual idea created by User 1. The idea enrichment GUI 900 is similar to the facet creation screen 406 of Figures 4B and 7A, in that it displays visual summaries of each of the facets composing the idea, and allows the user to edit, hide, enhance and/or duplicate facets and/or add new facets. In the present example, each of the facets created by User 1 are displayed, and identified using the initials“U1”. As shown in Figure 9B, User 2 can create new facts, add facets already stored in their facet toolbox, or modify facets already in the ideas, (all in a similar manner as described with respect to the idea creation GUI) in order to help better express the idea, or further flesh out the idea. In the present example, User 2 has created three new facets, which are displayed and identified using the initials “U2”. In some embodiments, users can be permitted to edit, hide, enhance and/or duplicate facets which they created, while restricting such operations on facets created by others.

[0065] During the Enrichment task, all collaborators in the team can work at the same time to enrich the same idea. For example, the idea enrichment GUI 900 can update in real time on the devices of each of the collaborators, so that they all view the same information. For example, when the team is working on enriching individual Idea 1 , if User 2 adds a new facet to the idea, that new facet will immediately show up on their idea enrichment GUI 900. The new facet will also immediately show up on the idea enrichment GUI 900 of Users 1 and Users 3. Similarly, any changes made by any of the collaborators can be immediately updated on the devices of other collaborators in the team. In this configuration, each collaborator in a team can work independently on their own device to enrich the idea, while being able to view and modify enrichments made by others in real time.

[0066] After all the collaborators in the team have finished providing their enhancements, the individual idea can thereafter be referred to as an enriched idea. At this stage, the enriched idea may have a large number of facets, and this may not be the most pertinent way of expressing the idea. Therefore, the Enrichment task next involves providing a facet evaluation GUI on the display screens of the processor-based devices in the team, displaying each of the facets forming the enriched idea and allowing collaborators to vote on a pertinence of each of the facets, to best explain said idea (step 308 of Figure 3). In some embodiments, collaborators can only vote on facets created by other collaborators.

[0067] With reference to Figure 9C, a facet evaluation GUI 902 is shown according to an embodiment. For exemplary purposes, the facet evaluation GUI 902 on the processor-based device of User 2 is shown, but it is appreciated that similar facet evaluation GUIs 902 can be shown on the devices of User 1 and User 3 as well. The illustrated facet evaluation GUI 902 shows all the facets of the enriched idea created by all members of the team. The user is asked to rate each of the facets according to their pertinence in best explaining the idea. In the present example, the rating can be provided by way of a slider element 904, allowing a user to assign a numerical rating, in the form of a percentage. The user can continue to assign a numerical rating to each individual facet of the idea. Preferably, the user is only permitted to rate facets created or modified by other collaborators in the team. For example, in the present example, User 2 can only vote on facets created by User 1 (denoted with the initials“U1”). User 2 is not given the option of voting on the facets they created (denoted with initials“U2”).

[0068] As can be appreciated, during the time allotted for the Enrichment task, each of the collaborators can provide their respective ratings for each of the facets of the enriched idea. The ratings from each of the collaborators are received at a server, and are combined in order to calculate an average pertinence rating for each facet. This average pertinence rating can then be used to determine facets which are below a predetermined pertinence threshold, for example below 50%. In the present example, in order to more pertinently express the idea, these less pertinent facets are omitted when displaying the idea during the subsequent tasks of the ideation process (step 310 of Figure 3).

[0069] After all the collaborators in the team have finished providing their ratings, the Enrichment task can next involve providing an idea evaluation GUI on the display screens of the processor-based devices in the team. This GUI can display the enriched ideas one at a time, and allow each of the collaborators in the team to numerically vote on predetermined qualities of each of the enriched ideas as a whole.

[0070] With reference to Figure 9D, an idea evaluation GUI 906 is shown according to an embodiment. For exemplary purposes, the idea evaluation GUI 906 on the processor-based device of User 2 is shown, but it is appreciated that similar idea evaluation GUIs 906 can be shown on the devices of User 1 and User 3 as well. In the present embodiment, the idea evaluation GUI 906 includes the enriched idea 908 displayed alongside a visual summary 910 of the enriched idea, and interface elements 912 for voting on predetermined qualities of the enriched idea. In the present example, the audio facet was determined to be below a pertinence threshold, and has thus been omitted in displaying the idea.

[0071 ] In the present embodiment, the enriched idea 908 is displayed by synthesising it into a geometric shape. In order to synthesize the geometric shape, the facets forming the enriched idea are grouped together according to their expression format. A geometric shape can then be generated, with different sections of the shape comprising one group of facets of the same expression format. As can be appreciated, in the present embodiment, six different expression types are provided. The idea can thus be synthesized into a 3D cube, with each face of the cube corresponding to an expression format. In the present embodiment, the cube represents the idea by providing on each face an indication of the expression format type and the total number of facets of that expression type used in the idea. Each of the faces is color coded according to the expression format which it represents. In other embodiments, the idea can be represented differently. For example, visual summaries of each of the facets can be provided directly on the cube.

[0072] In other embodiments, for example where there are more or fewer expression formats, the geometric shape can be any polyhedron, such as a triangular pyramid, a tetrahedron, an hexahedron, an octahedron, etc. Moreover, in other embodiments, some faces of the geometric shape can contain other information about the idea. For example, summary information about the idea may be provided on one of the faces of the geometric shape. The summary information may comprise information about the one or more individuals who are submitting the idea, the date of submission, the number of facets per each expression format, tag lines or keywords associated with the idea, an identification number for the idea submission, and other such information. In another example, more detailed information about the one or more individuals submitting the idea may be provided, such as pictures, job titles, company history, etc. A summary description of the idea may also be provided on an available face. Other information may also be provided.

[0073] In some embodiments, the geometric shape can be manipulated, allowing the user to explore the idea. In the present embodiment, controls 914 are provided, allowing the user to rotate the cube and view different faces. It is appreciated that the user can also rotate the cube by dragging it using a cursor or a touch input on a touchscreen. In some embodiments, the cube can be rotated automatically without direct interaction by the user. In the present embodiment, the cube is substantially opaque, meaning that a user can only see the faces of the cube which are facing towards the user. However, it is appreciated that in other embodiments, for example as illustrated in Figure 9F, the cube or portions thereof can be semi-transparent or partially transparent, allowing the user to see faces of the cube (or any other geometric shape used to represent the idea) which are facing away from the user. In this fashion, a user will be able to see all faces of the cube no matter which direction it is facing, allowing the user to visualize the composition and facets of the cube at a single glance.

[0074] In some embodiments, the user can further“unfold” the cube by selecting one of the faces. Referring back to Figure 9D, when a face is selected, for example by taping or clicking it, the GUI 906 can display visual summaries of each of the facets part of that face. The user can then proceed to interact with the visual summaries in order to view the content of each individual facet. The GUI may further allow the user to manipulate the idea in different ways, including a zooming, and a displacement of the cube. The faces of the cube may also be decomposed into individual facets to allow the user to visualize the facets hidden underneath the top facets of each face. Audio or video files may be played, attached documents may be opened, and hyperlinks may be followed by interacting with them directly on the face of the cube.

[0075] In the illustrated embodiment, the visual summary 910 displays summary information of the idea, as described above. In the current example, this summary information includes the name of the idea, and the keywords associated with the idea. However, other summary information can also be displayed. The visual summary 910 further includes a visual indication 916 of the total number of facets of each expression format used to form the idea. In the present embodiment, the visual indication 916 replicates the functionality of the faces of the cube. Several tiles are provided, each representing facets grouped according to expression type. The tiles can display an indication of the expression type which they represent, such as an icon and/or color code, and can include a number indicating the total number of facets of that expression type in the idea. The user can select a tile to consult each of the facets of that expression type. [0076] Finally, the interface elements 912 allow the user to vote on predetermined qualities of the enriched ideas. In the present example, the user is asked to vote on the idea being mass producible, innovative, and in line with strategy of the company. The interface 912 includes sliders, allowing the user to assign numerical values to each of these qualities as a percentage. These ratings are received and combined with ratings received from other collaborators in the team in order to calculate the team’s overall rating of the idea, as illustrated in Figure 9E.

