Idea generation software

How can software help you generate ideas? By providing different types of stimuli to help you think (and look at your problem) in a new way. Almost all the problems we have with creativity depend on the assumptions we make - and these programs help get around those assumptions.

To be honest, there aren't many products we can recommend - there are many more pieces of software for structuring ideas.

We compare these products:

• Imagination Engineering

• Axon

• Shuffle

Imagination Engineering

Imagination Engineering is our own product for generating ideas. It is based on our simple four-step framework of:

• understanding the problem/idea requirement

• generating ideas

• refining and selecting ideas

• planning for implementation

You are guided through each technique with a wizard, which also enables you to enter your ideas, then the whole project is pulled together for quick overview. The interface is simple and guides you through well.

The biggest problem with this package is that is written for Windows 3.1, so it still used the old short filenames and doesn't even give the full names to the folders. However it's very effective.

Download now

Click here to go to the Imagination Engineering download page.

Axon Idea Processor

Axon is a toolkit for creativity that has lots it in, provided you are the sort of person who really likes to get into a product and understand it. It's not always hugely intuitive but there's a vast amount in it and it's probably the most powerful idea software on the market. It's a bit like the old days of WordPerfect - if you were prepared to learn all the obscure commands it beat all comers (until Word was properly developed) - but many found it too much.

Probably more than any other product, you can only really be sure if it'll work for you by having a go.

Download now

Axon provides a free download of the 'lite' version which has a limit on the number of objects that can be saved - or you can go straight for the full works. See the Axon download site. Please note that Creativity Unleashed neither sells nor supports this software: we are merely reviewing it and providing a link. Any queries to Axon.

Shuffle

Shuffle starts with an existing brainstorm map and then combines a series of other concepts you have defined with your brainstorm components in a random way to provide a whole new series of starting points for your ideas. The shuffle package also includes guidance on different processes for using Mind Manager as an idea generator. It's easy to use as long as you are already a Mind Manager user, but there is no stand-alone version.