1. A method of assisting idea generation using a software application, the method comprising: providing, by a computer, a deformable workspace in a user interface for a user-generated sketch; on receipt of a user input defining a user-generated sketch, automatically searching for images based on the sketch; displaying image results from the search outside the workspace within the user interface; automatically performing additional searching in response to a change in the user-generated sketch; and displaying image results from the additional search.