[0077] As can be appreciated, the various steps of the Enrichment task are carried out for each of the individual ideas created by collaborators in a team. In the present example, each steps of the enrichment task were shown with respect to Idea 1 created by User 1. The same steps can subsequently be applied to Idea

2 created by User 2, and to Idea 3 created by User 3. In so doing, Idea 2 and Idea

3 will be enriched in the same way, resulting in enriched ideas with an overall rating attributed thereto. In the present embodiment, each of the steps were carried out for one idea before proceeding to a subsequent idea. In other embodiments however, this order can vary. For example, each step of the Enrichment task can be performed for all the ideas before proceeding to the next step. Moreover, the order in which ideas are enhanced can vary. For example, the ideas can be presented to users for enhancement in a random order.

[0078] Once the team completes the Enrichment task, the platform will then move on to the Modification task. As part of the Modification task, the platform provides an idea modification GUI on the display screens of the processor-based devices, allowing the enriched ideas to be modified or duplicated. As shown in Figures 10A and 10B, the idea modification GU1 1000 displays each of the enriched ideas, preferably ranked according to their overall rating. The GU1 1000 allows the user to edit the idea, for example returning to the facet creation screen for that idea, and allowing facets to be added, edited, hidden, enriched and/or duplicated. The GUI 1000 further allows for new ideas to be created from scratch. In some embodiments, whenever an idea is modified or a new idea is created, the platform repeats the steps of the Enrichment task, giving collaborators the opportunity to enrich and vote on the new or modified idea. The GUI 1000 further allows users to duplicate ideas, thus creating a copy which can be edited independent of the original.

[0079] In some embodiments, the Modification task is performed only by a team leader. Therefore, although the GU1 1000 can be displayed on the devices of each of the collaborators of the team, these devices will be in a read-only mode. The collaborators can discuss in a group, and the team leader can carry out the Modification task on their device. In the present embodiment, the displays of each of the devices are updated in real time, such that as the ideas are modified, the changes are reflected on the displays of each of the collaborators in the team. Moreover, in the present embodiment, the displays of the collaborators mirror the display of the team leader, such that the collaborators can follow along as the team leader navigates through ideas and facets to make modifications.

[0080] Once the team leader is satisfied with the modifications, the platform can then move to the Selection task. As part of this task, an idea selection GUI is provided on the display screen of at least one of the processor-based devices in each team. The idea selection GUI allows the collaborators in each team to select at least one final idea from the enriched individual ideas created by their team (step 312 of Figure 3).

[0081 ] To facilitate the selection process, the platform can allow teams to re rank their ideas by considering them as a whole. As shown in Figure 1 1 , the idea selection GUI 1 100 can allow the user to assign a star rating to each of the ideas. This evaluation can be considered as holistic, as it does not involve rating specific qualities or features of the idea, but rather the idea overall. This rating can be received and, as shown in Figure 12, the GU1 1 100 can re-rank the ideas according to their star rating. Finally, one or more of the ideas can be selected as the team’s final idea, and thus the final product of their ideation efforts. The final idea or ideas can then be submitted to a jury for evaluation among final ideas submitted by all the other teams.

[0082] In some embodiments, as with the Modification task, the Selection and Submission task can be performed by a team leader. The collaborators in the team can discuss as a group in order to collectively direct the leader to rank their ideas and select a final idea. In some embodiments, the GU1 1 100 on the devices of the collaborators can be read-only mirrors of the team leader’s GUI, allowing the collaborators in the team to follow along with the ranking and selection.

[0083] In some embodiments, every idea created during the ideation process by an individual or a team, whether or not it is selected as a final idea, can be stored in an idea database for later use, for example as part of an idea store or vault. In some embodiments, stored ideas can be provided in a searchable form at for future use. In some embodiments, these ideas can be accessible by managers and/or product/service development teams. In some embodiments, the ideas can be made available to import during the idea creation, enhancement and/or modification steps, for example to serve as a starting point for the ideation process. As can be appreciated, when ideas are created by individuals and/or when ideas are enhanced, the individual or team can be provided with the option of selecting whether or not they would like to share their idea, and allow others to import their idea during subsequent ideation process. As can be appreciated, stored ideas can be searchable by keywords, date created, creation user (or team), and other search criteria. In some embodiments, specific keyword tags are associated with the ideas at the time of synthesizing and/or creation. These tags may be stored separately for quick reference when searching for a stored idea. In some embodiments, the ideation platform allows stored ideas to be retrieved and further processed.

[0084] In some embodiments, ideas created during the ideation process can be associated with an explanatory element. As can be appreciated, ideas defined solely using a collection of facets may be difficult to comprehend by a third-party (for example by a jury evaluating the idea), or when accessed from the idea database long after the idea was initially created. It may therefore be advantageous to allow the team and/or the user who created the idea to provide an explanation of the idea, and to save said explanation along with the idea in the idea database, such that an explanation of an idea can be viewed whenever the idea is accessed. In some embodiments, the explanation can be stored as a facet as a part of the idea (for example as a distinct type of facet, which can be referred to as a “presentation facet”), while in other embodiments the explanation can be stored separately from the idea, but associated therewith in the idea database.

[0085] As can be appreciated, the explanatory element can take different forms. In an embodiment, the explanatory element can comprise an abstract or executive summary which briefly summarizes the idea. In some embodiments, the explanatory element can comprise a storytelling component, such as a video recording, an audio recording and/or a written component to explain the idea. As illustrated in Figure 20, the explanatory element or storytelling component can be created and displayed using an explanatory or storytelling interface 2000. In the present embodiment, the interface 2000 displays a visual summary of the idea 2002, including a visual representation of the idea (in the present case a cube corresponding to a non-enriched idea), the title of the idea, and the creator of the idea (in the present case an individual, represented by a profile picture). It is appreciated that in other embodiments, the visual summary can include other components, such as the number of facets, when the idea was created, a brief 1 or 2 line description of the idea, etc. In the present embodiment, the interface 2000 further includes a facet area 2006 displaying visual summaries of each of the facets in the idea (or a selected subset thereof) in an ordered manner, and a focus area 2004 for displaying an active storytelling component or facet. In the present embodiment, the focus area 2004 comprises a dedicated area of the interface 2000 which is enlarged, for example spanning up at least about 25% of the interface’s container. In this fashion, a user’s attention can easily be drawn to the focus area 2004, and can also allow an element in the focus area 2004 to be shown in more detail. In some embodiments, when a user clicks on a visual summary of a facet, the facet can be expanded and shown in the focus area 2004, allowing the details of the facet’s contents to be shown.

[0086] In the present embodiment, the focus area 2004 includes text description written by the idea creator (the user and/or the team) to help explain the idea. However, it is appreciated that other types of media are also possible, such as an audio recording, video recording, etc. The text description is displayed adjacent to the visual summaries of the facets, allowing a viewer to easily refer to the facets while reading the text description. As can be appreciated, the idea creator can arrange the display order of the facets, for example by dragging and dropping them to their desired location. In this fashion, the facets can be ordered to correspond to a story or sequence described in the presentation text. In some embodiments, the idea creator can select a subset of facets to display from a collection of all the facets included in the idea, such that only the facets referred to in the text are displayed, and such that the facet arrangement is not too cluttered. In some embodiments, if recording audio or video for the presentation, actions performed by the idea creator on the presentation interface 2000 can be stored, and these actions can be used during playback in sync with the audio or video. For example, while recording a video, the idea creator may be referring to a specific facet, and may click on the facet to bring it into focus. During playback, that facet will be brought into focus for the user watching the video at the appropriate time.

