Flow Ideatietool by Suryun Hyeon is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award in IJzer in Interface-, Interactie- en Gebruikerservaring Ontwerp Competition Category.

IJzerInterface· 2025

Flow Ideatietool

by Suryun Hyeon

A' Design Award in IJzer Winner in Interface Category

11,138

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #167327

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Flow Ideatietool

Boektekst: Flow is een ideatietool die is ontworpen om het natuurlijke proces van menselijk denken te weerspiegelen. Gebruikers kunnen ideeën vastleggen als trefwoorden, zinnen of tekeningen. Door op de flow-knop te drukken, worden gerelateerde ideeën met elkaar verbonden. Ideeën die door de gebruiker zijn ontwikkeld, worden verticaal gerangschikt, terwijl verbindingen die met de flow-knop zijn gemaakt horizontaal worden geplaatst. Notities van de gebruiker, online referenties en suggesties gegenereerd door kunstmatige intelligentie zijn binnen één weergave met elkaar verbonden. De responsieve interface werkt op mobiele telefoons, tablets en desktopcomputers.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award in IJzer

Flow Ideatietool is winnaar van de A' Design Award in IJzer, een prestigieuze erkenning die wordt toegekend aan goede ontwerpen die voldoen aan de professionele en industriële eisen die worden verwacht van goed ontworpen creaties. Winnaars in IJzer tonen grote vaardigheid, hoge specialisatie, deskundig inzicht en het creatieve vermogen van hun makers. Flow Ideatietool wordt verwacht een hooggewaardeerde, bewonderde en gekoesterde creatie te zijn die praktisch en innovatief is. Dit ontwerp dat de A' Design Award in IJzer heeft gewonnen, integreert de beste praktijken uit de sector en heeft bekwame technische kenmerken die verbonden zijn met knowhow en talent. Flow Ideatietool wordt gerespecteerd om zijn grondigheid en is ontworpen om verbeteringen van de levenskwaliteit te bieden die helpen de wereld een betere plek te maken.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The 'Flow' project stands out as an ideation tool that mirrors the natural process of human thinking. Users can freely jot down ideas in various forms, such as keywords, sentences, or drawings, and by pressing the 'flow' button, related ideas are seamlessly connected. Intentionally developed ideas are arranged vertically, while connections made using the 'flow' button are linked horizontally. This allows user-created ideas, online references, and AI-assisted suggestions to organically interconnect.
Dimensions & Packaging: The 'Flow' project is compatible with all electronic devices, including mobile, desktop, and iPad. While the design is primarily submitted for mobile, it features a responsive design, making it adaptable across the mentioned devices. By leveraging AI, the tool automatically organizes highly relevant ideas into a single flow and provides suggestions for diverse ideas, enhancing the ideation process.
Tags: UI, Ideation Tool, GUI, Application, Free Ideation
Production Technology: The project was developed based on feedback from students and designers who often face challenges during ideation in their design work. Through in-depth interviews, we gathered user insights highlighting difficulties in organizing scattered ideas and managing diverse thoughts during the ideation process. This led to the realization of the need for an ideation tool that captures the free-flowing nature of human thought, forming the foundation for this design.
Design Challenge: It was challenging to reinterpret familiar application functions with a new usability. To visually and interactively represent an organic and free-flowing ideation tool, we explored how human thoughts flow and operate. Ultimately, simple dots were used to symbolize ideas, as they naturally converge to form a flow, evolving into a central idea. This process mirrors human thinking, making the tool feel intuitive and easy to use despite its novel functionality.
Research: Type of Research:
A study on creating an ideation tool that captures the natural flow of human thought.

Research Objectives:
To improve the usability of existing linear and mechanical note-taking applications.

Methodology:
User in-depth interviews and functional research based on insights.

Data Collection and Research Tools:
Insights gathered through interviews.

Participants or Experiments:
Mainly designers and students who frequently engage in ideation processes.

Results:
The majority of participants expressed dissatisfaction with current note-taking and ideation tools, stating they were not conducive to free-flowing ideation.

Insights and Impacts:
The ability to freely ideate without the burden of adhering to structured formats, combined with AI-powered organization, enables more dynamic ideation. Additionally, graphical representations of idea flows allow users to intuitively grasp topics in an organic way.

Effect on Business:
It is expected to be widely adopted by individuals in various fields engaged in creative activities.

Effect on Real-Life Phenomena:
Instead of forcing thoughts into rigid tools, users will now be able to let their ideas flow naturally on a flexible platform.
Inspiration: The note-taking apps we commonly use in daily life are not well-suited for free-form ideation. This is due to their linear and mechanical structure, which contrasts with the natural flow of human thought. Traditional applications organize ideas into sentences and arrange them chronologically, making it difficult to capture the scattered and divergent nature of ideation. Recognizing this limitation, I felt the need for a tool that mirrors the free-flowing process of human thinking, leading to this project.
Project Duration: This project started in December 2024 in Seoul and was completed in early January 2025 in Seoul.
Operation Flow: It can be used in various scenarios, such as organizing free-flowing thoughts or seeking inspiration from the web. It helps overcome challenges like structuring ideas or expanding diverse thoughts. Through 'flow,' various ideas are connected based on their relevance, and the AI-powered expansion feature allows users to freely broaden their thinking.