RunsheetInnovation

Crazy 8s

ComplexityLow

Time8-15 min

Participants1-10

FormatWorkshop

MaturityCanonical

Prerequisite

What needs to be finished first

Complete firstClear design question

A clear, solution-agnostic question or sketch goal is formulated that can be visualized in one sketch.

Without: Without a clear question, sketches are too vague and not comparable.

Complete firstInspiration inputnot in catalog

Lightning demos or other sources of inspiration (competitor screens, other industries, existing patterns) were shown in advance so participants have anchors.

Without: Without input, sketches stay superficial or unintentionally copy the existing product.

Preparation

What needs to be ready before start

Materials

A4 paper per person folded into eight quadrants (or digital with an 8-cell template); pen (prefer marker to make drawings more visible), timer, visible design question.

People / roles

One facilitator with a timer; 1-10 sketchers (solo is possible); no design skill required, all participants sketch at the same level.

Pre-read

Design question or challenge; inspirations or lightning demos shown in advance; existing sketches from previous rounds if available.

Time needed

8-15 min ideation, plus 10-20 min sharing

Setup

Paper with eight cells (fold into three equal rows and columns). Make the challenge visible, put markers on hand. Set the timer to 8 minutes. Rule: one idea per cell, one minute each. Silence during sketching.

Core question

The one question this method answers

Which eight distinct solution directions can we visualize in eight minutes to break fixation on one idea?

Flow

Marker: Minute

Step	Duration	Action	Hint
10-2 min	2 min	Repeat the question and setup. Show all eight cells. Rule: one cell per minute, 8 minutes total. Sketches, no detailed drawing.	Anyone using eraser pencil tends to perfect one field for 5 minutes. Markers force sketching speed.
22-10 min	8 min	Run timer. Audible signal every minute (bell or verbal cue "next field"). Sketching in silence. No pause, no correction, every field must be filled.	The last three or four fields are often the most valuable, because obvious ideas are already used up. Time pressure creates variety.
310-15 min	5 min	Each person presents eight own sketches briefly (30 sec each, all eight fields in one round). No discussion, no evaluation.	If someone has to explain too much, the sketch was not understandable. Sketches should work without text.
415-25 min	10 min	Heat map: each person places 2-3 dots on the most promising fields (own or others). Then hold a short discussion of top concepts.	Heat map shows variety. If all dots land on the same field, a sketch workshop is not useful for the next iteration.

Artifact

What comes out at the end

Form

Sketch set as photo documentation or scan, one 8-cell paper per person. Heat-map marking shows clusters. Top sketches move into the next sketch iteration (Solution Sketch).

Versioning / ownership

Create a separate photo export per Crazy 8s session with date and question. Explicitly document migration of top sketches into follow-up sketches (for example solution sketches during a design sprint).

Tool alternatives

A4 paper with 8-cell fold
Miro with Crazy-8s template (digital)
FigJam with sketch frames
Tablet with Procreate or notes app
Whiteboard with 8-cell grid

crazy-8s-working-template.md

Compact working template for Crazy 8s with context, input, output artifacts, and next step.

Crazy 8s Working Template

Goal

A rapid sketching exercise that values quantity over perfection.

Context

When and for what do we use this method?

Input

Which data, observations, decisions, or materials are available?

Execution

Short notes along the runsheet.

Output artifacts

Sketch Set:
Idea Shortlist:
Direction Options:

Assumptions and open questions

Decision / Next step

Owner, date, and success signal.

Example output

Concrete filled scenario, fictional example

crazy-8s-beispiel.md

Concrete filled scenario, fictional example

Crazy 8s — reducing checkout friction (Design Sprint Day 2, KW 20/2026)

Question: How can checkout step 3 (payment input) become easier for users?

Sketchers: 6 people from the sprint team.

Output: 48 sketches in 8 minutes.

Observed clusters (Heat Map)

Cluster A: Auto detection (12 dots on 7 sketches)

Card-type auto recognition
ZIP-based address suggestion
Bank logo after BIC entry

Cluster B: Visual validation (9 dots on 5 sketches)

Live checkmark while typing
Card visual with live preview (controversial, 3 for / 2 against)

Cluster C: Field reduction (8 dots on 4 sketches)

Express checkout with only 3 fields
Conditional display (billing address only when required)

Promising individual ideas (3-4 dots each)

Voice input for card number (mobile)
Wallet integration as default
"Pay with tenant account" (for tax advisor application)

Transfer to solution sketches (Sprint Day 3)

Anna: combine auto detection and visual validation
Ben: express checkout with 3 fields
Lisa: conditional fields + wallet default

What to do

Make heat map mandatory. Dots provide a coarse direction, not the final decision, but a filter for next iteration.

Stop criteria

Done signals checkable in under a minute

The question is not clear or not sketchable (for example abstract strategy question).

Participants have no inspirational input, so sketches are copying the existing product.

Timing is impossible because a stakeholder wants discussion, and the method collapses.

Theme is not visual (for example pricing strategy or tone of voice), so sketches are not useful.

Group rejects silence, so bias reduction does not happen.

No follow-up step is planned, so sketches are never used.

Finished the runsheet?

Go to the profile for purpose, similar methods, and sources or continue to the next method in the catalog.

Go to profile More methods