[0087] In some embodiments, the ideation platform can comprise a combination workspace, where ideas may be combined to create new ideas. Figure 13 illustrates an exemplary screenshot 1302 of a combination workspace, in the form of a page in an idea modification GUI. As per the view in Figure 13, two or more ideas may be selected for combination. Selected ideas are then displayed together, as per the exemplary screenshot 1402 of Figure 14, where each of the facets of those ideas is shown. A new idea space 1404 allows for the user to select the facets for inclusion in the new combined idea. For example, the facets can be edited, hidden, enhanced and/or duplicated. Moreover, new facets can also be created. In some embodiments, facets can be selected for inclusion, for example, using a drag and drop function or a double-click function to manipulate the facets. Selected facets may be modified before or after having been provided in the new idea space 1404. The finalized facets in the new idea space 1404 may be synthesized into a geometric shape representing the new idea. In the present embodiment, the combination workspace is provided as part of the Modification task. As such, when a new combined idea is created by a team leader, it can go back through the enhancement task, allowing others in the team to further enhance the idea and vote on its pertinence. In other embodiments, however, this workspace can be provided to animators or company managers, who can view ideas stored from previous competitions, and themselves combine ideas to create new ones. The ideation platform may allow other actions to be performed using the stored ideas, such as modifying stored ideas, creating a new idea from a stored idea, and creating completely new ideas. In some embodiments, some or all of the features available in the GUI of collaborators participating in the ideation process can also be available for stored ideas.

[0088] In some embodiments, the ideation platform may be configured to allow an animator/facilitator (i.e. a person charged with running the ideation process among many teams, and helping the process run smoothly), company manager, or other higher access-rights user to view the progress of individuals and/or teams as the ideas are being generated. Figures 15A and 15B illustrate an example screenshots of a high-level view of an animator GUI (it is appreciated that other similar interfaces can be provided to company managers or other users who require a high-level access during or after the ideation process). In Figure 15A, the animator can select a challenge, and a team participating in that challenge. Upon selecting a team, the GUI 1502 can show the ideas generated by that team at a current point in the ideation process. As shown in the screenshot 1602 of Figure 16, the animator can select any of those ideas to explore its contents. In some embodiments, the animator GUI can include a more detailed view of one team’s ideation process, showing the facets as they are being created and manipulated by the team members. The higher access-rights user may be allowed to intervene in an ideation process of a team, to provide input and/or insight or to help guide the team in the right direction. For example, as illustrated in Figure 15B, the animator can send a message to all or a selected one of the teams participating in the ideation process. The interaction of each user with the ideation platform may be recorded and stored, for later access. This may provide additional insight on how the idea came about and who contributed to it in what way.

[0089] Referring to Figures 17 to 19, the architecture of the ideation platform will now be described in more detail. In Figure 17, there is illustrated an ideation platform 1702. The ideation platform 1702 may be accessible remotely from any one of a plurality of devices 1706 over connections 1704. The devices 1706 may comprise any processor-based device, such as a personal computer, a tablet, a smart phone, or the like, which is configured to communicate over the connections 1704. In some embodiments, the ideation platform 1702 may itself be provided directly on one of the devices 1706, either as a downloaded software application, a firmware application, or a combination thereof.

[0090] Various types of connections 1704 may be provided to allow the ideation platform 1702 to be accessed remotely. For example, the connections 1704 may comprise wire-based technology, such as electrical wires or cables, and/or optical fibers. The connections 1704 may also be wireless, such as RF, infrared, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and others. Connections 1704 may therefore comprise a network, such as the Internet, the Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN), a cellular network, or others known to those skilled in the art. Communication over the network may occur using any known communication protocols that enable devices within a computer network to exchange information. Examples of protocols are as follows: IP (Internet Protocol), UDP (User Datagram Protocol), TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol), HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), FTP (File Transfer Protocol), Telnet (Telnet Remote Protocol), SSH (Secure Shell Remote Protocol).

[0091 ] One or more databases 1708 may be integrated directly into the ideation platform 1702 or any one of the devices 1706, or may be provided separately therefrom (as illustrated). In the case of a remote access to the databases 1708, access may occur via connections 1704 taking the form of any type of network, as indicated above. The various databases 1708 described herein may be provided as collections of data or information organized for rapid search and retrieval by a computer. The databases 1708 may be structured to facilitate storage, retrieval, modification, and deletion of data in conjunction with various data-processing operations. The databases 1708 may be any organization of data on a data storage medium, such as one or more servers. The databases 1708 illustratively have stored therein submitted descriptions for the creation of facets, groupings of facets to form faces, groupings of faces to form synthesized ideas, evaluation comments or other type of evaluation input, recordings of ideation processes, and stored submitted ideas.

[0092] As shown in Figure 18, the ideation platform 1702 illustratively comprises one or more server(s) 1800. For example, a series of servers corresponding to a web server, an application server, and a database server may be used. As can be appreciated, the server(s) can be separate and/or centrally located devices, or could be implemented on the processor-based devices which are used to access the ideation platform. These servers are all represented by server 1800 in Figure 18. The server 1800 may be accessed by a user using one of the devices 1706, or directly on the system 1702 via a graphical user interface. The server 1800 may comprise, amongst other things, a plurality of applications 1806a ... 1806n running on a processor 1804 coupled to a memory 1802. It should be understood that while the applications 1806a ... 1806n presented herein are illustrated and described as separate entities, they may be combined or separated in a variety of ways.

[0093] The memory 1802 accessible by the processor 1804 may receive and store data. The memory 1802 may be a main memory, such as a high speed Random Access Memory (RAM), or an auxiliary storage unit, such as a hard disk, a floppy disk, or a magnetic tape drive. The memory 1802 may be any other type of memory, such as a Read-Only Memory (ROM), or optical storage media such as a videodisc and a compact disc. The processor 1804 may access the memory 1802 to retrieve data. The processor 1804 may be any device that can perform operations on data. Examples are a central processing unit (CPU), a front-end processor, a microprocessor, and a network processor. The applications 1806a ... 1806n are coupled to the processor 1804 and configured to perform various tasks. An output may be transmitted to the devices 1706.

[0094] Figure 19 is an exemplary embodiment of an application 1806a running on the processor 1804. The application 1806a illustratively comprises an idea creation module 1902, an idea storage module 1904, an idea enrichment module 1906, a facet evaluation module 1908, a ranking module 1910, and an idea selection module 1912. The idea creation module 1902 may be configured to present the individual and team workspaces to users of the ideation platform 1702 to receive idea descriptions in various expression formats, such as text, audio, video, pictures, documents and hyperlinks. The idea creation module 1902 may be configured to present the submitted facets to the user and allow manipulation thereof, as described above. The idea storage module 1904 may receive from the idea creation module 1902 the facets created by the user for storage. It may further associate at least some of those facets, for example those selected by the user, to form an individual idea. The idea enrichment module 1906 may be configured to present individual and team workspaces to users of the ideation platform to add or modify expressions of ideas in order to create enhanced ideas. The facet evaluation module 1908 may display the enriched ideas on the display screens of devices one at a time, displaying each of the facets forming said enriched ideas and allowing collaborators to vote on a pertinence of each of said facets. The ranking module 1910 can receive votes from the collaborators scoring each of the facets of each of the enriched ideas, and determine facets which are below a predetermined pertinence threshold. The idea selection module 1912 can display the enriched ideas while hiding facets determined to be below the predetermined pertinence threshold, and allow the collaborators in each team to select at least one final idea from the individual ideas created by their team. As can be appreciated, more modules may be provided to implement the steps of the ideation process as described above, such as an idea synthesizing module, a facet creation module, an idea evaluation module etc.

[0095] The idea evaluation module may be configured to provide the evaluation workspace for evaluation of the submitted ideas. If more than one evaluator is evaluating the same ideas, individual evaluation workspaces and/or collaborative evaluation workspaces may be provided. In some embodiments, each evaluator may independently evaluate the ideas on his or her own individual evaluation workspace. Individual evaluations may then be provided on the collaborative evaluation workspace for all evaluators to access. The collaborative evaluation workspace may allow further evaluation of the submitted ideas by the evaluators. In some embodiments, the combination workspace may be provided by the idea evaluation module 1906, as part of or in conjunction with the collaborative workspace. Alternatively, it may be provided separately therefrom.

[0096] The facet creation module may be configured to validate a user’s understanding of the specific issue for which an idea is requested. It may also be configured to allow questions to be sent to the platform administrator or to the party requesting idea submissions. In another example, the idea synthesizing module may be configured to assign an ID to each submitted idea, for tracking purposes. The ID may be associated with a given team. The idea evaluation module may be provided in an application separate from the application comprising the facet creation module and the idea synthesizing module 1904.

