Ideation Techniques at a Glance

Structured Brainstorming

Process: Individual ideation first, then round-robin sharing, followed by building on ideas Best For: Ensuring all voices are heard; preventing dominant personalities from controlling Key Principle: Separate idea generation from evaluation Example Prompt: “How might we improve the customer onboarding experience?”

SCAMPER

Process: Apply each operation systematically to trigger new ideas - Substitute: What could you replace? - Combine: What could you merge? - Adapt: How could you adjust for another purpose? - Modify/Magnify/Minimize: What could you alter? - Put to other uses: How else might this be applied? - Eliminate: What could you remove? - Reverse/Rearrange: What if you flipped it? Best For: Transforming existing concepts; product improvements Example Prompt: “How might we SUBSTITUTE traditional payment methods in our app?”

Mind Mapping

Process: Start with central concept, branch out with related ideas, add sub-branches Best For: Visual thinkers; exploring connections between ideas Key Principle: Work quickly to capture associations as they occur Example Prompt: “Create a mind map around ‘workplace collaboration’”

Analogical Thinking

Process: Find parallels in unrelated domains and transfer solutions Best For: Breaking out of domain-specific thinking; finding novel approaches Key Principle: Look for functional similarities despite surface differences Example Prompt: “How do forests handle resource distribution, and how might that apply to our supply chain?”

Forced Connections

Process: Deliberately connect your problem with random objects or concepts Best For: Breaking mental patterns; generating unexpected ideas Key Principle: The more unrelated the random element, the more novel the connections Example Prompt: “How might the concept of a lighthouse inform our customer service approach?”

Reverse Assumptions

Process: List assumptions, then systematically reverse each one Best For: Challenging industry norms; finding disruptive approaches Key Principle: Focus on assumptions so fundamental they’re rarely questioned Example Prompt: “What if customers paid for shipping but products were free?”

Six Thinking Hats

Process: Examine problem from six perspectives (facts, emotions, risks, benefits, creativity, process) Best For: Comprehensive analysis; balancing different thinking modes Key Principle: Focus on one thinking mode at a time Example Prompt: “Let’s put on our Yellow Hat and explore the benefits of this approach”

Worst Possible Idea

Process: Generate terrible solutions, then transform them into practical ones Best For: Overcoming perfectionism; creating a playful atmosphere Key Principle: Analyzing why ideas are terrible often reveals what would work well Example Prompt: “What would be the absolute worst way to handle customer complaints?”

Provocation Operations

Process: Create deliberately unreasonable statements as jumping-off points Best For: Breaking out of conventional thinking patterns Key Principle: Use “PO” prefix to signal thinking outside normal boundaries Example Prompt: “PO: Cars should have square wheels”

Random Word Stimulation

Process: Select random word, list attributes, connect to your problem Best For: Quick creative boost; overcoming blocks Key Principle: Force connections even when they seem absurd initially Example Prompt: Random word “butterfly” → transformation, beauty, fragility → How might these apply?

Brainwriting 6-3-5

Process: 6 people write 3 ideas in 5 minutes, then pass papers to continue building Best For: Rapid idea generation; building on others’ thinking Key Principle: Silent writing reduces social inhibitions Example Prompt: “Write three ways to reduce meeting time”

Storyboarding

Process: Visualize solutions as sequential scenes or user journeys Best For: Service design; user experience challenges Key Principle: Focus on user’s perspective and emotional journey Example Prompt: “Storyboard the ideal customer support experience from first contact to resolution”

Role Storming

Process: Generate ideas while assuming different personas Best For: Gaining fresh perspectives; empathy building Key Principle: Fully embody the alternative perspective Example Prompt: “How would a 5-year-old/competitor/historical figure approach this problem?”

Biomimicry

Process: Look to nature for inspiration and solutions Best For: Sustainability challenges; efficiency problems Key Principle: Nature has solved many problems through evolution Example Prompt: “How do natural systems handle waste, and how might we apply that?”

Wishful Thinking

Process: Start with an ideal scenario regardless of constraints Best For: Breaking free from perceived limitations Key Principle: Constraints can be addressed after the ideal is established Example Prompt: “If we had unlimited resources, how would we solve this?”

Idea Quota

Process: Set a specific number of ideas to generate (e.g., 100 ideas) Best For: Pushing past obvious solutions; quantity over quality Key Principle: Later ideas are often more creative than early ones Example Prompt: “Let’s generate 50 ways to improve team communication”

Facilitating Effective Ideation Sessions

Preparation

• Clear problem statement
• Diverse participants
• Appropriate physical/virtual space
• Necessary materials
• Scheduled uninterrupted time

Setting the Stage

• Establish psychological safety
• Explain the process clearly
• Set ground rules (no criticism during generation)
• Warm up with a simple exercise
• Emphasize quantity over quality initially

During the Session

• Keep energy high
• Enforce time constraints
• Record all ideas visibly
• Encourage building on others’ ideas
• Redirect judgment or criticism
• Switch techniques if energy flags

After Generation

• Organize ideas into categories
• Look for combinations and improvements
• Establish evaluation criteria
• Select promising ideas for development
• Document all ideas for future reference

Common Blocks to Address

• Fear of judgment
• Perfectionism
• Practical constraints dominating
• Premature convergence
• Energy dips
• Groupthink

Physical Environment Tips

• Standing rather than sitting
• Colorful materials
• Abundant writing surfaces
• Stimulating but not distracting space
• Snacks and drinks available
• Room for movement