Title: Evaluating web-based brainstorming for design thinking in businesses

Authors: Parag Uma Kosalge; Suzanne Crampton; Ashok Kumar

Addresses: Department of Management, Seidman College of Business, Grand Valley State University, #3053, 50 Front Ave., Grand Rapids, MI 49504, USA ' Department of Management, Seidman College of Business, Grand Valley State University, #3053, 50 Front Ave., Grand Rapids, MI 49504, USA ' Department of Management, Seidman College of Business, Grand Valley State University, #3053, 50 Front Ave., Grand Rapids, MI 49504, USA

Abstract: Design thinking is increasingly used in businesses to find and maintain a competitive edge in the marketplace. Brainstorming is a major part of the design thinking process and critical for its success. Web-based brainstorming tools can enable the process beyond the organisational and geographical boundaries, and across time. However, they do not find much mention in the literature. A study of over 500 users identifies three business areas important for brainstorming, including employee networking, promotions and marketing, and production and operations. Statistical evidence shows no change in user perceptions over the years. This research is one of the few recent academic works that shows a relationship between importance and performance, previously assumed to be independent. For a brainstorming web app, the relationship is found to be continuously increasing. The importance-performance analysis framework can also be used as a tool for decision making by businesses and technology providers of web-based brainstorming.

Keywords: brainstorming tools; adoption; web apps; importance; performance; design thinking.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBIS.2022.122874

International Journal of Business Information Systems, 2022 Vol.39 No.4, pp.445 - 471

Received: 10 Apr 2019
Accepted: 15 Jun 2019
Published online: 16 May 2022 *

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