[0097] In some embodiments, additional modules may also be provided, within application 1806a or separately therefrom in another application 1806n. For example, an administrative module may be provided to allow the higher access- right users to view the ideation process in progress. The administrative module may be connected to the facet creation module 1902 in order to view each team’s idea creation process. The administrative module may allow updates or other information to be provided to some or all of the teams during the competition.

[0098] In another example, a registration module may be provided to allow users to create an account for access to the ideation platform 1702. The registration module may also allow users to join/form teams and/or to select a challenge/contest/issue for participation. The registration module may provide users with information regarding contests or challenges, such as rules and regulations, timing (i.e. start and stop time/date), and the specifics of the contest or challenge. For example, a challenge may be set to begin at a fixed time and all participants are to participate concurrently, with a time limit for submitting the ideas. There may be a limit to the number of ideas that any given team may submit for a given contest. Other types of rules or regulations may also apply.

[0099] Although certain modules have been described hereinabove, it is appreciated that other modules can be provided, and that the various modules can be provided in different configurations and combinations in order to enhance the above-described ideation process, or to implement other types of ideation processes.

[00100] In an embodiment, the modules described above can be configured to provide a“light” or“express” ideation process, for example in the context of brainstorming. Broadly described, the brainstorming process can allow for ideation spaces to be created, allowing users to create ideas individually or in teams in an ongoing fashion. Instead of timing individual steps as part of a game or competition, users can access ideation spaces at any time, allowing them to generate ideas in an untimed and less structured environment. In an embodiment, an ideation space can be created for a particular task, and users can individually access the ideation space to create and add their ideas. In some embodiments, a team leader can schedule one or more brainstorming sessions or meetings to collectively create and/or refine ideas in the ideation space during predetermined time periods. During the brainstorming session, a team leader can use a processing device to guide users participating in the brainstorming session to share their ideas, enrich their ideas, and create new ideas. Users can continue to access the ideation space after a brainstorming session to continue creating and modifying ideas. As can be appreciated, these steps of individually working on ideas and collectively refining them during brainstorming sessions can be repeated as many times as necessary until the ideation space is archived or closed.

[00101 ] In more detail now, a first step of an ongoing ideation process can involve creating an ideation space, also referred to as an ideation“board”. As shown in Figures 21A-21 H, designated users, such as an administrator, can use their processing device to create ideation boards, and set various parameters relating thereto. For example, as shown in Figure 21 A an exemplary ideation board interface 2100 is shown according to an embodiment. As can be appreciated, the board interface 2100 (also referred to as a dashboard) can list created boards and provide the option to create new boards. In the illustrated embodiment, no boards are listed as none have yet been created. Accordingly, the board interface 2100 includes only a creation button 2102 allowing the user to create a new board, and an import button 2104 allowing the user to import an existing board. In the present embodiment, all users are provided with the create 2102 and import 2104 button on their board interfaces 2100. It is appreciated, however, that in some embodiments, only some designated users (such as an administrator) can have permission to create boards. Therefore, in such embodiments, only those designated users can be provided with access to the controls for creating/important 2102, 2104, whereas other users are not provided with such controls, for example by omitting them from the user’s interface 2100, or having the controls disabled/grayed out.

[00102] As shown in Figure 21 B, upon selecting the creation button 2102, the user can be presented with a first idea creation screen 2106, allowing the user to provide a name for the board, a brief description of the ideation board (for example to describe the objective of the board, or the problem which the ideation board is intended to address). In the present embodiment, the user is also provided with an option of selecting whether or not ideas from the board will be included in the vault. As can be appreciated, by selecting this option, all ideas created in the board will be made available in an idea database, vault or store, thus making them available to be imported by other users, for example when working in another ideation board.

[00103] As shown in Figure 21 C, a subsequent ideation creation screen 2108 can allow the user to select board participants. More specifically, the user creating the board can select other users (for example within their organization) who will be provided with access to the board. In the present embodiment, the user has the option of adding other users as participants, for example to participate in the ideation process, and to add users as observers, for example to observe the ideation process without being to add or modify ideas (i.e. being provided read- only access to ideation workspaces).

[00104] As shown in Figure 21 D, once the participants of the ideation board have been selected, a subsequent screen 21 10 can allow the user to schedule meetings, also referred to as brainstorming sessions. As can be appreciated, the user can define a start date and time, and an end date and time during which the brainstorming session will occur. The user can also select which participants they would like to include in the brainstorming session and select which participant they would like to designate as the initial facilitator. As can be appreciated, the user can allow all the participants to include in the brainstorming session, or select a subset of the participants to include in the brainstorming session.

[00105] Finally, as shown in Figure 21 E, a subsequent board creation screen 21 12 can allow the user to define one or more parameters which will be used to evaluate ideas created within the board. Although some parameters relating to ideation boards have been shown, it is appreciated that other ideation creation screens can be provided to allow the user to specify other parameters.

[00106] As can be appreciated, once an ideation board has been created, it can be shown on the board interface 2100. As shown in Figure 21 F, a board can be displayed via a visual summary 21 14. In the present embodiment, the visual summary illustrates the board as a folder, and shows the name of the ideation space. In the present embodiment, the board is empty, but it is appreciated that the visual summary can be configured to indicate when there are ideas contained in the board, for example by showing items within the folder, or displaying the number of ideas currently contained in the board. Although in the present embodiment the ideation board is illustrated as a folder, it is appreciated that other visual representations are also possible. For example, the ideation space can be represented as a geometric shape corresponding to the geometric shape of ideas contained therein. In embodiments where ideas are represented as cubes, an ideation space can be represented as a stack/arrangement of cubes. In some embodiments, ideation spaces without ideas and/or for which a brainstorm has not yet occurred can be visually distinguished from ideation spaces which have ideas and/or which have been subject to a brainstorm. For example, a new and/or empty ideation space can be represented as a wireframe and/or transparent geometric shape, whereas an ideation space with ideas can be represented as an opaque object and/or filled in with colors.

[00107] As can be appreciated, the board interface 2100 can include other controls allowing for ideation boards to be managed by the user. For example, as shown in Figure 21 G, upon selecting a board, the user can be presented with options to view or modify the board parameters, duplicate the board, or archive the board. As can be further appreciated, the user can import board from a board database or vault. For example, upon clicking on the import button, the user can be presented with a vault screen 2116. On this screen the user can view boards which they have previously created and/or boards which have been created by other users and which have been shared. The user can select boards to import, for example by dragging and dropping visual representations of the desired boards to an export area on the interface. As can be appreciated, importing a board can comprise making a copy of the board, and allowing users to add/enrich ideas of the imported copy without affecting the original. As can be further appreciated, the importing the board can modify it to adjust the parameters as needed.

[00108] In a next step, the users who were invited to participate in the board space and/or a brainstorming sessions will be able to create ideas individually at their leisure and/or before a brainstorming session begins, using their processing devices. Users can, for example, receive a notification on their processing device indicating that they have been invited to participate in an ideation board and/or brainstorm. This notification can be sent, for example, via e-mail or through a device notification. As illustrated in Figure 22A, once the user logs in to the ideation system on their device, they can be presented with a dashboard 2100 displaying the ideation boards to which they were invited and/or which they created. The ideation spaces can be displayed using visual summaries, for example indicating the name of the board, the date of an upcoming brainstorming session, and the number of ideas already contained in the brainstorm. In an embodiment, ideation boards which have not yet completed a brainstorming session and/or which do not yet contain ideas by the user can be distinguished visually (for example drawn as a wireframe/skeleton, and/or using dashed lines) from ideation boards with ideas and/or with completed brainstorms (for example being represented with solid lines and/or colors).

