Residential Design

Visioning vs Ideation

M. Corbin Jones
April 23, 2023

What is Ideation?

Ideation is the process of generating, developing, and communicating new ideas. It is an important part of the creative process and can be a collaborative activity in which multiple people contribute ideas and build upon each other's suggestions. Ideation can be used in many different contexts, including business, design, art, and problem-solving. The goal of ideation is to come up with as many ideas as possible, without initially evaluating their feasibility or quality. The ideas can then be refined and evaluated to determine which ones are the most promising and should be pursued further.U

Here are a few synonyms for ideation:
  • Brainstorming
  • Creative thinking
  • Idea generation
  • Conceptualization
  • Invention
  • Innovation
  • Imagination
  • Thinking
  • Mental activity

What is visioning?

Visioning is the process of creating a clear, compelling picture of a desired future state or outcome. It involves imagining what you want to achieve and then developing a plan to make that vision a reality. Visioning can be a helpful tool for individuals, organizations, and communities to set goals, create a sense of direction, and drive progress.

In the context of business or organizational planning, visioning often involves developing a mission statement or vision statement that describes the organization's purpose, values, and long-term goals. It may also involve creating a vision board or other visual representation of the desired future state.

Visioning can also be a personal exercise, where individuals use it to define their own goals and aspirations. In this context, visioning might involve creating a personal vision statement or developing a vision board to help visualize and focus on desired goals.


Within OVID Design, visioning is the process of creating a clear, compelling picture of the desired end result for our clients buildings or other structures. This involves developing a detailed design brief that outlines the project's goals, constraints, and desired outcomes, as well as creating visual representations of the design, such as drawings, renderings, or physical models.


Visioning is an important part of the design process for OVID and our clients, as it helps to ensure that the final design is aligned with our client's goals and meets their needs. Furthermore, It helps to guide the design process and provide a shared understanding of the desired end result.

During the visioning process, our designers and clients might consider a range of factors, including the function and purpose of the space, the desired aesthetic, the available budget and resources, and any regulatory or environmental constraints. By considering these factors and working together to develop a clear vision for the project, we ensure that the final design is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

Synonyms for "visioning" include:
  • Envisioning
  • Imagining
  • Conceptualizing
  • Picturing
  • Visualizing
  • Creating a mental image
  • Formulating a vision
  • Seeing in the mind's eye
  • Dreaming
  • Projecting a vision


What is the difference between ideation and visioning?


Ideation and visioning are two related, but distinct, concepts. Ideation is focused on generating and developing new ideas, while visioning is focused on creating a clear picture of a desired future state or outcome.

Ideation is often used as a brainstorming or problem-solving tool to come up with as many ideas as possible, without initially evaluating their feasibility or quality. It is an important part of the creative process and can involve generating ideas individually or collaboratively with a group.

On the other hand, visioning involves imagining and defining a specific future state or outcome, and developing a plan to make that vision a reality. It is often used as a tool for setting goals, creating a sense of direction, and driving progress, both in the context of business and organizational planning and in personal development.

So, while ideation is focused on generating ideas and exploring potential solutions, visioning is focused on defining a specific future state and creating a plan to achieve it. Both can be important tools for creativity, problem-solving, and goal-setting.


How are ideation and visioning processes beneficial?


The ideation and visioning processes can be beneficial in several ways:

Creativity and Innovation: Ideation is a process that encourages the generation of new ideas and fosters creativity. It allows for exploration of different possibilities and encourages thinking outside the box. Visioning, on the other hand, helps to create a clear picture of a desired future state, which can inspire innovation and guide the development of creative solutions. Both ideation and visioning can foster a culture of innovation and support the development of novel and unique ideas.

Problem-solving: Ideation can be a powerful tool in problem-solving processes, as it allows for the generation of multiple ideas and potential solutions. By generating a wide range of ideas, different perspectives and approaches can be considered, leading to more effective problem-solving outcomes. Visioning, on the other hand, helps to define a clear desired outcome or solution, which can serve as a guiding beacon in the problem-solving process, keeping the focus on the end goal.

Goal-setting and Planning: Visioning is particularly useful in setting clear goals and creating a sense of direction. By envisioning a desired future state, it becomes easier to set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals that align with the desired vision. Ideation can help in generating ideas and potential strategies to achieve those goals. Both ideation and visioning can support the development of comprehensive plans and strategies to achieve the desired outcomes.

Collaboration and Communication: Both ideation and visioning can be effective in collaborative settings. Ideation encourages teamwork, as it involves generating ideas and building on each other's contributions. Visioning facilitates communication and shared understanding, as it helps to define a clear vision and align the team towards a common goal. Both processes can enhance collaboration and facilitate effective communication among team members or stakeholders.

Decision-making: Ideation and visioning can support decision-making processes. Ideation provides a wide range of options to choose from, and visioning helps in clarifying the desired outcome, which can aid in making informed decisions. By exploring various ideas and envisioning the desired future state, decision-makers can evaluate and select the most suitable options.

Overall, the ideation and visioning processes can be beneficial in fostering creativity, problem-solving, goal-setting, collaboration, communication, and decision-making, leading to more effective and successful outcomes in various contexts such as business, design, personal development, and innovation.


What is visioning in the context of architectural design?


In the context of architectural design, visioning is the process of creating a clear, compelling picture of the desired end result for a building or other structure. This might involve developing a detailed design brief that outlines the project's goals, constraints, and desired outcomes, as well as creating visual representations of the design, such as drawings, renderings, or physical models.

Visioning can be an important part of the design process for designers, architects and clients, as it helps to ensure that the final design is aligned with the client's goals and meets their needs. It can also help to guide the design process and provide a shared understanding of the desired end result.

During the visioning process, architects and clients might consider a range of factors, including the function and purpose of the building, the desired aesthetic, the available budget and resources, and any regulatory or environmental constraints. By considering these factors and working together to develop a clear vision for the project, architects and clients can ensure that the final design is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.


How does OVID use ideation and visioning in our process with clients?

Ideation and visioning are important tools for OVID's process with clients. Here are a few ways that we use ideation and visioning in our work:

  1. Ideation: We use ideation techniques, such as brainstorming or design thinking, to generate a wide range of ideas for a project. This could involve coming up with ideas individually or collaboratively with the client and the design team. The goal is to generate as many ideas as possible, without initially evaluating their feasibility or quality.
  2. Visioning: We use visioning techniques to help the client define their desired future state or outcome for the project. This could involve developing a clear and compelling vision statement or creating a vision board to visualize the desired end result. The goal is to create a shared understanding of the desired outcome and to align the design process with the client's vision.
  3. Refining and evaluating ideas: Once the design team and client have generated a range of ideas and defined a clear vision for the project, we work together to refine and evaluate the ideas to determine which ones are the most promising and should be pursued further. This could involve using criteria such as feasibility, impact, and alignment with the client's vision to determine which ideas to move forward with.

Overall, ideation and visioning are very helpful tools for our process with clients to generate a wide range of ideas, define a clear vision for the project, and align the design process with the client's goals.