This PhD by practice explores the effects and heuristics of experimental computational tools for supporting collaborative design ideation processes. Through the production of experimental prototypes, built upon common computer vision, speech recognition, generative AI, machine learning tools and web technologies, the potential of experimental ambient digital tools to augment design ideation practices is explored. The effects of these tools are then tested with both professional design practitioners and design students in a series of observed studies. This includes the exclusionary potential of design ideation augmented in this way. Meshes of technologies in this context denotes a mix of web search and display applications connected to sensor technology for voice recognition and computer vision for 3D and spatial sensing. These components are then connected to consumer AI frameworks for speech recognition to achieve both speech-to-text and generative text output using platforms such as IBM’s Watson and Open AI’s GPT-3. These studies examine both the embodied interaction associated with such systems using multimodal analysis, and present reflections by participants of their experiences and expectations of such augmentation. In this context, this research develops an idea of augmented design ideation and, in dialogue with participant reflections, uses this to discuss current technologies as well as trajectories of computationally supported design ideation. During this research, the emerging critical context of augmented design ideation is identified as a significant issue for ideation practitioners and systems designers. This work identifies potential new possibilities for exclusion stemming from both current technology development approaches and their integration with problematic, but common, design frameworks. These are found to be systemically problematic for augmented design ideation built with current approaches. Principally, this programme of action research uses a research through, and for design, approach for generating insights for the design research community and for highly cognate areas of the Human Computer Interaction (HCI) research community. It also describes novel approaches to multimodality in the context of augmented design ideation – specifically the integration of computational elements into multimodal texts – and presents observations in this area. I also present methodological observations on how the approach can be used to exchange insights between design research and HCI and how this builds on work by others, specifically concerning sites of common interest such as interaction design research and practice. My research examines how experimental computational tools for collaborative design ideation can be used to investigate the understanding and practice of design ideation in our highly networked ubiquitous computing context. A significant contribution of the research is its focus on retaining a concern for the macro conditions of design activity and design cognition that are not a primary concern of related domains, such as HCI. This will be useful to both designers and technologists who are developing tools and processes to support collaborative design ideation work and to researchers interested in the effects of such tools on design cognition. Augmented design ideation is found to have the potential to give rise to practices that amplify the exclusionary effects of the technologies it currently relies upon. In surfacing these issues this research offers the design and technology communities a critical context from which to develop less exclusionary practices, technologies and contexts.