[00109] As shown in Figure 22B, when a user selects an ideation board, they can be provided with an individual idea creation interface 2200 allowing the creation of individual ideas. This interface can, for example, be implemented using the idea creation module described above, and allow the user to create new ideas, edit ideas, and/or import ideas via an import button 2206. When selecting a created/imported idea, the user can be provided with a facet creation interface 2210 allowing the user to use their processing device to create and/or import facets to define their idea, as shown in Figure 22C. As shown in Figure 22D, once created, ideas created in this manner can displayed on the idea creation interface 2200 as an individual, incomplete or un-enriched idea, for example by displaying a visual representation of the ideas in the form of a wireframe or grayscale image. In the present embodiment, the visual representation includes the profile picture of the user, indicating that the idea was created by that user individually. As can be appreciated, the user can continue to create ideas up until a scheduled brainstorming session begins. In some embodiments, the user can be notified that a brainstorming session is to begin shortly, for example via a visual notification.

[001 10] As can be appreciated, each user participating in a brainstorm session can be provided with their own networked processing device. During the brainstorming session, the users can be gathered in common physical space, such as a room or a studio, with their processing devices, and one of the users can be designated as a team leader (also referred to as a facilitator or animator) to lead the brainstorming session. However, it is appreciated that some or all of the users can participate remotely via their networked processing devices, and that the group can communicate via a telecommunication or teleconference module. During the brainstorm session, each of the processing devices can be provided with an interface allowing the user to participate in the brainstorm. The user designated as the team leader or facilitator can be provided with additional controls allowing them to control or moderate the sharing of ideas during the brainstorming session.

[001 1 1 ] In some embodiments, a recording module can be provided for initiating a video and/or audio recording to record the brainstorming session for subsequent viewing and/or listening. The recording module can record every user participating in the brainstorming session in a single file. The recording can be done using recording equipment (such as microphones or cameras) coupled to the users’ processing devices. As can be appreciated, a user may need to use a microphone and/or camera during a brainstorming session to create a video or audio facet. Therefore, the user’s device may have two video cameras and/or two microphones, with one dedicated to recording the brainstorming session and the other for creating audio and/or video facets. In an alternate embodiment, the user may only have one camera and/or microphone. In such embodiments, the device can be switched between functions, or the camera/microphone can capture a single stream which can be used simultaneously for recording the session and for creating facets when necessary. In some embodiments, for example where all the users are gathered in a common physical space, the recording can be performing using equipment pre-installed in the physical space. In other embodiments, for example where one or more users are participating remotely and where the users communicate via a teleconferencing module, the recording module can be configured to record the teleconference. As can be appreciated, the recording can be initiated by any one of the users’ processing device, but in some embodiments it can be initiated on the team leader’s processing device. Once the brainstorming session is over, the recording can be saved on a server and associated with the brainstorming session. In some embodiments, portions of the recording can be associated with ideas, allowing to easily view sections of the brainstorming session during which a particular idea was being discussed.

[001 12] During a brainstorming session, a brainstorming interface 2300 can be provided on the users’ devices, for example comprising an individual idea creation module providing an individual idea creation interface and common, shared, or collaborative idea creation module providing a common, shared or collaborative idea creation interface. As illustrated in Figure 23A, during the brainstorming session, the interface on each of the users’ devices can be split into two sections. A top section can be a shared workspace 2302, and can comprise the shared idea creation module providing the shared idea creation interface. This section can be shared by all users, and show in real-time (or in near real-time) ideas as they are being created or modified during a brainstorming session. This top section can be displayed the same way on the devices of all users participating in the brainstorming session. For example, a facilitator can be provided with the control to navigate through ideas in the shared workspace 2302, for example selecting an idea to show its facet creation screen, or returning to the idea creation screen. The displays of all users in the brainstorming session can be synchronized such that they all display the same screen as the facilitator in the shared workspace 2302.

[001 13] As can be appreciated, a bottom section can be provided as a private workspace 2304, and can comprise the individual idea creation module providing the individual idea creation interface. Each user can have their own private workspace 2304, and it can be visible only to the user on their own processing device. This bottom section can allow the user to view their individual ideas or facets created prior to the session, create or modify individual ideas or facets during the session, or import ideas or facets saved in the idea or facet database or repository. In this manner, users can work individually on ideas during the session, and share those ideas with the rest of the participants in the brainstorming group if and when they are ready.

[001 14] As can be appreciated, during the brainstorming session, the display of the shared 2302 and private 2304 workspaces can be adjusted by the user. In Figure 23A, the workspaces are displayed in a“split” configuration, in which both workspaces 2302, 2304 take up approximately the same amount of space on the screen. However, the user can be provided with controls to adjust the display, for example via buttons to toggle between predetermined split, maximized or minimized views, or via other controls which can allow for the ratio of the spaces 2302, 2304 to be defined manually. For example, Figure 23B illustrates the individual workspace 2304 as being minimized, allowing the collective workspace 2302 to occupy a much larger proportion of screen space. Similarly, as shown in Figure 23C, the individual workspace 2304 can maximized, allowing the individual workspace 2304 to take up more screen space, for example to provide more space to work on individual ideas during the brainstorming session. Although in the present embodiment the sections are separated as a“top” section and a“bottom” section, it is appreciated that the sections can be displayed differently, for example in a side-by-side, picture-in-picture, overlay, or other such configurations.

[001 15] As can be appreciated, during the brainstorming session, a user designated as an animator can guide the other users in a discussion to create ideas together. In one possible usage scenario, the animator can create ideas in the common workspace during the brainstorm session. For example, as shown in Figure 24A, when the idea creation screen is displayed in the common workspace, a control element can be provided allowing the facilitator to create a new idea. This control element can be displayed or enabled only for the facilitator, and not for the other users. In this fashion, users participating in the brainstorm can only interact with ideas created by the facilitator. As can be appreciated, when an idea is created by the facilitator, it can be displayed instantly and/or real-time in the common workspace for all users, for example as shown in the display 2404 of Figure 24C. As can be further appreciated, the idea created in the common workspace can have a visual representation which indicates that it corresponds to an idea created as part of a group and/or during a brainstorm. For example, in the present embodiment, a group profile icon is displayed on the tile corresponding to the idea, and the idea is named as such. It is appreciated that other indications are possible, for example the geometric representation can be represented in color and filled-in, as opposed to a grayscale and/or wireframe representation. Although in the present example new ideas are created in the common workspace by the facilitator, it is appreciated that in some embodiment, the facilitator can be provided with control elements allowing to import existing ideas into the common workspace, for example from an idea vault or database.

[001 16] As can be further appreciated, in some use scenarios, the common idea creation module can allow users to create and/or modify facets for ideas in the common workspace. For example, as ideas are created/imported by the facilitator in the common workspace, users can use a facet creation interface to add facets to the idea. As facets are created, they can appear in real time in the common workspace on all the users’ devices so that all the users can easily follow along. For example, when the facilitator selects an idea, the facet creation interface for that idea (similar to what is shown in Figure 22C) can be displayed for all users in the common workspace. All users can be provided with a control element to create facets for the idea in the common workspace, thereby allowing all users to contribute to development of the idea during the brainstorm. As can be appreciated, every time a facet is created by a user, a visual representation thereof can appear in real-time in the common workspace for all users. The visual representation can include an indication to identify which user created the facet, for example via a profile image or initials. In some embodiments, only the user having created the facet will have permissions to subsequently modify and/or remove the facet from the idea in the common workspace. In some embodiments, a user can select one of their ideas in their private workspace and displace (i.e. drag and drop) a facet from that idea to the collective workspace. Upon doing so, this facet can be added to the team’s idea in progress in the collective workspace.

