Why an Ideation Workshop Can Transform Your Digital Product

In the world of digital product development, some of the most valuable ideas often emerge in unexpected places: a casual conversation, a margin note, even a comment that starts as a joke. What these moments have in common is freedom, time, and trust—key ingredients for thinking differently.

At Switch’s UX Studio, we believe that creative sparks shouldn’t be left to chance. That’s why one of our core services—for both clients and internal teams—is ideation workshops: short but powerful sessions designed to solve problems, unlock opportunities, or imagine new possibilities.

What Is an Ideation Workshop?

An ideation workshop is a collaborative session led by UX Studio facilitators, focused on generating ideas quickly around a specific challenge. Unlike traditional brainstorming sessions, these workshops level the playing field—titles and departments don’t matter; what counts is each participant’s unique perspective.

Far from a loose idea dump, these workshops are structured with short, thought-provoking, goal-oriented activities. These sessions typically last 3 to 4 hours and are designed to end with several viable ideas—ready for validation or prototyping.

What Kind of Challenges Can Be Addressed?

• How might we simplify a complex process for users?
• What alternative business model could we explore?
• What unconventional channels could we use to connect with our audience?
• What new features could meet unmet user needs?

These are just a few of the questions that guide our sessions. The key is to unlock the non-obvious, suspend premature judgment, and build ideas collectively.

Think Freely, but with Purpose

One of our core principles is removing the pressure of having to land on “the perfect idea.”
Instead, we use guiding questions, visual tools to structure thinking, and methods like Crazy 8s, SCAMPER, "What if...", and pain/opportunity maps—all in service of a clear goal.

Our role as a UX Studio is to facilitate, provoke, guide, and ultimately translate ideas into actionable concepts. We move beyond creativity to help teams turn ideas into real solutions—products, improvements, or tangible experiments.

In Collaboration with the Innovation Team

A key differentiator is how we integrate with Switch’s Innovation Team, which works across departments to identify opportunities, explore emerging technologies, and develop proofs of concept (PoCs) to validate ideas in real environments.

Bringing innovation specialists into ideation workshops strengthens ideas from both a technical feasibility and strategic perspective—creating a synergy that leads to better decisions and faster action.

“Innovation is powerful because it lets us imagine futures before they happen, test paths that don’t exist yet, and shape solutions that create lasting value for our clients.”
— Martín Saavedra, Innovation Lead

As Martín reminds us, innovation isn’t a one-time act—it’s a habit fueled by curiosity, perseverance, and openness to change.

The Value of an Internal Innovation Team

• Market Foresight: Spot trends and adapt before competitors.
• Risk Reduction: Validate ideas at low cost before investing.
• Agility: Respond quickly to challenges and opportunities.
• Continuous Improvement: Drive learning and optimization.
• Creative Culture: Encourage new thinking and challenge the status quo.
• Talent Magnet: Attract professionals who thrive on innovation.
• Strategic Collaboration: Bridge UX, business, and tech for real outcomes.
• Digital Acceleration: Fuel transformation with a strategic focus.

When to Run an Ideation Workshop

• At the start of a project, during the UX Discovery phase
• When there’s a clear problem but no clear solution
• When the team needs to get aligned and unlock creativity
• When it’s time to explore a different direction
• Or simply when there are too many ideas and it’s time to prioritize

Ideation Is About Decision-Making

Ideation isn’t just “throwing out ideas.” It’s strategic thinking—rooted in user empathy and business reality. It’s about opening up possibilities while also building focus and making decisions.

At Switch’s UX Studio, these workshops are part of a broader approach that includes research, design, prototyping, and validation. They’re also an ideal starting point for teams looking to build simpler, more impactful digital products—grounded in purpose.

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