UX design serves as the customer advocate, coordinating across departments and bridging the all-too-common product/development divide to ensure that the "voice of the consumer" is heard.
The concern of the consumer is the driving factor for the work of the UX Designer, thus, it is important that the UX Designer consider the plights of the Consumer in his own Ideation Process.
The UX Designer can employ two distinct methods in using consumer insights for their Ideation sessions, these methods are:
Idea sensing
Foremost, to create ideas from the concerns of the consumer, a designer should know the consumer; he must first live in the world of the consumer to understand their plights before converting them to ideas. He must assume the position of the consumer so that he can feel their needs.
A UX Designer should be actively involved with customers engaging in focus groups, industry events, and visiting customers and thus capable of penning down early-stage ideas for consideration.
Discovery and Validation research
Qualitative feedback from engaging with consumers will either validate some of your notions, erase them, or give rise to new areas of concern.
Meanwhile, it is also risky to validate a consumer need with just one engagement because consumers might not be able to accurately define what they want, so constant engagement will reveal if their plight is just a personal one or a global issue.
Consumer Insights starts with the consumer, lands on the Designer's table for consideration, and can ultimately reflect in the product once it is validated. Since the product is for the consumers, then it is wise that their insights are the focus of the Ideation Process.
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