[001 17] In some usage scenarios, ideas in an individual workspace can be added to the common workspace to be shared with the other participants of the brainstorm and enhanced collectively. For example, as shown in Figure 26B, upon selecting an idea in the private workspace, a user can be presented with a control element 2601 allowing to share this idea with the rest of the brainstorming team. As shown in the exemplary interface 2400 of Figure 24A, the facilitator can be notified on their processing device when a user would like to share an idea, and the facilitator can accept or deny this request via a corresponding control element 2401 . In an embodiment, as shown in Figure 24B if the request is accepted, an idea sharing interface, for example comprising a pop-up or overlay 2402 (or other visual element) can be displayed on all of the users’ devices, allowing the shared idea to be previewed by all participants in the brainstorming session. The overlay on the facilitator’s device can include additional controls not available on other users’ devices, allowing the facilitator to import this idea into the collective workspace as a new idea (for example by creating a copy of the idea in the collective workspace), or replace an idea that is currently being displayed on the workspace. Once the idea is in the collective workspace, the idea can be subsequently modified or enriched by the team, by adding or modifying facets as usual. In the present embodiment, as shown in the exemplary interface 2404 of Figure 24C, when the idea is shared/imported, it is displayed as an enriched or a group idea 2406, i.e. with a group profile icon and/or with an automatically altered name. The idea can also be indicated as an enriched idea by having a visual representation in color and fully filled in. It is appreciated that in some embodiments, when the idea is first imported, it can be displayed as an individual idea not worked on by the team, and once the team has enriched the idea, it can be displayed as a group idea. [001 18] Although in the above-described example the user initiated the process of sharing an idea with the team, it is appreciated that in some embodiments the team leader can initiate the sharing of an idea. For example, the team leader can have access to the private workspaces of each of the users participating in the brainstorm, and can select an idea therefrom for sharing with the team. In such embodiments, a section of the interface on the facilitator’s processing device can contain a plurality of tabs corresponding to each participating user. Each tab can contain a visual indicator, such as a picture or an initial, which identifies the user associated with the tab. The facilitator can thus click on a tab to view the private workspace of that user. As can be appreciated, this can allow the facilitator to more effectively lead the brainstorm session, and encourage each of the users to actively participate and share their ideas. Although tabs have been described to select private workspaces, it is appreciated that other interface elements can be used as well. Moreover, although in some embodiments the user associated with a tab can be identified, it is appreciated that in some embodiments, the tabs can be anonymized so that the animator can view private workspaces more objectively without knowing to whom it belongs.

[001 19] In embodiments where the facilitator has access to each user’s individual workspace, the facilitator can cycle through each of the users in order to make sure that all potential ideas were seen and/or enriched by the team. While the facilitator can do this manually, it is appreciated that in some embodiments, this can be done automatically by the ideation platform. For example, the interface can include an option to initiate an automatic/random selection. Upon selecting this option, the platform can automatically select a random idea from one of the participants which has not yet been seen by the team, and display that idea in the common workspace to allow the team to enrich the idea. This process can be repeated until all the participants’ individual ideas have been viewed by the team. In some embodiments, the idea can be shared in an anonymous manner, such that the user who created the idea is not identified. In such an embodiment, identifiers such as initials on the idea and/or facets can be removed or obfuscated to preserve anonymity of the creator.

[00120] In yet other possible usage scenarios, existing ideas can be imported and subsequently enriched by the team during a brainstorming session. As explained above, the idea creation module can allow users to import into their individual workspace pre-existing ideas stored in the idea database. These ideas can include ideas previously created by the user, ideas archived by the user, ideas from a repository or vault, ideas previously created and/or shared by other participants in the brainstorm, ideas created in the collective workspace, etc. As shown in the exemplary interface 2500 of Figure 25A, users can be provided with a control element 2501 in their individual workspaces, allowing them to import ideas. As shown in Figure 25B, for example, upon choosing to import ideas, the user can be presented with a vault or repository interface 2502 showing visual summaries of all the ideas (and/or groups or clusters of ideas) stored in the vault or repository, for example including an indication of whether the idea has been enriched and/or an indication of who created the idea (an individual or a group). The visual indications can further indicate whether the idea is an individual idea or a cluster of ideas, and in the latter case how many individual ideas are contained in the group. These ideas can include, for example, ideas and/or groups of ideas created and enriched in teams during previous ideation processes. As can be appreciated, the user can sort and/or search ideas by keywords, categories, and/or any other tags. The user can be provided with the option of viewing the explanatory elements associated with each idea, as described above. Once an idea is selected, that idea can be imported to the user’s private workspace, for example via a drag-and-drop operation into an export area of the interface 2502. For example, the user can use a drag-and-drop operation to build a list of ideas to export, and subsequently export those ideas into their workspace. As shown in interface 2500 of Figure 25C, the exported ideas can be shown as part of a user’s private workspace. As can be appreciated, importing an idea in this manner can comprise making a copy of the idea in the user’s individual workspace. In so doing, the idea can automatically be renamed, for example in the present embodiment as“V2” or version 2. In the illustrated example, a group idea is imported into the user’s workspace. In so doing, the imported idea becomes an un-enriched individual idea, and is displayed as such in the user’s workspace. As can be appreciated, imported ideas can be subsequently shared with the team for enrichment as described above. As can be appreciated, once the existing idea is enriched and/or modified in the team, it can be saved as a separate idea from the idea from which it originated, and can be represented as an enriched or group idea, for example as shown in the interface 2606 of Figure 26D . As can be further appreciated, in some embodiments, ideas can be imported by the facilitator or users directly to the common workspace.

[00121 ] In some usage scenarios, existing facets can be imported individually to form an idea, for example while collectively working on building ideas during a brainstorming session. As described above, during a brainstorming session, users can create ideas and add facets in their individual workspaces. Users can further add facets to ideas made available in the collective workspace. As shown in the exemplary interface 2600 of Figure 26A, when working on an idea in an individual workspace, a user can be provided with control elements to import facets. For example, in the present embodiment, the user can open a facet pane 2602, as shown in Figure 26B. This facet pane can include a tab allowing the user to view facets that the user has already created in the ideation board, and a tab allowing the user to view facets created by the group in the ideation board. The user can import these facets into their current idea, for example by a dragging them from the facet pane 2602, and dropping them directly into the individual workspace. Although not illustrated, it is appreciated that in other embodiment, the facet pane 2602 can be provided with more tabs allowing access to facets created by each member of the brainstorming session and/or ideation board. In some embodiments, such tabs can be accessible only by the facilitator.

[00122] It is appreciated that other mechanisms can be provided to allow users to import facets. For example, in some embodiments, users can be provided with control elements to allow them to import facets from a repository or vault. As shown in Figures 26C, upon choosing to import ideas from a repository or vault, a corresponding vault interface 2604 can be provided. In this interface, the user can be presented with facets stored as part of a repository or vault, for example including facets previously created or archived by the user, not only in the current ideation board, but in any other ideation board. Similarly, the user can view facets created by other users or teams. As shown, the user can select facets to be imported by dragging and dropping them to a corresponding export area of the interface 2604.

[00123] In some scenarios, individual and/or collective ideation can result in many different ideas being created. Accordingly, the ideation creation module can comprise one or mechanisms for managing and/or organizing ideas. For example, the ideation creation module can allow two or more ideas to be clustered, for example to group ideas which are related to one another. In an embodiment, as shown in the interface 3200 of Figure 32A, an idea group can be created using a drag-and-drop operation by displacing one idea on top of another. As shown in Figure 32B, when a cluster is initially created, a corresponding dialog 3202 can be presented, allowing the user to provide the cluster with a name. As shown in Figure 32C, an idea group can be displayed using a visual representation 3204 which is different from individual ideas. For example, the idea group can include a visual indication comprising geometric shapes, in this case a plurality of cubes representing a plurality of ideas. The visual representation can further include a visual indication of the number of ideas in the group. As can be appreciated, once a group is created, the individual ideas are no longer displayed directly on the workspace, but are instead displayed“inside” the cluster. For example, as shown in Figure 32D, a user can click on an idea group in order to“open” the group and look inside to see the individual ideas contained therein via a corresponding cluster interface 3206. Once looking inside the idea group, the user can inspect and/or edit the individual ideas, and can further choose to remove the ideas from the group and return them to the general workspace. In some embodiments, nested groups can be created, for example by creating groups of ideas inside of existing groups. As can be further appreciated, during an ideation process, groups of ideas can be treated in a similar fashion as individual ideas. For example, idea groups can be saved, imported, edited, duplicated, enriched etc.

