  This paper presents a grounded theory-analysis based on a qualitative study
of professional interaction designers (n=20) with a focus on how they use tools
to manage design ideas. Idea management can be understood as a subcategory of
the field Personal Information Management, which includes the activities around
the capture, organization, retrieval, and use of information. Idea management
pertains then to the management and use of ideas as part of creative
activities. The paper identifies tool-supported idea management strategies and
needs of professional interaction designers, and discusses the context and
consequences of these strategies. Based on our analysis, we identify a
conceptual framework of ten strategies which are supported by tools: saving,
externalizing, advancing, exploring, archiving, clustering, extracting,
browsing, verifying, and collaborating. Finally, we discuss how this framework
can be used to characterize and analyze existing and novel idea management
tools.
