Brainstorming and Brainwriting
Brainstorming is a group activity where participants verbally generate and share ideas as soon as they come up with them, without restrictions or evaluation. At the end of the activity, ideas are categorized and ranked for a follow-up.
Brainwriting is a written form of brainstorming where participants write as many ideas as possible and then pass them around so that the participants add their ideas.
Purpose
Use this job aid to generate as many ideas as possible in response to a How Might We (HMW) question or a related problem statement.
Desired outcome
Many ideas to evaluate and develop further at later stages of the design process.
When to use
At the ideation and conceptualization stage of the design process.
Pairs well with
How to use
Preparation: Up to 5 minutes
Activity: 5 to 15 minutes plus discussion time
Requirements
- In person: One whiteboard or large sheet of paper with a pen, and enough space for everyone to stand or sit comfortably
- Virtual: A collaborative digital whiteboard tool such as Miro or Mural, or mind-mapping software
Steps
- Provide any background information the group needs for this task.
- Remind the group to:
- refrain from criticism
- be open to wild and unusual ideas
- focus on quantity over quality
- build on the ideas of others
- Display the HMW question.
- Brainstorm or brainwrite:
- Participants shout out their ideas for the notetaker to write down.
- Everyone writes their own initial ideas then passes their ideas to others to add to them. There are usually several rounds. After these rounds, a facilitator displays all written ideas.
- Discuss the ideas on display and sort them into groups.
Tip: You can easily combine brainstorming and brainwriting. One effective method is to do brainwriting in groups, share the results, then ask each participant to do some solo brainstorming. Repeat the process a few times.