[00124] In some embodiments, ideas can be further managed and/or organized via an evaluation module. In such embodiments, users can be directed to evaluate ideas in an ideation space, either during a brainstorming session or outside of a brainstorming session. The evaluated ideas can be subsequently ranked and/or organized to make it easier to manage a large number of ideas created in an ideation space and/or to retain only the most relevant ideas. As illustrated in interface 3300 of Figure 33A, the team leader can be provided with control elements 3302 to stop a brainstorm and/or start an evaluation. Upon choosing to start an evaluation, users can be prompted to evaluate each idea in their workspace, or in the collective workspace, for example as shown in interfaces 3304 and 3306 of Figures 33B and 33C, showing control elements for choosing to evaluate ideas in the individual workspace, and in an idea cluster in the individual workspace. As illustrated in Figure 33D, upon choosing to evaluate an idea, the user can be presented with an evaluation interface 3308 which can include a number of controls, such as sliders, to rate a variety of different criteria. These criteria can, for example, be predefined by an administrator, for example as defined when creating the ideation board as described above. When evaluating an idea, each facet of the idea can be displayed as shown in the interface 3308, the idea can be displayed using the storytelling interface, for example comprising a storytelling video explaining the idea. Once a user has evaluated an idea, the ideation space can indicate to the user that said idea has been evaluated, and show a corresponding overall score, as shown in Figure 33E. The user can subsequently choose to re-evaluate the idea, or move on to evaluate the other ideas in the workspace. As can be appreciated, once ideas are evaluated by several team members, the facilitator can have a better indication of the most relevant ideas based on their overall rating, and can further sort and/or filter idea based on the evaluation criteria. After a brainstorming session is complete, users can continue to create and edit individual ideas part of the ideation space, in the same way as before the brainstorming session started. As can be appreciated, as shown in interface 3310 of Figure 33F, ideas which were evaluated during a brainstorming session can continue to have their rating indicated. Moreover, subsequent brainstorming sessions can also be scheduled to further enrich ideas, and re-evaluate. These steps can be repeated as many times as necessary, up until an ideation space is closed or archived by an administrator. In this fashion, an ideation space can be viewed as an“ongoing” process which is less structured than a competition-based ideation process. Once an ideation space is created, users are free to create and edit ideas as they please, without being restricted by an imposed time limit. [00125] The above usage scenarios were described in the context of individuals participating in a team ideation process. However, it is appreciated that there may be many teams performing similar ideation processes or brainstorming sessions, and that it is advantageous for those teams to meet in a plenary to present ideas created by their teams, and to further enrich those ideas with input from other teams. Accordingly, the above-described method can be adapted for animating an ideation process during a plenary meeting of many teams. In a preferred usage scenario, a plenary meeting can be scheduled after a multi-team competition- based ideation process, such as the one described earlier in the present text, so that the best ideas created by teams can be further enriched by other teams.

[00126] In the context of a plenary, every participant can be provided with a processing device, and each team can designate one of the users as a team leader. Each device can display a team workspace, corresponding to a private workspace shared amongst a team, and a plenary workspace corresponding to a common workspace shared amongst all those participating in the plenary. The team workspace can comprise an idea enrichment module for enriching ideas created by the team or from any other idea sources, and the plenary workspace can comprise an idea enrichment module for enriching ideas shared by other teams in the plenary or other idea sources. The team workspace corresponds to a private workspace only visible to the team leader and any users part of the team. The plenary workspace is a shared workspace which is displayed the same way on all the users’ devices, and which is controlled by an animator. During the plenary, users can share ideas from their team to the common plenary workspace, and the animator can lead a discussion to allow other teams to contribute and further enrich the ideas. This can be done in a similar fashion as in the team brainstorming described above, where the animator has access to the private workspace of each team, and can choose which ideas to add to the common workspace for enrichment. The animator can further cycle through ideas not yet presented in order to ensure that ideas from all teams have had the opportunity to be enriched during the plenary. The animator’s interface, including the common workspace, can be rendered or projected on a large screen visible by everyone participating in the plenary. However, it is appreciated that some or all users can participate in the plenary remotely using their networked processing devices. Similar usage scenarios apply to the plenary as with the brainstorming sessions. For example, during the plenary, an idea can be created from scratch, an idea can be shared by a team and subsequently enriched using input from other teams, and existing ideas in an idea database or repository can be imported by teams and/or imported directly by an animator for sharing and enrichment.

[00127] The modules described above have been presented in the context of various ideation processes. However, it is appreciated that some of the components can be adapted for use in other contexts as well. For example, in an embodiment, some of the above-described modules and corresponding features can be used in the context of project management.

[00128] For example, in an embodiment, instead of representing an idea during an ideation process, a geometric shape can be used to represent deliverables in different stages of a project. As can be appreciated, a given project can be broken down into a number of phases and sub-phases, and each phase and sub-phase can include one or more deliverables corresponding to tasks or objectives which must be completed. By representing a deliverable as a geometric shape (i.e. consisting of facets in different formats), the outputs during each phase and sub- phase can be captured and stored in a fashion which is easy to access and visualize.

[00129] With reference to Figures 27A and 27B, a first step can involve creating a project. The illustrated interfaces can allow a user, such as a project administrator, to create projects and view existing projects. When creating a new project, a user can input data such as the name of the project, the start date of the project and an end date of the project. Flowever, it is appreciated that other data can be inputted as well, depending on the nature of the project. Inside of a project, further sub-projects can be nested as necessary. Once created, visual summary of projects can be displayed on a dashboard, in the present case in the form of tiles. The visual summary can include information such as the name of the project, the creation date of the project, the number of sub-projects, etc. The user can further have access to controls, in the present embodiment illustrated as an ellipsis button, to modify, archive, duplicate, or view more detailed information about each project (as shown in Figure 29A).

[00130] Next, as illustrated in Figures 28A-28C, controls can be provided to allow the user to define a project timeline. The timeline can define the various phases and sub-phases which need to be completed for a given project according to a company’s usual practice. As can be appreciated, a company can follow the same practice for many different projects. For example, when a project corresponds to new product development, a company may follow the same sequence of phases of conception, analysis, prototyping, manufacturing, marketing, etc. for every new product they develop. Therefore, the user can define a generic timeline for a project corresponding to new product development, and the structure of this timeline can easily be copied and re-used when a new product development project is created. In this fashion, the user will not have to re-create a timeline every time a new product development project is created.

[00131 ] A number of components can be provided for inserting on a timeline in order to define the project and its various phases. In the present embodiment, the user has the option of adding a phase, a sub-phase, and a deliverable. However, it is appreciated that depending on the nature of the project, other components may be provided as well. In the illustrated embodiment, the user can drag the components to place them at the appropriate location on the timeline. For example, as shown in Figures 28A and 28B, the user can drag a phase component to create a phase 1 and a phase 2, and may adjust the length of the phase to indicate its duration. As shown in Figures 28B and 28C, the user can further drag a sub-phase component to insert a sub-phase under an existing phase component on the timeline. Finally, the user can insert one or several deliverables part of the phase or sub-phase. As can be appreciated, each phase, sub-phase and deliverable can be provided with a name and/or a description to indicate its function.

[00132] As illustrated in Figures 29A and 29B, once projects have been created by a project administrator, they can be managed by a project manager or team leader. The created projects can be displayed on a dashboard, allowing the project manager to access the project. As illustrated in Figures 30A and 30C, the project manager can select a project and view its corresponding timeline. By clicking on a phase or sub-phase of the timeline, visual summaries of the corresponding deliverables can be displayed. Clicking on a deliverable can display the facets included in the deliverable, as shown in Figure 30B. Moreover, as illustrated in Figure 31 , two or more deliverables from the same or different phases can be selected, and the contents of those deliverables can be compared.

[00133] As can be appreciated, while a project is ongoing, a project manager, or any other user participating in the production of the deliverable, can manually add facets to deliverables. For example, a deliverable creation module can be provided, similar to the idea creation module described above. In this fashion, the project manager or any other user involved in production can create or modify facets contained in the deliverable. In some embodiments, other users who are working on a particular deliverable can add facets themselves to the deliverable. For example, if a user is working on a deliverable corresponding to business opportunity, the user can add a facet which corresponds to a chart or excel file they created. Adding the file to the deliverable in this fashion will allow the project manager to easily access the file, as it will be stored in the project management platform, and displayed as a part of the visual summary of the deliverable (such as a synthesized geometric object). In an embodiment, this can be done via an interface provided in the project management platform. Alternatively, this can be done directly from the application in which the user is working via a plugin. For example, a user working on a file in Excel could use a plugin to select the appropriate project and corresponding deliverable, and automatically export the file to the appropriate location in the project management platform. In an embodiment, the project management platform can be integrated into, or used in conjunction with an ideation platform described above. For example, ideas created using the idea creation platform (or facets contained therein) can be exported to the project management platform and associated with a deliverable.

