How do you choose the best topic for a concept map in design?

1 Identify your purpose

Before you start creating a concept map, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with it. Do you want to explore a problem, generate solutions, or present your design proposal? Your purpose will determine the scope and focus of your topic, as well as the level of detail and complexity you need to include.

2 Research your topic

Once you have a general idea of your purpose, you need to do some research to gather relevant information and insights about your topic. You can use various sources, such as books, articles, interviews, surveys, or observations, to learn more about your design context, audience, needs, challenges, and opportunities. You can also use existing concept maps or frameworks to inspire or inform your own.

3 Select a main concept

After you have done some research, you need to select a main concept that will serve as the central node or focus of your concept map. This should be a word or phrase that summarizes the essence of your topic and captures your main message or goal. For example, if your purpose is to design a mobile app for fitness enthusiasts, your main concept could be "Fitness App".

4 Generate sub-concepts

Next, you need to generate sub-concepts that are related to your main concept and support your purpose. These are words or phrases that describe the attributes, features, functions, benefits, or categories of your main concept. For example, some sub-concepts for "Fitness App" could be "Personalization", "Gamification", "Social Interaction", or "Tracking". You can use brainstorming techniques, such as mind mapping, clustering, or freewriting, to generate sub-concepts.

5 Organize and connect your concepts

Finally, you need to organize and connect your concepts in a logical and coherent way. You can use different shapes, colors, or symbols to represent different types of concepts or relationships. You can also use arrows, lines, or labels to show the direction, hierarchy, or nature of the connections between your concepts. For example, you can use a dashed line to indicate a possible or alternative connection, or a plus sign to indicate a positive or beneficial connection.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?