The faculty or capacity of the mind for forming ideas; the exercise of this capacity; the act of the mind by which objects of sense are apprehended and retained as objects of thought
(n) A structured approach to thinking for the purpose of solving a problem, often employing graphics Ideation is the conceptual phase of the design process Feasibility studies are often performed to define the problem, identify important factors that limit the scope of the design, evaluate anticipated difficulties, and consider the consequences of the design