[00134] The above description is meant to be exemplary only, and one skilled in the relevant arts will recognize that changes may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the scope of the invention disclosed. For example, the blocks and/or operations in the flowcharts and drawings described herein are for purposes of example only. There may be many variations to these blocks and/or operations without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure. For instance, the blocks may be performed in a differing order, or blocks may be added, deleted, or modified. While illustrated in the block diagrams as groups of discrete components communicating with each other via distinct data signal connections, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present embodiments are provided by a combination of hardware and software components, with some components being implemented by a given function or operation of a hardware or software system, and many of the data paths illustrated being implemented by data communication within a computer application or operating system.

[00135] The structure illustrated is thus provided for efficiency of teaching the present embodiment. The present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the subject matter of the claims. Also, one skilled in the relevant arts will appreciate that while the systems, methods and computer readable mediums disclosed and shown herein may comprise a specific number of elements/components, the systems, methods and computer readable mediums may be modified to include additional or fewer of such elements/components. The present disclosure is also intended to cover and embrace all suitable changes in technology. Modifications which fall within the scope of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, in light of a review of this disclosure, and such modifications are intended to fall within the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for collaborative ideation using a plurality of network-connected processor-based devices having display screens, each processor-based device being operated by one of a plurality of collaborators, the method comprising the steps of:

a) providing an individual idea creation module allowing collaborators to describe individual ideas through creation of facets in a plurality of expression formats via their processor-based devices; b) providing a collaborative idea creation module allowing collaborators to describe collaborative ideas through creation of facets in a plurality of expression formats via their processor-based devices; c) receiving facets created via the individual and collaborative idea creation modules, and storing the facets on a server, at least some of said facets being associated to define the individual or collaborative ideas;

d) displaying individual ideas and/or facets created using the individual idea creation module on an individual idea creation graphical user interface (GUI) provided on the display screen of the processor- based devices, said individual ideas and/or facets being displayed on the individual idea creation GUI of the processor-based device from which said individual ideas and/or facets were created; e) displaying collaborative ideas and/or facets created using the collaborative idea creation module on a collaborative idea creation GUI provided on the display screens of the plurality of processor- based devices; and

f) synchronizing the collaborative idea creation GUI on the display screens of each of the plurality of processor-based devices in real- time, thereby displaying the collaborative ideas and/or facets in the same manner on all of the processor-based devices.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the individual idea creation GUI and the collaborative idea creation GUI are displayed simultaneously on the display screens of each of the plurality of processor-based devices.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processor-based devices are provided with control elements allowing collaborators to toggle between displaying the individual idea creation GUI or the collaborative idea creation GUI, and/or allowing collaborators to adjust a ratio of the individual idea creation GUI and collaborative idea creation GUI for simultaneous display.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein steps b), e) and f) are performed only during one or more predetermined time periods.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein steps b), e) and f) are performed only for a predetermined subset of the collaborators.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising providing control elements in the individual and/or collaborative idea creation GUIs allowing collaborators to initiate a request to share ideas and/or facets from their individual idea creation GUI into the collaborative idea creation GUI.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising a step of displaying an idea sharing GUI simultaneously on the display screens of all the processor- based devices upon receiving a request to share an idea, said idea sharing GUI being configured to display visual summaries of at least some facets defining the idea being shared.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a step of designating at least one of the collaborators as a facilitator and providing additional control elements in the collaborative idea creation GUI on the facilitator’s processor-based device which are not provided to the other collaborators.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the additional control elements comprise at least one of: a control element allowing the facilitator to create new ideas via the collaborative idea creation module; a control element allowing the facilitator to approve a request from a collaborator to share an idea from their individual idea creation module; a control element allowing the facilitator to import ideas into the collaborative idea creation module; a control element allowing the facilitator to halt the performance of steps b), e) and f); a control element allowing the facilitator to initiate an idea evaluation module; and a control element allowing the facilitator to designate another collaborator as the facilitator.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a step of providing an idea evaluation module, said idea evaluation module comprising an idea evaluation GUI on the display of the processor-based devices, said idea evaluation GUI comprising control elements allowing the collaborators to evaluate collaborative ideas displayed in the collaborative idea creation GUI based on a predetermined set of criteria.

1 1 . The method according to claim 10, wherein after the collaborative ideas are evaluated, the collaborative ideas are displayed in the individual and/or collaborative idea creation GUI with a visual indicator corresponding to their evaluation result.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 1 1 , wherein step e) comprises displaying visual summaries of the facets in the collaborative idea creation GUI, said visual summaries comprising a visual indication of the collaborator having created each facet.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising providing control elements in the collaborative idea creation GUI of one of the collaborator’s processor-based device, allowing the collaborator to edit or remove facets in the collaborative idea creation GUI created by the collaborator.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, further comprising displaying ideas and/or facets created using the collaborative idea creation module in both the collaborative idea creation GUI and the individual idea creation GUI.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein ideas and/or facets created using the collaborative idea creation module are displayed with visual summaries comprising an indication that the idea was created collaboratively, said indication distinguishing from ideas and/or facets created using the individual idea creation module.

16. The method according to claims 14 or 15, wherein collaborative ideas displayed in the individual idea creation GUI are read-only, further comprising providing a control element in the individual idea creation GUI allowing the collaborators to create editable copies of the collaborative ideas in the individual idea creation GUI.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, further comprising providing an idea explanation module, said idea explanation module comprising an idea explanation GUI comprising an explanatory element provided alongside visual summaries of at least some facets defining an idea.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the explanatory element comprises at least one expression format corresponding to the expression formats of the facet, said expression formats comprising at least one of: a link, a document, a photo, a video, audio or text.

19. A system for providing a collaborative ideation platform on a plurality of network-connected processor-based devices having display screens, each processor-based device being operated by one of a plurality of collaborators, the system comprising a server having a processor and memory comprising:

- an idea creation module configured to allow collaborators to describe individual ideas through creation of facets in a plurality of expression formats via their processor-based device, said individual idea creation module providing an individual idea creation GUI on each of the processor-based devices for displaying individual ideas and/or facets created using the processor-based device;

- a collaborative idea creation module configured to allow collaborators to describe collaborative ideas through creation of facets in a plurality of expression formats via their processor-based devices, said collaborative idea creation module providing a collaborative idea creation GUI on each of the processor-based devices for displaying collaborative ideas and/or facets created using any of the processor-based devices;

- an idea storage module configured to receive facets created via the individual and collaborative idea creation modules, associate said facets to form individual or collaborative ideas, and store the individual or collaborative ideas and/or facets in a database; and

- a synchronization module configured to synchronize the collaborative idea creation GUI on the display screens of each of the plurality of processor-based devices in real-time, thereby displaying the collaborative ideas and/or facets in the same manner on all of the processor-based devices.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon which, when executed, cause the computer to perform the steps of: a) providing an individual idea creation module allowing collaborators to describe individual ideas through creation of facets in a plurality of expression formats via processor-based devices;

b) providing a collaborative idea creation module allowing collaborators to describe collaborative ideas through creation of facets in a plurality of expression formats via the processor-based devices; c) receiving facets created via the individual and collaborative idea creation modules, and storing the facets on a server, at least some of said facets being associated to define the individual or collaborative ideas;

d) displaying individual ideas and/or facets created using the individual idea creation module on an individual idea creation GUI provided on the display screen of the processor-based devices, said individual ideas and/or facets being displayed on the individual idea creation GUI of the processor-based device from which said individual ideas and/or facets were created;

e) displaying collaborative ideas and/or facets created using the collaborative idea creation module on a collaborative idea creation GUI provided on the display screens of the plurality of processor- based devices; and

f) synchronizing the collaborative idea creation GUI on the display screens of each of the plurality of processor-based devices in real- time, thereby displaying the collaborative ideas and/or facets in the same manner on all of the processor-based devices.