I learned a long time ago that the answer to many UX/UI issues can be found all over and are not specifically tied to the medium I'm working in. It's all about how we interact with everything and everyone around us. Even understanding cultural differences can inspire the direction of a design decision.

In addition to doing research, I rely on my previous life as a Psychologist and my understanding of cognition to help shape my designs. This is especially helpful when developing user profiles based on the target demographic. I also try to look as far ahead and imagine what could be the next possible area for us as designers and developers to explore.

Sketching and constantly keeping up with what is going on around with other products.

Essentially you never 'come up' with new ideas, you only stumble over them by accidental discovery.

"Variations on a theme is the crux of creativity" - Douglas R Hofstadter.